Hazzaaa! Download Windows 8.1 ISO Using Windows 8.0 Product Key

By Nazmus Shakib Khandaker
in Microsoft (Windows)

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Grand Master

theyarecomingforyou

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I was sure I read on the Windows 8 blog that Microsoft was going to allow users to download ISO images that integrate the serial key so that users don't have to enter it during install. What ever happened to that? It seems that Microsoft has actually made things more complicated when it comes to Windows 8.1.

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tkaw220

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all i get is "cannot connect" and the download doesnt start.

 

anyone else having issues opening certain sites w/ 8.1?  Say, I google 'cnn' and click the 1st link. Doesnt connect, and the site instantly times out. Try with other sites and they dont work either. Also, if i try to go to different sites like 'espn' using the URL (not google) and the same thing happens.

 

In my case, I received the same connection error if I head straight to download 8.1 with generic key.

 

I successfully obtained the 8.1 installation media by download the Windows 8 with genuine key, hit cancel when it begins download. Continue with 8.1 download and create media.

 

Boot from thumbdrive, insert generic 8.1 key to do clean install, and then activate it with my Windows 8 key.

 

Never understand why the evil M$ make the process so difficult. Note: I couldn't upgrade to 8.1 from Store due to endless error code 0xC19000... - 0x2000C.

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thomastmc

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334NH-RXG76-64THK-C7CKG-D3VPT for Core, XHQ8N-C3MCJ-RQXB6-WCHYG-C9WKB for Professional are generic 8.1 keys for the installer.

 

Hopefully posting these isn't against any rules, but I believe its fine because these are embedded in Windows itself as a placeholder default key and do not let you activate, they only let you proceed during the install and you need to activate with a legit windows 8 key.

 

I used the professional key and it worked fine, and then activated after with my windows 8 pro key. My windows 8 key is also from the 40 dollar upgrade and it let me activate after the 8.1 clean install.

 

I got a 2 point warning for doing much, much less a couple of days ago... All I did was quote a front page article on 8.1 :hump: :crazy:

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Riggers

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I may be wrong on this but thought i`d post just in case anyone uses this method of grabbing and iso to do the "lost refresh/reset" settings after updating 8 to 8.1 via the store.

It seems the iso created doesn`t have an install.wim file so can`t be used with the method explained in the other post! It has an install.esd file though.

 

Why have Microsoft made such a pigs ear of this whole situation :/

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Nazmus Shakib Khandaker

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  • Author
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I may be wrong on this but thought i`d post just in case anyone uses this method of grabbing and iso to do the "lost refresh/reset" settings after updating 8 to 8.1 via the store.

It seems the iso created doesn`t have an install.wim file so can`t be used with the method explained in the other post! It has an install.esd file though.

 

Why have Microsoft made such a pigs ear of this whole situation :/

With the ISO, you don't have to follow the directions on that post. Just burn the ISO to DVD, insert it in your drive, and do the refresh/reset. That's it. The refresh/reset will detect your Disk in the drive and to the reset.

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Riggers

Posted
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With the ISO, you don't have to follow the directions on that post. Just burn the ISO to DVD, insert it in your drive, and do the refresh/reset. That's it. The refresh/reset will detect your Disk in the drive and to the reset.

 

 I understand that but what if your away from home and haven`t got the DVD/ISO or thumb drive handy. Personally i think the ability to refresh the pc being lost during update is a blunder by Microsoft and the fact the`re not releasing an ISO to the general public even more so. I`m fine as i have a copy but i bet there`s loads that aren`t...

Grand Master

adrynalyne

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I may be wrong on this but thought i`d post just in case anyone uses this method of grabbing and iso to do the "lost refresh/reset" settings after updating 8 to 8.1 via the store.

It seems the iso created doesn`t have an install.wim file so can`t be used with the method explained in the other post! It has an install.esd file though.

