Activate Back to Windows 8 Pro

rct2guy

New Member
Messages
10
Location
St. Louis, MO
Searching the internet, I found that apparently "Windows Media Center" is free for Windows 8 (or, was, rather). I searched online for a key, tossed in the first one that popped up, and restarted my computer. After this, I learned that the promotion was no longer available, and that the key has exceeded its unlock limit. So, I tried entering my own key. But, Windows is now upset that they key I entered is not a Windows 8 Pro with Media Center key, and wants me to give that instead.

My question is, how can I go back to Windows 8 Pro? I have my own key, but it doesn't want me to use it. It wants me to use the installer instead. Is it possible to revert back to Windows 8 Pro without having to re-install Windows?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro (64-bit)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-2500k (LGA 1155)
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3
    Memory
    8GB (4GB x2) Corsair 1600MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA NVIDIA GTX 570
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS VG248QE, Dell E173FP
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080, 1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 1.3TB, 5200 RPM
    PSU
    Antec 620w
    Case
    Bit Fēnix Survivor
    Cooling
    Bit Fēnix Specter (x2)
    Keyboard
    Logitech MX 5500
    Mouse
    Razer DeathAdder Chroma
    Internet Speed
    95 MB/s
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, Malwarebytes

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
Yep...it happened to me with a valid key. Turns out that the valid key is only good for one email and one install on a particular PC. I tried the above mentioned tutorial and it worked very well.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom build
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X 4 965 BE
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-MA790X-DS4
    Memory
    G-Skill 8 GB PC 8500
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD XFX HD Radeon 6790D
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2l Samsung SyncMaster S20B300
    Screen Resolution
    1600 X 900
    Hard Drives
    Seagate Barracuda 320 GB w/OS
    Seagate Barracuda 1 TB data storage
    PSU
    Ultra X4 750 watt fully modular
    Case
    Thermaltake OverSeer RX 1 fulltower
    Cooling
    Cooler Master Hyper212 120mm
    Keyboard
    Logitech G510
    Mouse
    Razor DeathAdder 3.5
Yes, the Media Center Keys have the same restrictions as your 8, or 8 Pro keys. You can only activate with that key on one PC at a time. The MC keys that were for the preview releases were good for multiple activations. The final version though is like Windows 8, one key for one PC. If you want to install on a second PC you need another key.
 

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
Had the same issue and wish I'd seen this tutorial a couple of days ago. Instead, I spent a morning being switch around MS support until Mary was able to fix the issue in about five minutes. Basically she gave me a valid product code at no cost.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro w/Media Center, Windows RT
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