Windows 8 moves to BIOS-based product keys Product keys for Windows 8 computers aren't printed on a sticker. They're encrypted in the BIOS. How might that affect you?
My question: is this possible..?? Can a OS write to BIOS..?
If it true you can NEVER switch to a other OS..!!! You need to buy a new PC...
Source: Windows 8 moves to BIOS-based product keys | Windows 8
What do I have to do to get the product keys for the installed operating system? What do I do to re-install in case of a failure. Where is my copy of the software so I can re-install it?
View 4 Replies View RelatedAt the beginning, when I have started to setup windows 8 ,everything goes okay until the product key, I get an error message saying 'We couldn't verify the product key. Check the installation media'
And I had tried to install windows 8 on another PC with having same product key then I have noticed the product key has worked on that Pc! and not working on my PC.
So I have tried several times to enter lots of keys. why my PC is not verify any product keys?
I am thinking of replacing my HDD with an SSD in my laptop. My HDD currently makes a clicking noise at random times and I think it might be dying, so I want to be proactive. I plan on buying an SSD and cloning my HDD to it. I have many programs that require a license/key to use (mainly concerned with ArcGIS). After I make the switch, will my subscriptions still be active and ready to use? Other programs I was thinking of were Microsoft Office and antivirus.
View 1 Replies View RelatedI have an acer aspire computer with corrupted key windows files. So i am unable to even boot windows. When i start windows i get a BSOD.
What i am trying to do is retrieve my product key from the BIOS with a program that is bootable outside of windows. Like from a USB for example.
My intention is to restore my computer with a clean install by downloading my windows 8 version on another computer to a usb through the windows website after i retreive my product key. Then use this usb to install my windows 8 version back onto the BSOD computer. But as i have stated, i am unable to use the conventional product key finding programs since i cant even boot windows 8.
Recently did a clean install of windows 8 on my Asus K53SV and the function keys work fine except for the brightness keys.Actually, at first i loaded the windows 7 atk package and the brightness keys worked but the volume ones didn't then i got the latest atk package and now the brightness ones don't work (the lower brightness one just dims my monitor a bit and the increase brightness just makes it brighter a bit but doesn't change the brightness value) and the volume ones do.
View 9 Replies View RelatedCan't move the cursor off the active screen to the top, right or bottom. But when I move the cursor to the left side, it goes forever.
I often do a split screen e.g. to look at two panels concurrently, you can go to the option between minimize & maximize (does this mode have a name???), move the panel to the right and you get a half-screen on the right. Do the same with another screen, move it to the left, and you again get a half-screen. Dunno what this feature is called, but it exists in Win7 & Windows 8, great for doing copy-and-paste from one to another.
Problem is, when I drag to the left, it goes off into space.
When I play Far Cry 3 and try to aim or throw explosives, my field of view/crosshair to the left and down. Holding shift and clicking makes the crosshair move less... I tried installing the latest driver for my mouse, my graphics card but nothing changed.
View 1 Replies View RelatedRecently, with my Mouse (Optical) the Mouse Pointer does not respond all of the time.
View 1 Replies View RelatedI like to make my own custom Username for any Windows installation. However, Windows 8.1 Pro will simply create a Username for me based on my Microsoft account and that Username is just not tidy enough for me with dashes and not something cool and it doesn't ask me whether I want to type one up myself. The only way I found to prevent that from happening is disconnecting from the internet or disabling NIC in BIOS. Is there another way of doing so?
View 5 Replies View RelatedWhen I use Connectify with my TP-LINK TL-WN721N and Google Chrome together, sometimes BSOD crashes occur.. Here are the Dump files.. SF_16-03-2014
View 9 Replies View RelatedUpgrading Netbook, with an SSD, so naturally I made sure I let him know beforehand that an SSD was not going to perform as advertised on his Netbook given that it only has a SATA 2 (3Gb/s) interface and a pretty low end Intel Atom based CPU.
The SSD is a Crucial MX100 128GB.
So... Is there a software I need to be running in order to get the most out of Crucial SSD's?, I'm running a Plextor SSD on my main gaming rig and it runs absolutely beastly without any software, etc.
I made sure I changed the SATA Mode to ACHI before installing Windows 8.1.
Also, I did not install any Intel Chipset drivers or anything on the Netbook given how old it is, Windows should have the latest drivers for it (I did run Windows Update).
