Solved Activate retail Windows 8.1 with a Windows 8 WMC key...

You'd regret going from Windows 8 to Vista, you system would be twice as slow!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro 64 Bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home Built System
    CPU
    Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 2.66Ghz, Overclocked to 3.3Ghz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-EX38-DS5
    Memory
    8GB XMS2 4GB DDR2 PC2-8500
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte 660GTX 2GB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung SMS27B970D
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1xSAMSUNG SSD 840 Pro Series Basic 2.5" - 512 GB - Boot drive
    2xSamsung Spinpoint F1 750GB
    PSU
    Corsair 520HX
    Case
    Antec P182
    Cooling
    Zalman 9700NT
    Internet Speed
    12Mb/s
    Other Info
    I did a fresh format and install of Windows 8 64 Bit Pro. Sorry but I couldn't live without a start button so I have installed the Start8 start menu which is great. I try sometimes not to use it but find metro frustrating to find programs as I have many. I will use Metro for apps only and desktop of serious computing.
Yeah, I've heard it's pretty sluggish. Wouldn't do any harm to put it on a second partition and have a dual boot setup though. Microsoft doesn't have any option to upgrade from Vista for free do they? Now that'd be sweet.

EDIT: ...sweet, but totally unnecessary as I already have 8.1!:sarc:
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8
why not just stick with what you have got and worry about having to do a reinstall if/when the time comes. I used Vista for years from 2007 when is was launched to the start of last year on a powerful PC at the time but it was very slow. To use the computer I would have to switch it on then have a cup of tea, 5-10 minutes later it was usable, on the same rig with Win 8 the PC is usable after about 60-70 seconds, the motherboard takes about 30 seconds of that as it's now about 5 years old.

I honestly think you would regret it big time if you screwed up your Win 8 to install Vista, Vista and even Win 7 look dated compared to 8 and that's from an early Win 8 hater!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro 64 Bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home Built System
    CPU
    Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 2.66Ghz, Overclocked to 3.3Ghz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-EX38-DS5
    Memory
    8GB XMS2 4GB DDR2 PC2-8500
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte 660GTX 2GB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung SMS27B970D
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1xSAMSUNG SSD 840 Pro Series Basic 2.5" - 512 GB - Boot drive
    2xSamsung Spinpoint F1 750GB
    PSU
    Corsair 520HX
    Case
    Antec P182
    Cooling
    Zalman 9700NT
    Internet Speed
    12Mb/s
    Other Info
    I did a fresh format and install of Windows 8 64 Bit Pro. Sorry but I couldn't live without a start button so I have installed the Start8 start menu which is great. I try sometimes not to use it but find metro frustrating to find programs as I have many. I will use Metro for apps only and desktop of serious computing.
I'm not trying to cheat the system. I have a valid activated copy of win 8.1 which I purchased at a shop with a PC. I remember the guy at the shop showing me that the activation was valid and permanent. I then upgraded for free from 8. I only found out a few weeks after that the key installed on the system was only a poxy WMC upgrade key and that I couldn't use it to re-activate after a fresh install! If anything, I've been cheated out of being able to do a fresh install from disk.

Without
The certificate of authenticity,
The product key
The proof of purchase
you have a illegal install.

Therefore return.

:ditto:

The sale of a PC with Windows 8 installed without a certificate of authenticity is a CRIME.

Therefore return.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    ME, XP,Vista,Win7,Win8,Win8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Other Info
    Notebooks x 3

    Desktops x 5

    Towers x 4

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self built
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-4790
    Motherboard
    GA-Z87X-D3H
    Memory
    G.SKILL 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 F3-10666CL9D-8GBNT
    Graphics Card(s)
    Sapphire ATI Radeon R7 250
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC892
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung UN32EH5000, Dell 1703FPT
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    WD5003AZEX
    WD10EZEX
    Samsung HD103SJ
    Samsung 128 GB 840 PRO
    PSU
    SeaSonic M12II SS-500GM
    Case
    Fractal Design Define R4
    Cooling
    Zalman CNPS9900ALED
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800
    Mouse
    Logitech M705
    Internet Speed
    16 Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Avast
    Other Info
    Bose Companion 2 Multimedia Speakers
In Virginia there is a State Corporation Commission.(They issue business licenses)

If a pawn shop knowingly sells illegal goods they will have their business license revoked.

Each state has something similar.

You could contact yours & talk the situation over.
 

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
....You could contact yours & talk the situation over.

Nah, seems a bit extreme. After all, when I think about it, I did quite well. I got two OS's for the price of one - a fully legit OEM Windows Vista and as some would argue, a not so legit Windows 8 (even though it's permanently activated and seems genuine!) Plus ,the PC's specs themselves are pretty good.

tonymarcus said:
...why not just stick with what you have got and worry about having to do a reinstall if/when the time comes...

Yeah, I'm gonna do that. Partition imaging backup software seems like the way to go in case I ever need to reformat. It's no big deal anyway. I did however manage to restore the original Vista Home Premium (SP1) that was on a hidden factory restore partition. So now I have a dual boot, and I gotta say, I don't mind Vista at all! I prefer the look and feel of Vista to 7 & 8, whatever about boot times and alleged RAM hogging. It doesn't seem that bad to me at all! I think it got a bad reputation when it came out first because 1.) there wasn't great hardware/driver support at the time and 2) it was a lot different to the much loved XP. I'm currently downloading SP2 for it. The service packs, they say, have ironed out a lot of the original bugs and faults. I've already played a few games on it like Just Cause 2 and Batman Arkham and I didn't notice any performance deterioration compared to that of win 7 or 8, so, for now, I'm happy enough with my new (legal) OS.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8
It's not actually permanently activated by the way. Activation is rechecked from time to time, maybe every time you boot up. If that code gets blacklisted you'll get a not genuine warning. Then the next time you try to activate with it, say after a reinstall, it will fail activation. Activation is not a one time good forever type of deal.
 

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
It's not actually permanently activated by the way. Activation is rechecked from time to time, maybe every time you boot up. If that code gets blacklisted you'll get a not genuine warning. Then the next time you try to activate with it, say after a reinstall, it will fail activation. Activation is not a one time good forever type of deal.

I'll still have the Vista Home Premium that the PC shipped with from the factory. I'm using it now and I kinda like it. Thread solved!:party:
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8
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