Offical release for MSDN and TechNet subscribers

• August 15: MSDN and TechNet subscribers will be the first to get access to the new software.
• August 16: Software Assurance customers and Microsoft Partner Network members will get access to the operating system.

Will be nice to hear some reviews of the real thing, anyone around here a subscriber?

TC

 

[Phone Man]

Probably 10 per key. I have used one of mine 3 times on the same PC.
Don't ask.

Jim

I have found that the retail keys for Win7 from Technet pretty much has a really high number of installs per key. I have wiped and reloaded that damn key a good dozen times on my main machine that I continually hardware upgrade and have a few activations on my HTPC using the same key. I have yet to get any activation failed...

I don't expect windows eight to be nearly as generous as windows 7.

I don't think MS is doing anything different with the Windows 8 TechNet keys than with the others, contrary to the false rumors.

Jim

 

[NCguy]

I have found that the retail keys for Win7 from Technet pretty much has a really high number of installs per key. I have wiped and reloaded that damn key a good dozen times on my main machine that I continually hardware upgrade and have a few activations on my HTPC using the same key. I have yet to get any activation failed...

I don't expect windows eight to be nearly as generous as windows 7.

I don't think MS is doing anything different with the Windows 8 TechNet keys than with the others, contrary to the false rumors.

Jim

Do you have something to base that on?

 

[johnpombrio]

NCguy, it's called TechNet inertia. Changes seem to break everything MS touches so they will probably leave it alone...

 

[NCguy]

NCguy, it's called TechNet inertia. Changes seem to break everything MS touches so they will probably leave it alone...

I hope you're right but I sense its bend over time

 

[pparks1]

Interesting. Win8 Pro Retail from Technet silently activated Windows with my product key without any input from me. Y'know, clicking the "Windows needs to be activated" icon that pops up on Win7. I think that is part of the new hammer down on piracy policy that MS has implemented with Win8.

Yeah, its a bummer for somebody like me who installs a VM, tests something and then simply blows away the VM. In the past, I simply just installed without a key and never had to activate since my machines only lasted a few hours to a few days at most.

Oh well, I will just use the "enterprise" copy of the software for this type of testing purposes. With 5 keys for Pro and multiple activates per key, I shouldn't have any issues.

 

[jimbo45]

Interesting. Win8 Pro Retail from Technet silently activated Windows with my product key without any input from me. Y'know, clicking the "Windows needs to be activated" icon that pops up on Win7. I think that is part of the new hammer down on piracy policy that MS has implemented with Win8.

Yeah, its a bummer for somebody like me who installs a VM, tests something and then simply blows away the VM. In the past, I simply just installed without a key and never had to activate since my machines only lasted a few hours to a few days at most.

Oh well, I will just use the "enterprise" copy of the software for this type of testing purposes. With 5 keys for Pro and multiple activates per key, I shouldn't have any issues.

Hi there pparks1

How about creating a Base VM (or "Reference VM") with nothing special installed apart from Windows Default.

Use this as "The activated version".

Now "Clone" this VM to another VM and build the VM you want for your testing.

You might get "Hardware has changed - Please Activate Windows -- now see if you get 3 or 30 or whatever number of days.

If you get a few days grace before you have to activate then this should work just like you did it before. The trick is to keep a "Standard Reference" VM which you use as a model for your Test VM builds.

Incidentally does the Enterprise version actually require an Internet connection to activate when you enter the product key via the slmgr command. I believe it just activates anyway -- normally these versions look for a KMS server which I don't have available which is presumably why it didn't activate normally but entering a valid product key achieves the same object.

I should have tested this by disconnecting from the Internet - but I forgot. !!

Cheers
jimbo

 

[TerryE]

I have done activations over the phone before for systems not connected to the internet (secure networks) and, while it works, it's not fun. I have never had a problem getting that to work but then I have also never tried it with Windows 8. There is (or was) a step-by-step process the system will walk you through - ultimately you get a code back from the system and you're directed to call a number (based on your location), enter the code you got from the system, and then enter the characters you get back from Microsoft (on the phone) to complete the activation.

It's not fun, as I said, and we stopped doing it in favor of allowing communications between the secure network and our corporate KMS for the prupose of activation. Making a phone call every time we install another machine on a secure network is just not practical but for one or two machines it's OK.