I have a question on ability to restore from an image based backup with a Win 8 compatible backup program (Acronis 2014 Premium), and not fully familiar with EFI. System is preinstalled Windows 8 on Asus F75 laptop, so disk is GPT.
Here are the partitions:
1. 300 MB EFI System Partition, FAT32
2. 900 MB NTFS Recovery Partition (would seem to be the MS Reserved partition)
3. 279 GB NTFS OS Partition
4. 398 GB NTFS Data Partition
5. 20 GB NTFS Recovery Partition
Forgetting about the 20 GB Recovery partition and the Data partition, if I wanted to return to a previous point in time for the OS, would I restore the OS partition (3), the MS Reserved Partition(2), AND the EFI System Partition, or would restoring the EFI System Partition not normally be done or recommended?
Am using outlook.com, web based, as a backup email program. Since setting it up when I try to access it, I keep getting a screen that says 'we are having a problem access this program, try again'. When I click again, I am in the email program and ready to use it.
So far have not found why I must go through this extra step to get to Outlook.com.
I am using browser Firefox on Win 8.1 on my PC.
Splitting PST files based on date allows you to split PST file for a particular duration. When the Split file based on date option is selected, a new PST file is created containing only the emails received or sent during that specified duration. The integrity of original PST file is kept intact. But how can we handle that? Show me the way.
View 3 Replies View RelatedI just built a desktop with a sabertooth x79 motherboard, and am running Windows 8.1 pro 64-bit. When I click the UEFI BIOS Firmware live tile via the change PC settings>update and recovery>recovery>etc. my computer reboots normally to Windows and will not open BIOS. I have tried accessing it using the delete and f2 keys, but this does nothing either.
I am up to date in terms of my BIOS, and am definitely running UEFI and not legacy.
I'm trying to look for an alternative robust email client to outlook -- want to start gradually moving away from Ms Office to cheaper solutions.
I don't like the way Ms is going with subscription based Office 365 and Office 2013 is IMO "The Pits" - office 2010 works fine but I want where possible to start using alternatives. Libre Office is fine for some things but not quite ready for prime time yet (IMO) especially for EXCEL but I can start moving away from office gradually with an email client first.
The email client must NOT be web or browser based (I Hate webmail type of things) and must support IMAP. I don't want it to have ADWARE or NAGWARE (you know those that keep persuading you "Please update to PRO version etc etc"). It must also support MULTIPLE ACCOUNTS. It should ideally have a similar or identical interface to OUTLOOK -- simple plain, not like the background I've seen on some Gamers machines !!!!
If it can integrate with GMAIL that's fine but not mandatory. Preferably free too .
I did see a portable client ISCRIBE at i.Scribe and InScribe: A Small and Easy to use Email Client but it looks as if it might be a little experimental.
I discarded OPERAMAIL -- don't want any BROWSER or web mail type of stuff.
Linux has some decent choices such as EVOLUTION (probably one of the best if not the best) but Windows seems a bit lacking in this area -- pity OUTLOOK EXPRESS wasn't continued after XP -- it was small, simple and could also manage multiple accounts.
What should I do?
Here are some Screenshots..
I found that f.lux is really useful to your eye when you look pc all day.
However, I found that the light setting doesn't gradually change according to time.
For example, at noon the setting is at the highest peak. So there is different light setting across the day time.
It would be good for night if there is automatic setting for light gradually set to the lowest at midnight.
When this happen, the word and picture look totally different and the nothing come out from the blue colour. I might as well go to sleep and continue work tomorrow.
Is there a way to set a few setting and when the time come, f.lux change the light setting? It may not be fully gradually change but at less there is different in the light setting than have it all same all day.
I bought 8 Toshiba Laptops for my company on 3rd Feb 2013 from Dubai . The laptops details as follows
Model: Thoshiba Laptop SC850 B560 i3
OS: Windows 8 single language
No DVD's and product key given at the time of purchase so how to get windows 8 single language software to re-install and the key for the same. As the OS were pre installed. This is to avoid future issues that may come up like software failure etc.
[ I need to download Windows 8 single language OS, product key for the same OS which is preinstalled- I can provide serial number if needed]
I did a fresh reboot of my system and now I cannot reactivate it. My product ID is "not available" and I have an activation error description. I've tried all the slui commands and the sfc scans.