 

Why have Microsoft made such a pigs ear of this whole situation :/

I grabbed the iso and did a refresh/reset.  It worked fine, as I needed the disk because the store update broke the ability.

Grand Master

DirtyLarry Veteran

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I did the exact procedure in the OP with a win8 pro upgrade key and it worked fine. The windows 8.0 setup app should absolutely accept a windows 8 upgrade key (since running that is the official way to upgrade to windows 8...), and as long as the windows 8.0 setup app accepts it and starts the download the 8.1 app should just skip past asking for the key when you run it after canceling the download in the 8.0 app. At which point did it not accept your key?

Did not check this thread since I posted, but it was the very first time you are asked for the key, so the Windows 8.0 Setup App. I even entered it 3 times just to make sure I was typing it correctly.

Neowinian

Sonic98

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Well, I'm one of the people not able to do the upgrade through the store. I'm guessing I'm running an Enterprise version of 8. I'm glad I finally found a key that is accepted by the ISO download option, but I am also getting the "can't connect right now" issue. Does anyone have a key that works with WIndows 8, so I can try to the 2% download trick?

Grand Master

ViperAFK

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So those placeholder keys posted a few pages back no longer work?

Any reason why you are saying this? I don't think anyone in this thread has said anything about them not working anymore... Those keys are embedded in the installer itself as generic keys to allow installation, I don't see any reason why they would stop working.

Grand Master

JustGeorge

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Any reason why you are saying this? I don't think anyone in this thread has said anything about them not working anymore... Those keys are embedded in the installer itself as generic keys to allow installation, I don't see any reason why they would stop working.

My bad. I thought I read in one of these posts that those keys weren't working anymore.

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Nazmus Shakib Khandaker

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  • Author
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My bad. I thought I read in one of these posts that those keys weren't working anymore.

You can only use those keys to INSTALL Windows once AFTER you finish downloading the ISO. You MUST use a purchased key to be able to download the ISO.

If you use the generic keys, you will get the "Can't Connect Error".

Thanks!

Grand Master

JustGeorge

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You can only use those keys to INSTALL Windows once AFTER you finish downloading the ISO. You MUST use a purchased key to be able to download the ISO.

If you use the generic keys, you will get the "Can't Connect Error".

Thanks!

I have a legit Win8 Pro upgrade key, so all good. Did MS remove the loophole that allows you to install fresh with an upgrade disc like you could with 7 or are you now forced to install previous OS then 8? When installing 7, I remember booting off my upgrade disc, and changing something in the registry afterward to allow it to activate.

Neowinian

Sonic98

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Can't upgrade Enterprise :( - you know how long it takes me to get all of my stuff installed and configured?! 

 

Yeah this is just crazy. I'm going to have to find out who makes out ISOs and get them to get an ISO through whatever means they used to get Win8

Grand Master

Shaun N.

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Yeah this is just crazy. I'm going to have to find out who makes out ISOs and get them to get an ISO through whatever means they used to get Win8

 

I have our iso through our MSDN account but I don't fancy reinstalling just yet...

Grand Master

ViperAFK

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I have a legit Win8 Pro upgrade key, so all good. Did MS remove the loophole that allows you to install fresh with an upgrade disc like you could with 7 or are you now forced to install previous OS then 8? When installing 7, I remember booting off my upgrade disc, and changing something in the registry afterward to allow it to activate.

I didn't even have to do this for 8.1, I got the $40 upgrade way back when, and thats the key I used. Upon clean-installing 8.1 I activated with that upgrade key and it didn't complain at all, just activated. Which is odd, because with windows 7 I always had to use that workaround, and I recall doing it when windows 8 first came out as well (the mediabootinstall registry hack).

 

I did notice when I checked regedit on my win8.1 machine mediabootinstall was already set to 1, I opened up regedit after installing all ready to make the change before trying to activate and it already was, so I'm not quite sure why that is or if thats been the same case for anyone else, or if that registry key even matters anymore.

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