Windows 8 product key

Hi,

I recently purchased an SSD and I tried to install Windows 8.1 onto it. It turned out my product key didn't work for win 8.1, so I tried installing Win 8, which worked fine. Now I start my PC after fully installing Win 8. And it asks my product key again. Only this time the exact same key I used for the installation in the first place, doesn't work anymore. What's up with that.

Some background: I used to have Win 7, I got the Win 8 upgrade at reduced price because it was to be released a month after I bought my PC, and after a year the free 8.1 upgrade. I only have a Win 7 product key on a sticker on my laptop. And I since I didn't have my Win 8 product key anymore, I used a program called Belarc Advisor to find out what it was. I used the Win 8 product key for the installation.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

EDIT: The Win8 upgrade wasn't free. It was about 20 euros. Reduced price because I bought my PC a month before Win8 was released.

Some background: I used to have Win 7, I got the free Win 8 upgrade,

Click to expand...

There is NO free upgrade to Windows 8.

Oh right, forgot about that. It was like 20 euros or something. My bad.
That doesn't matter though. I have a legal key, it worked for the installation, the exact same key doesn't work when I'm trying to activate the installation.

Try by phone.
http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/24636-activate-windows-8-phone.html

I think I know the problem now. [h=2](error 0xC004F061)[/h]So i seems I can't use that product key because it is one for upgrade from Win7 to Win8 and not for a whole new Win8 installation. So it seems I'll have to install Win7 and than upgrade to Win8.
One thing still seems really idiotic, why allow me to install it with a product key that isn't going to work anyway..
About the phone thing, I don't think that works where I live unfortunately.
But thanks for the quick reply, your post helped me alot

To install Windows 8:

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/13375-clean-install-windows-8-upgrade.html

To install Windows 8.1:

Take a look at those posts for more info.

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/18309-windows-8-windows-8-1-iso-download-create.html

How to download Windows 8.1 ISO with a Windows 8 key.
http://www.eightforums.com/installation-setup/33164-how-download-windows-8-1-iso.html

http://www.eightforums.com/installa...retail-windows-8-1-windows-8-product-key.html

Thanks. I'll look into them.