View 3 Replies View RelatedIf i decide that i want to uninstall windows 8 from my computer, can i then install it on another using the same product key that i used on the first or is it once used you cannot recover your product key?
View 3 Replies View RelatedI currently have an issue with activating Windows 8.1. I bought a Samsung series 7 chronos NP780 last November that came with Windows 8 installed already. I upgraded to 8.1 a few days ago and left it overnight to complete. Everything went fine up until I had to activate it. It says that the product key is incorrect and to enter a different one. I have looked at the box that the laptop came in, the manuals in it and on the laptop itself and there is no product key to be found. One or two of the manuals/booklets might be missing but I'm fairly sure that the product key is within the BIOS so should it not recognise the product key itself automatically and complete the upgrade without asking me for the key? I ran belarc to can by laptop and at the section where the product key should be it says "Key: None activated". I also ran keyfinder and the key it gave me back didnt work (although the end of it seems to match the end of the one that is listed as the "current product key".
View 9 Replies View Relatedwld like to install windows 8.1 preview on my brand new xps13 but need product key and cannot find that anywhere in the documents I received
View 8 Replies View RelatedIs there a way to setup network profiles or something so that when I bring my Surface Pro to work and connect to the wireless network there it will use the static ip address I have but when I disconnect and then connect to my home wifi it will go back to DHCP? On my MacBook Pro I can go into the network settings and change the location profile I have setup for networks but I don't see anything like this for Windows 8.
View 4 Replies View RelatedMy company gave me a Windows 8 Enterprise product key, which I'm trying to use to upgrade a version of Windows I'm running. I visited this link -- Upgrade Windows with only a product key - Microsoft Windows Support, clicked the "Install Windows 8" button, ran the setup file that downloaded, and when prompted for the product key, entered it, only to see the message.
The product key cannot be used to install a retail version of Windows 8.
Is there another ISO I should be using? Ultimately I'm trying to get an ISO for use with my VMWare Fusion 6 install running on my Mac (10.9.1). I'm confident the product key given to me by my company is legit, but it obviously isn't a retail product key, probably some kind of corporate key or the equivalent.
What would happen to my Acer motherboards hard coded Win 8.1 product key, when I use a Win 8.1 Pro key to upgrade my system (By using the Add features to Windows in Control Panel) Would the new Pro key replace it? Or what, if anything relevant to me, the user, would happen?
View 9 Replies View RelatedI posted a thread a couple days ago, which pertained to backup and restore of system images.
Windows 8.1/Windows 8 and backup software that works well with UEFI and GPT disks.
I just have another question which related to the last thread, then I think I will be able to sleep.
Can you system image a drive that has Win 8.1 (OEM) onto a new SSD, and not have your sheer will destroyed by the OS not being activated after the image has been applied to new SSD?
I would hope that once the image has been applied to the new drive, the magic within Win 8.1 would realise I am using the same motherboard, but it's just a different drive. Infact, I'm keeping the original 2TB drive in the exact same slot, but of course formatting it once I can get the SSD to boot. (I'm installing the SSD into my Acer's expansion SATA 3 bay on the front of the case - hot swappable technology or something)
I got a message yesterday on my windows 8.1 laptop saying my windows is expiring in a couple of weeks and I need to put in a product key to renew it. So I found my product key and put i tin and it won't work? It says it can't be accepted and to use another one?
It was originally a windows 8 but I did the update to make it an 8.1.
I would like to check with you, How to Install Windows 8 without Product Key and Restore the Activation, let me describe the procedure:
1. Open Notepad to create a file with following code structure mentioned below and save asei.cfg in Sources folder for Windows 8
[EditionID]
{Edition ID}
[Channel]
{Channel Type}
[VL]
{Volume License}
2. Install a Windows 8 clean installation
3. Install all drivers
4. Turn-Off Internet
5. Restore the Activation using Advanced Tokens Manager.. Failed
6. Restore the Activation again.. Success
7. Update all O.S. using the Windows Update.. Success
How to install Windows 8 without Product Key and Restore the Activation?
Can I somehow copy the hidden activation files from Windows 8.0 Pro WMC to a Windows 8.1 Pro WMC installation and get it activated?! I have legit keys for Pro 8.0 with WMC but I would like to make a fresh install on a different system but with 8.1... any workarounds or do I just have to wait for windows update to get 8.1 and then copy the activation files... ?
View 9 Replies View Related