Windows 10: Tablet upgrade, retrieve 8.1 key

Do you mean you had retrieved the Win8.1 key, which could not be used to activate Win8.1?

 

The PRO upgrade thing is a PITA, but easy enough to get round.

Re. bios - as I said, I have seen people claim they flashed bios and they could no longer activate as the key had been erased.

I think it more likely that this was on pcs where 8.1 was preinstalled but not bios embedded (majority, but not all, are embedded of course), and the owners assumed key was embedded. Some dealers install an "non-slp" oem licence on a pc without any OS, before selling of course.

Also, some people bought pcs from more questionable dealers with preinstalled 8.0 which were actually upgraded Windows 7 pcs (same has happened recently, as I have seen complaints from some people who have bought windows 10 pcs which turned out to be upgraded 8.1 pcs).

For these reasons, OP should verify key is embedded in bios first as there is a small risk that it is not.

Of course, it is possible some bioses are not as well behaved as they should be and links to the 'protected areas' get wiped?

 

Yes. I decoded it from the config/software file in Windows (as the wmic path softwarelicensingservice get OA3xOriginalProductKey command wouldn't work for some reason).
Now Windows 8.1 won't accept that key.
I now try wmic path softwarelicensingservice get OA3xOriginalProductKey command, and it returns the same product key. That must be reading from the BIOS, I assume..?

 

Try the commands below:
Windows 8.1 Product Key - Wont Activate

 

Tried those slmgr commands, slmgr /ipk [product key] failed with error 0xc04f069.

 

Try the key below:
https://plus.google.com/103664638115...ts/4o6nTFn1qDV

 

That one gives error 0xC004E016..

 

Try showkey and see what it lists for the key and edition its for. Key refusal usually means you installed the wrong version of Windows or typed it in incorrectly. Connected may be the "With Bing" edition, not sure. showkwy should tell you if there is an embedded key or not and the edition its for. https://www.tenforums.com/software-ap...7-showkey.html

 

1. Download Kyhi's recovery tools, boot from it, and run showkey plus:
Windows 10 Recovery Tools - Bootable Rescue Disk - Windows 10 Forums

or just run showkey from Windows you have installed. Showkey - Windows 10 Forums

2. Windows 8.1 Core Connected is Windows 8.1 with Bing. You need the original software that came with the tablet to install that. There are very, very few downloads of Windows 8.1 with Bing available - and none directly from Microsoft.

3. Windows 10 Home will be the proper upgrade from Windows 8.1 Core Connected (8.1 with Bing). My Nextbook Tablet came with Windows 8.1 with Bing and Windows 10 Home installs fine on it and reads the product key from bios.

4. On tablets like these - never delete the factory software without having a restorable image of it first like Macrium Reflect because....well, there are very, very few downloads of Windows 8.1 with Bing available - and none directly from Microsoft.

 

I had a feeling Connected was the With Bing edition. I was just going to do a search to confirm it. Now I don't have to.
*Thumbs

 

Thanks! Perhaps I'll just try installing Windows 10 Home using the existing 8.1 Core / Connected product key.

The good thing is that the drivers for my other Windows tablet using the same chipset install fine. All except the touchscreen which is proving difficult to find.

 

On my Windows 10, ShowKeyPlus says 'OEM key not present in firmware'.
Does it mean the key is not embedded in BIOS? If so, where is it?
My key is a generic one according to Win 10 partitioning and product key - windows 10 - Windows 10

Perhaps you can try a generic key.

 

The key will only be embedded if Windows 8/8.1 or 10 was installed by the OEM. If the PC didn't ship from the factory with Windows 8 or Windows 10 preinstalled it won't have an embedded key. If it's not in the BIOS its stored in the Windows registry. Installing Windows will not embed a key in the BIOS, only the OEM's can do that. showkey can pull it from either location. If you did the free upgrade to Windows 10 you will get a digital entitlement and a generic key. My laptop has an 8.0 Core OEM embedded key, and the generic 10 Pro key stored in the Windows install files. showkey shows both keys.

You can install with the generic keys but the PC will not activate if it doesn't already have a digital entitlement. You can do a change key and enter a valid key to activate without starting over though.

 

I did the free upgrade on ASUS H81M-A. Does this motherboard have a digital entitlement stored on a Microsoft server?
If it dies after a year or two and I buy a new ASUS H81M-A, will the new one have the same digital entitlement?

 

Go to Settings > Update & Security > Activation
The new device, if it comes with Windows 10 preinstalled, will activate online with it's embedded key. It will have its own separate license. As far as I know, only the free upgrades get digital entitlements. The free upgrade is non transferable. That's my understanding anyway. The free upgrade is good for the life of that device. When that device dies, that license for Windows 10 dies with it.