Upgrading Win 8.1 to 8.1 Pro in Windows itself.

IH88

New Member
Messages
9
Hello, I am considering upgrading to 8.1 Pro via the "Get more features with a new edition of Windows" link located in the Windows system info. If I were to do this would I be given an 8.1 Pro key that I could use to download an 8.1 ISO from Windows via this link Upgrade Windows with only a product key - Microsoft Windows Help

Is this like Windows 7 to where they were all the same disc and the particular edition that you bought would just be unlocked via the supplied key? What I am looking to do is reformat the hard drive on my laptop and start from scratch. Does anyone have any experience upgrading this way?

Thanks in advance.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Just finished up a chat with a MS tech and he said I could not do it.
Hi, thanks for visiting Answer Desk. I'm Armand A.
Armand A:
11:59:48 AM
Hello, how can I help you today?

You:
12:00:00 PM
My computer came with 8.0 core and I update to 8.1 core and now my computer runs horribly. I am considering upgrading to 8.1 Pro via the "Get more features with a new edition of Windows" link located in the Windows system info. If I were to do this would I be given an 8.1 Pro key that I could use to download an 8.1 ISO from your website?

Armand A:
12:02:31 PM
No. The site is dependent on the existing version you have. You would need A windows 8 pro to trigger the site to update with WIndows 8.1 pro

You:
12:04:19 PM
So if I bought the 8.1 pro upgrade it would install itself over the 8.1 core update? I could not reformat my hard drive and reinstall 8.1 pro from scratch?

Armand A:
12:06:02 PM
Yes. You would the Windows 8.1 Pro Pack for upgrading from a Windows 8 core.

You:
12:08:25 PM
So I CAN install from scratch if I bought the 8.1 pro upgrade through the "Get more features from windows upgrade? Where would I get the software/ISO/bootable media to do so?

Armand A:
12:09:37 PM
No
The "Get features" portion is just for updates for the existing & with-in the existing version

You:
12:11:15 PM
Then why does it offer me to upgrade to 8.1 Pro for $99.99. This is the only thing that it offers.
Actually it offers the 8.1 Pro pack
What is the 8.1 Pro pack?

Armand A:
12:13:21 PM
You must be on the Windows Store page, the "get features" portion offers updates for FREE. It would refer you to the Windows Store if it would be something else you are needing.
Buy Windows 8.1 Pro Pack - Microsoft Store

You:
12:16:42 PM
I have a $1,000 laptop that I have had for a month now that runs like crap. This is so unbelievably frustrating to not be able to just re-install from scratch with the supplied/embedded key.
Basically the only way that you are telling me that I can do this is to buy another Windows license, correct?

Armand A:
12:18:57 PM
Yes. The version you have purchased is already Windows 8.1(the last update), cannot be upgraded anymore online.

You:
12:21:01 PM
Oh well, guess I will go shoot myself. Thanks for you time.

Armand A:
12:21:46 PM
Thank you for contacting Microsoft Answer Desk

Your Answer Tech has ended your chat session. Thanks for visiting Answer Desk.


 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1
You would have to purchase the Windows 8.1 Pro Pack in "Add features" to upgrade from Windows 8.1 to Windows 8.1 Pro. You would get a Windows 8.1 Pro Pack product key with the purchase.

You could use your retail Windows 8.1 key to download an 8.1 ISO file to clean install with. Once finished with the clean install, you would use "Add Features" with the "I already have a key" option to enter your Windows 8.1 Pro Pack key to upgrade. It's an extra step to do, but essentially still a clean install. It's just not direct clean install of 8.1 Pro.

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/18309-windows-8-windows-8-1-iso-download-create.html


A more expensive retail copy of Windows 8.1 Pro would allow you to clean install directly to it though.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Problem is my key is an OEM 8.0 core. If I bought the 8.1 Pro pack that comes with a disk would I be able to install the 8.1 pro pack from scratch? Thanks for your replies and patience. I have never gone though this before. I build all of my computers and start from scratch so I have never had this issue before. Other than my previous laptop that came with vista.......32 bit.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1
I'm afraid not. It requires a bit more work when you don't have a full retail copy of Windows 8.1.

[DEL]You could download a Windows 8.1 ISO using a generic key in Option Two below to be able to do a clean install with it. When finished installing, you would change the product key to activate with your Windows 8 key.[/DEL]
When finished, you would then use "Add Features" with the "I already have a key" option to enter your Windows 8.1 Pro Pack key to upgrade.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
@ Brink, Do those generic keys actually work for the download? I thought they were blocked?

@ IH88, if the download your talking about is Brinks first link, then yes OEM keys are blocked. Some of what the rep said is true, it might all be true who knows, its a bit vague if you ask me.. The key you enter for that download determines what you get. Enter a Core key and you get Core, and a Pro key gets you Pro. A full retail key will work but a Pro Pack key might be blocked. At least that's what it sounds like from what he said. TechNet ISO's, which I believe are identical to Retail DVD's, are multi edition and can install Core or Pro depending on what key you enter. I don't know if a Pro Pack key will work during the install though. They are meant to be used through add features. One thing I can tell you is my TechNet keys will let me upgrade from Core to Pro though add features. I used an 8.0 Pro key on my laptop to bump it up to Pro so I could install Media Center. My TechNet keys are listed as being Retail keys. All these ins and outs are very confusing to say the least. I'm still learning myself and hopefully I haven't goofed in what I just posted.
 

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 Alphanumeric, the in and outs are very confusing. And yes, those keys are blocked for the download. According to others they should work for the install but not activation. I am going to buy an OEM copy of 8.1 from Amazon so I can make a USB loader then turn around and sell it on Ebay since I will not be using the activation key. Hopefully I will have no problem selling it on Ebay since I have a 13 year old account with 100% feedback. Normally I would just borrow a disk from one of my buddies who builds their own computers but none of them are installing 8.1.......go figure.

Is making a USB loader for 8.1 as easy as making one for 7? I have made several USB loaders for 7 with no problems. Will I have to give MS a blood and urine sample before they let me download the software to make the USB loader for 8.1?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Yes Alphanumeric, the in and outs are very confusing. And yes, those keys are blocked for the download. According to others they should work for the install but not activation. I am going to buy an OEM copy of 8.1 from Amazon so I can make a USB loader then turn around and sell it on Ebay since I will not be using the activation key. Hopefully I will have no problem selling it on Ebay since I have a 13 year old account with 100% feedback. Normally I would just borrow a disk from one of my buddies who builds their own computers but none of them are installing 8.1.......go figure.

Is making a USB loader for 8.1 as easy as making one for 7? I have made several USB loaders for 7 with no problems. Will I have to give MS a blood and urine sample before they let me download the software to make the USB loader for 8.1?

UEFI adds a wrinkle to it. To install in UEFI mode on a lot of PC's you need to format the USB thumb drive in FAT instead of NTFS. My ASUS laptop is fine with NTFS though so I use the Windows 7 DVD Download tool to create my bootable install thumb drives. It formats them in NTFS. The other niggle, for me anyway, is that my TechNet 8.1 with update 1 ISO won't fit on a 4 GB thumb drive. So I've had to use larger drives. Now I have a bunch of 4 GB drives not being used. I'll likely set them up for installing Windows 7 or something.
Have a look at this. http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/15458-uefi-bootable-usb-flash-drive-create-windows.html?filter

EDIT: lol, It looks like I type to slow.
 

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
Thanks again for all of the help guys. Took a quick survey @ MS's website a few minutes ago. Here is one of my suggestions.
Windows survey.JPG
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1
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