I have bought 3 win8 Licences online. I downloaded the install media for each. Do I need to keep all the install media or will a valid key work with any install media ? Or to put the question another way is the key tied to the install media in any way ? I'd rather keep just one instance of the install media if that's possible. Thanks in advance
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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
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AMD K140
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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
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
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
Hi there
I think this issue has been addressed a few times recently. A Windows install now (it started with W7 or maybe VISTA too ) can contain all the versions of Windows -- the version that gets installed is dependent on the key you enter.
It's even possible to ADD customised images to a Windows install media -- once you enter the correct key then THAT version will be installed.
However some people just use the "Upgrade" facility from Ms - even from a pre-installed OEM W8 system you can upgrade to "Retail" W8 Pro for example by just purchasing a key from Ms -- then the upgrade will be performed over the internet so it's not always necessary to actually have physical install media.
However IF you have install media then as I said the version that gets installed is 100% dependent on the key -- not the install media which CAN be used on multiple machines (different key required for each machine of course)
No the install media is not tied to one specific key. It checks for a valid key during install and will accept any valid product code. The product code entered determines what version is installed, Core or Pro.