Windows 8 OEM to Windows 8 Pro OEM

I bought a new Asus UX32VD that came with Windows 8. I purchased and installed a new SSD to replace the existing HD. The laptop didn't come with a recovery DVD. I purchased Windows 8 Pro OEM from Amazon. When I installed the Pro version on the blank SSD, I ended up with the same Windows 8 version that original came with the laptop, minus the recovery partition. I resized the C and D partitions to my liking. I wasn't asked for the Product Key for the Pro version and Windows passively activated.

Is it not possible for me to replace the OEM Windows 8 with the OEM Pro version? I know there is the Pro Pack, but I already spent a lot on the OEM Pro version. I tried entering the Product Key from the OEM Pro in the text box where the Pro Pack key is entered, but it's identified as invalid.

I am having a problem with Windows Explorer freezing at times for a minute to a few minutes. The longer the machine has been running, the more problematic it becomes and I usually have to reboot once a day to clear the problem. Everything appears to be working properly. I keep wondering if my method of installing Windows on the SSD could be causing the problem?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Hello msmcintosh, and welcome to Eight Forums.

New Windows 8 OEM computers have BIOS based product keys now. This is why you didn't have to enter the product key, and it activated automatically with the original key.

http://www.eightforums.com/windows-8-news/14217-windows-8-moves-bios-based-product-keys.html

So far, it's not real clear on how one is suppose to upgrade with the old product key locked in the BIOS like that. Is it in Add Features where you tried to enter the Windows 8 Pro key number?

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/6673-add-features-windows-8-a.html


Hope this may help some,
Shawn

Right, it was in Add Features. So much has changed since my laptop from 01/2010. I'm new to UEFI. It's been a real struggle for me to get the SSD working. Finally, I got Windows to install from the Pro disc. Maybe I should have gotten a recovery disc from Asus and used that. I'm stubborn, I guess, and wanted to install Windows without that 20 GB recovery partition. Asus support hasn't been helpful. I also tried to install Windows 7, but could never get past where I pick the disk to install it on. I always picked the UEFI boot option for my DVD drive. The issue with Windows Explorer is realing driving me crazy. It will work fine for a couple of hours and then start hanging. Especially, when I right click. I figure someday all this will be figured out.

It should be possible to install Windows 7 on my laptop, I think or am I wrong?

I'm getting to think the Product Key in the BIOS is like a VIN on a car. It seems like it is there to stay and dictates what version of Windows that it can run.

Thanks for the links, I'll check them out.

Yes, you should be able to install Windows 7, but you'll need to use the method in the tutorial below since you have UEFI.

UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) - Install Windows 7 with - Windows 7 Forums

I posted the question as to whether I can replace the preinstalled OEM Windows 8 with OEM Windows 8 Pro and got this disappointing reply:

"With Windows 8, Microsoft has changed from stickers that have the product key that the user has to type in when installing the operating system to new BIOS embedded product keys. The idea is that by eliminating the sticker, you eliminate one of the easier ways for nefarious users to get a legitimate product key. Eliminating the product key sticker also removes any worry that the sticker might get damaged while at the same time eliminating the long and irritating process of typing in various letters and numbers when installing the operating system.
If the user has to reinstall the operating system on a machine that came with Windows 8, the installation process automatically grabs the software product key from the motherboard BIOS with no input from the user. This means that those familiar Windows product key stickers will no longer appear on the Windows 8 computers.

So, no matter what you do, it will always reinstall Windows 8. The best option is to reinstall Windows 8 and do a upgrade to Windwos 8 Pro using Feature Pack;
Move up from Windows 8 to Windows 8 Pro:
Add features - Microsoft Windows"

Looks like I wasted $125. I think I can use it to upgrade another Windows 7 machine that I have, but I could have bought the $39 upgrade from MS instead.

It looks like the original Product Key is there to stay, unfortunately.

That is very disappointing if you are not able to install what you want on the OEM computer.