OMFG!! Reloaded windows yesterday!! Major activation woes!

musiclover7

Member
Member
Messages
219
I cannot believe this. I truly cannot believe this..

I had a virus on my machine about a week ago, which I foolishly got when installing Samsung kies software from a non-trusted source. I was in a hurry, on the phone with someone, and I just installed it using all defaults rather than being careful, so I wound up with a virus. I managed to get that removed later, but my machine just did not run as snappy as it should of afterwards, despite devoting some serious time to cleanup. So, I opted to reload Windows. Call it early summer PC cleaning.

I purchased the upgrade version of windows 8 back when it originally came out for $39 bucks. I thought it was a pretty dang good deal. I have been using it ever since. A few months after in came out, Microsoft started giving away free Media Center upgrades, which I went ahead and took advantage of. I have a genuine Windows 8 DVD set, and in that set, I have my genuine product key, along with my upgrade to Media center product key, all of which is nicely stored in a little desk drawer here.

Unfortunately, my product key does not enable me to get an iso of Windows 8.1, so to re-install windows, I had to use the original DVD, then go through close to 115 updates, then update to windows 8.1, a process which I completed yesterday afternoon. It took about 3 hours. All good though, that is what spring cleaning is all about.

This morning, I clicked the Add Features to Windows button, and entered my Windows Media Center product key. That is when the trouble started. I came back to my machine later today, and got a pop up stating that I need to activate windows. I thought, ok, no biggie, I'll just jump through a few hoops here, after all, everything I have here is purchased and is completely legit. Nope. 1.5 hours later, including a fair amount of time trying to puzzle out how to call out to Microsoft, and I was just told by the last guy, that I need to reload Windows once again, and cannot use the Windows Media Center key that I was given to upgrade to Windows Media center.

I said, "Can't you just remove Windows Media Center, and... IF this key is no good, then why did it say it was good, and allow me to install Windows Media Center in the first place??"

It should have popped up a message straight away that said, "We are sorry for the inconvenience, but if you proceed and use the Media center key we gave you a few years ago to install Media center, it will put your PC in an un-fixable state, and you will have no choice but to waste 3 hours of your time re-installing Windows yet again. Please burn this key, and forget we ever gave it to you. Just use the one that you purchased going forward and forget all about Windows Media center. We would gladly give you some of the crack we have been smoking over here of late in recompense, but unfortunately, that would be illegal. It sure is some good stuff though..."

Cuz that is literally where I am at now folks, and yep, I am a paying customer. Not only did I just lose 1.5 hours talking with multiple folks on the phone, and having them remote into my machine to try to rescue my installation, but now I have been told, sorry, you must reload windows yet again.. That is the only way out of your situation.

I hope this is making sense. At this moment, I hate all things Microsoft. This is a total load of BS. They should be paying me for my lost time because they are the ones who screwed up my computer.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro 64 Bit
    CPU
    Processor AMD Athlon(tm) II X4 635 Processor, 2800 Mhz, 4 Core(s), 4 Logical Processor(s)
    Memory
    8gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GTX 460
This is why I keep doing full Operating system drive backups every month...
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Memory
    6 GB
    Screen Resolution
    1280 x 1024
    Hard Drives
    12 TB in 6 disks
    PSU
    TX650
    Keyboard
    G15
    Mouse
    Intellimouse 3.0
    Internet Speed
    100 Mbits
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Trend Micro
Oh.. I am all backed up. I just finished reloading windows after all. I just can't believe I am doing it again. I could understand it if I was not a paying customer, but given that I am, I am pretty astonished that the best the folks could do for me was to tell me, sorry, you have to reload windows again, and don't try to install media center this time. Pretty crazy!!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro 64 Bit
    CPU
    Processor AMD Athlon(tm) II X4 635 Processor, 2800 Mhz, 4 Core(s), 4 Logical Processor(s)
    Memory
    8gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GTX 460

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1.1 Pro with Media Center
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Gateway
    CPU
    AMD K140 Cores 2 Threads 2 Name AMD K140 Package Socket FT1 BGA Technology 40nm
    Motherboard
    Manufacturer Gateway Model SX2110G (P0)
    Memory
    Type DDR3 Size 8192 MBytes DRAM Frequency 532.3 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI AMD Radeon HD 7310 Graphics
    Sound Card
    AMD High Definition Audio Device Realtek High Definition Audio USB Audio Device
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Name 1950W on AMD Radeon HD 7310 Graphics Current Resolution 1366x768 pixels Work Resolution 1366x76
    Screen Resolution
    Current Resolution 1366x768 pixels Work Resolution 1366x768 pixels
    Hard Drives
    AMD K140
    Cores 2
    Threads 2
    Name AMD K140
    Package Socket FT1 BGA
    Technology 40nm
    Specification AMD E1-1200 APU with Radeon HD Graphics
    Family F
    Extended Family 14
    Model 2
    Extended Model 2
    Stepping 0
    Revision ON-C0
    Instruction
    Browser
    Opera 24.0
    Antivirus
    Avast Internet Security
Yeah, the whole WMC thing is crazy... if the key was not activated prior to the cut-off date it became useless...I don't see why really.
The 'you-can-install-but-you-cannot-activate' thing as well is an old problem which they should fix - I realise that installation cannot determine activation status as it could be offline - but even if it means doing it via a restore point or something...
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    PC-DOS v1.0
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    IBM
    CPU
    Intel 8088, 4.77MHz
    Memory
    16K, 640K max
    Graphics Card(s)
    What's that?
    Sound Card
    Not quite
    Screen Resolution
    80 X 24 text
    Hard Drives
    dual 160KB 5.25-inch disk drives
Lol, there's a trick to dl the 8.1 iso from MS with your valid license key (google it). No need to go the 8.0->115 updates->8.1->8.1 update 1 route. the 8.1 iso allows you to install the latest 8 from scratch (needs a generic key for this)... then you can activate wth your upgrade key...
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
Lol, there's a trick to dl the 8.1 iso from MS with your valid license key (google it). No need to go the 8.0->115 updates->8.1->8.1 update 1 route. the 8.1 iso allows you to install the latest 8 from scratch (needs a generic key for this)... then you can activate wth your upgrade key...