Out of the box Enterprise didn't ask for a key; presumably it will look for a KMS, like Windows 7 Enterprise does. If there is no KMS or you want to use a MAK key then you need to "install" that key. I did that and then the systems shows as "activated" - I didn't need to manually activate it once I entered the product key using slmgr.vbs. (At least in Win8 Enterprise there is no "change my product key" link on the Control Panel like there is in Win7 Enterprise. I don't know if Pro behaves the same way.)

 

[pparks1]

How about creating a Base VM (or "Reference VM") with nothing special installed apart from Windows Default.

Use this as "The activated version".

Now "Clone" this VM to another VM and build the VM you want for your testing.

You might get "Hardware has changed - Please Activate Windows -- now see if you get 3 or 30 or whatever number of days.

I do intend to try this type of procedure when time permits.

Incidentally does the Enterprise version actually require an Internet connection to activate when you enter the product key via the slmgr command. I believe it just activates anyway -- normally these versions look for a KMS server which I don't have available which is presumably why it didn't activate normally but entering a valid product key achieves the same object.

I should have tested this by disconnecting from the Internet - but I forgot. !!

Cheers
jimbo

I'll give it a shot, but I'm pretty sure you have to be connected to the Internet for the activation to be successful. Otherwise, you get a prompt saying to call it in. I'm pretty sure this was the same as how it was in Windows 7.

 

[pparks1]

Out of the box Enterprise didn't ask for a key; presumably it will look for a KMS, like Windows 7 Enterprise does. If there is no KMS or you want to use a MAK key then you need to "install" that key. I did that and then the systems shows as "activated" - I didn't need to manually activate it once I entered the product key using slmgr.vbs. (At least in Win8 Enterprise there is no "change my product key" link on the Control Panel like there is in Win7 Enterprise. I don't know if Pro behaves the same way.)

I'm going to try to activate my VM using slmgr.vbs without a NIC connected and see if it says activated, and stays activated after a couple of days.

You can get the change product key button back if you run slmgr.vbs -upk (uninstall product key).

I haven't tried the Pro version yet, but I read that it does have a change product key option...and you also need to input a legit key to even install it in the first place.

 

[TerryE]

Yeah, since Enterprise is for VL customers it's likely they'll have a KMS set up, and the product will activate automatically (once the threshold is reached, anyway). Without a connection to a KMS you can use a VL key but my experience, at least with Win2008 R2, is that even with the VLK you need an internet connection for activation (unless you want to do the telephone activation). My memory may be a bit faulty on that last point (I think we entered a VLK before we did the phone activation but maybe it was during that process).

 

[pparks1]

Ok guys,

I took a VM, disconnected from NIC and ran the slmgr.vbs -ipk "key" command and it accepted my key just fine. 5 seconds later, it prompted me with a thought bubble to "Activate Windows now".

When I check the activation status, it has a button to "activate by phone" or "activate".

So, this has to be activated via normal channels.

 

[johnpombrio]

Is Windows Media Center in the TechNet Win8 Pro retail release?

 

[Dwarf]

No, only Media Player.

 

[Phone Man]

Is Windows Media Center in the TechNet Win8 Pro retail release?

It is there but you need a Windows 8 Pro with WMC product key to unlock it. I tried one of those leaked keys with Add Feature and it installed WMC and worked great. Except that key was blocked and it killed my activation. I tested it for a while but then re-installed my Pro version.

Jim

 

[Capt.Jack Sparrow]

Ok guys,

I took a VM, disconnected from NIC and ran the slmgr.vbs -ipk "key" command and it accepted my key just fine. 5 seconds later, it prompted me with a thought bubble to "Activate Windows now".

When I check the activation status, it has a button to "activate by phone" or "activate".

So, this has to be activated via normal channels.

Nice. Good to know we can activate this way.

 

[Capt.Jack Sparrow]

Found anyother way to activate enterprise not sure if this was posted before...

Open Elevated Command Prompt
Type in "SLUI.EXE 3"
It will give you the option to enter the product key
Enter and activate it.

 

[Frank1]

Wouldn't the Official release be the same as the evaluation issue that we have now?