Sources for Valid Product Keys for Windows 8.1 Pro OS Install

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Anyone have recent experience getting a valid Product Key to activate an install of the W8.1 Pro iso download. So many grey market keys on the internet that are sold on overseas websites makes it tough to know what will actually work. Anyone who knows a reliable source, please chime in as it would be helpful, THX

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Sorry I don’t have the “recent” on this, but should it help..

Your prospect of a genuine license seem slim unless you can recover a key the system previously used and get Windows installed to a near condition it was when it was first activated. If it never had Windows 8 perhaps consider trying Windows 10 before that option closes? Even re-using a key stripped from another machine could be problematic.

Windows 8 is near its end:

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/faq/windows

Mainly enterprise licensing has download rights, so starting with Windows 10 (probably your best option – have you tried that while you can, just to see?) and going backwards isn’t going to be cheap or easy either:

https://download.microsoft.com/download/6/8/9/68964284-864d-4a6d-aed9-f2c1f8f23e14/downgrade_rights.pdf

You might need to update Windows 8  a fair bit before it activates:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/2019-sha-2-code-signing-support-requirement-for-windows-and-wsus-64d1c82d-31ee-c273-3930-69a4cde8e64f

Though if you need to get Windows installed (for example to retrieve your BIOS key with wmic path SoftwareLicensingService get OA3xOriginalProductKey) you can use a staging key (artile at bottom) to do that – Windows 8 keys will activate Windows 8.1 though you might actually need to phone Microsoft as a series of updates changed the way signing is handled – I had a battle to stay attentive long enough through the endless service announcements to get the right key to press to end up at the right place on Microsoft’s switchboard to activate Windows 7 last time.. (Coincidence or  could those updates have had an impact on older activation systems somehow? TBH I haven’t installed since then..)

Suggest you get the OS installed and let it complain and update and see what you can do with the licensing once activation is its only issue.. the keys for “just installing” are here

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/i-need-windows-81-serial-key-to-start-the/5971ee8b-62d3-45f0-b51f-e167956f2892

You can use slmgr to install your key once you have it, and activate on line hopefully..

 

 

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Last October 2021, I purchased a product key for Windows 8.1 Pro from Product Key Online (link below). It activated without a problem and is still working normally now.

https://www.productkeyonline.com/buy/windows-8-1-pro-product-key/

I downloaded/used the Windows 8.1 ISO from Microsoft here:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows8ISO

 

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oldguy wrote:

Sorry I don’t have the “recent” on this, but should it help..

Your prospect of a genuine license seem slim unless you can recover a key the system previously used and get Windows installed to a near condition it was when it was first activated. If it never had Windows 8 perhaps consider trying Windows 10 before that option closes? Even re-using a key stripped from another machine could be problematic.

Windows 8 is near its end:

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/faq/windows

Mainly enterprise licensing has download rights, so starting with Windows 10 (probably your best option – have you tried that while you can, just to see?) and going backwards isn’t going to be cheap or easy either:

https://download.microsoft.com/download/6/8/9/68964284-864d-4a6d-aed9-f2c1f8f23e14/downgrade_rights.pdf

You might need to update Windows 8  a fair bit before it activates:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/2019-sha-2-code-signing-support-requirement-for-windows-and-wsus-64d1c82d-31ee-c273-3930-69a4cde8e64f

Though if you need to get Windows installed (for example to retrieve your BIOS key with wmic path SoftwareLicensingService get OA3xOriginalProductKey) you can use a staging key (artile at bottom) to do that – Windows 8 keys will activate Windows 8.1 though you might actually need to phone Microsoft as a series of updates changed the way signing is handled – I had a battle to stay attentive long enough through the endless service announcements to get the right key to press to end up at the right place on Microsoft’s switchboard to activate Windows 7 last time.. (Coincidence or  could those updates have had an impact on older activation systems somehow? TBH I haven’t installed since then..)

Suggest you get the OS installed and let it complain and update and see what you can do with the licensing once activation is its only issue.. the keys for “just installing” are here

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/i-need-windows-81-serial-key-to-start-the/5971ee8b-62d3-45f0-b51f-e167956f2892

You can use slmgr to install your key once you have it, and activate on line hopefully..

 

 

I have windows 8.1 product key. I couldn’t activate it either. Can anyone help?

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