If you mean this, http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/18309-windows-8-windows-8-1-iso-download-create.html?filter You need a Retail key and the trick to get 8.1 with an 8.0 key seems to not work anymore.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
    Memory
    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
    Sound Card
    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
    PSU
    Thermaltake TR 620
    Case
    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Stock heatsink fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Trackball and T650 TouchPad
    Internet Speed
    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
Yeah, the whole WMC thing is crazy... if the key was not activated prior to the cut-off date it became useless...I don't see why really.
The 'you-can-install-but-you-cannot-activate' thing as well is an old problem which they should fix - I realise that installation cannot determine activation status as it could be offline - but even if it means doing it via a restore point or something...

Yeah, they need to fix that. When you first type the key in it just verifies that its a valid upgrade key. Activation doesn't happen until after the upgrade is done and you reboot. Then if it fails you can't go back to just 8 Pro. Not without reinstalling. I used a key after the cutoff date and it activated fine. It seems to be hit or miss, some got lucky and some didn't. I had one key fail online activation when I moved it from one PC to the other. I had no problem doing the automated phone activation though. I'm not sure but I think System Restore might get reset on the upgrade to MC. Somebody else would have to confirm that though.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
    Memory
    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
    Sound Card
    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
    PSU
    Thermaltake TR 620
    Case
    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Stock heatsink fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Trackball and T650 TouchPad
    Internet Speed
    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
    Memory
    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
    Sound Card
    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
    PSU
    Thermaltake TR 620
    Case
    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Stock heatsink fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Trackball and T650 TouchPad
    Internet Speed
    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
Yes the "Downgrade" via registry is an old trick - it was however found to create a "Frankenbuild" with a mix of components and unreliable outcome. :eek:
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    PC-DOS v1.0
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    IBM
    CPU
    Intel 8088, 4.77MHz
    Memory
    16K, 640K max
    Graphics Card(s)
    What's that?
    Sound Card
    Not quite
    Screen Resolution
    80 X 24 text
    Hard Drives
    dual 160KB 5.25-inch disk drives
Unfortunately, my product key does not enable me to get an iso of Windows 8.1, so to re-install windows, I had to use the original DVD, then go through close to 115 updates, then update to windows 8.1, a process which I completed yesterday afternoon. It took about 3 hours. All good though, that is what spring cleaning is all about.

Yeah, the whole process is a royal PITA. I've got a bunch of work machines that came with Windows 8.0 OEM from Dell. With my images, I want 8.1 update 1 now to go out, but it won't recognize the BIOS key to install 8.1 clean. So, I have to use a "dummy key" to install 8.1 and then use the slmgr.vbs -ipk (dell key) to make it work.

And this media center stuff is a real load of BS. Just put the features in every version of the OS and go on with life. They have way overcomplicated this product with standard and pro, and with or without media center, and 8.1 and then update 1 and then update 2 coming. I cannot believe I'm saying it, but I prefer Service Pack 1 and Service Pack 2 over this method. Having to get 8.1 via the Store, and then update 1 via Windows update.....it's just nowhere near straight forward enough.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self-Built in July 2009
    CPU
    Intel Q9550 2.83Ghz OC'd to 3.40Ghz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R rev. 1.1, F12 BIOS
    Memory
    8GB G.Skill PI DDR2-800, 4-4-4-12 timings
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 1280MB Nvidia GeForce GTX570
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC899A 8 channel onboard audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Acer x233H
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Intel X25-M 80GB Gen 2 SSD
    Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black, 32MB cache. WD1001FALS
    PSU
    Corsair 620HX modular
    Case
    Antec P182
    Cooling
    stock
    Keyboard
    ABS M1 Mechanical
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
    Internet Speed
    15/2 cable modem
    Other Info
    Windows and Linux enthusiast. Logitech G35 Headset.
They have cleaned it up some. It used to be 8.0 OEM > run windows update to enable 8.1 upgrade > Upgrade to Windows 8.1 though Windows Store > Run Windows update again to get update 1. And now maybe go to Windows Store again to get update 2. Those early adopters of Windows 8 have been busy to say the least. It sounds like now those with 8.0 will have the option to go right to 8.1 with update 2 "for a small fee" < just a rumor at this point though.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
    Memory
    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
    Sound Card
    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
    PSU
    Thermaltake TR 620
    Case
    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Stock heatsink fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Trackball and T650 TouchPad
    Internet Speed
    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
Back
Top