Solved will legit windows 8.1 pro key activate windows 8.1 basic

kkennyb

New Member
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30
hi,

my old computer has had to be be scrapped by my insurer / vendor. i'm getting a voucher for a new one from their store but it has to be a windows 10 machine,they no longer stock windows 8 machines.because i dislike windows 10, in readiness i have purchased (for about $14) a product key for win 8.1 pro. i purchased it off amazon so i'm thinking that if its not legit it will be easy to get my cash back.the vendor had glowing customer feedback. also my computer vendor will now not install or sell windows 8.1 installations.

i have a windows 8.1 clean install on a USB, made with instructions from here-i've used it successfully before but on a windows 8 machine that had the authentication key in BIOS or wherever from purchase, for windows 8.1 basic . with the USB instillation being for basic and not pro will the key, assuming that its legit, authenticate the win 8.1 basic instillation.please note i'm not bothered about the additional features of pro, i just want a working windows 8.1 basic on my new computer instead of windows 10 that will come as supplied . or will i have to get a USB installation with windows 8.1 pro?

any advise would be most appreciated.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 64 bit PRO
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    lenovo ideapad 320-141SK
    Other Info
    THIS MACHINE WAS PURCHASED WITH WINDOWS 10 HOME 64 bit,and i want to run windows 8.1 PRO 64 bit
Hi, if you use ShowKeyPlus, you can check the key: ShowKeyPlus - Windows 10 Forums

ShowKeyPlus is created by on of the software developers in our forums here and in TenForums(where the download and instrustions are.

Here is an example where I checked a key:
Image 004.png


And this is the first page, note you can hide the all numbers but the last four, if you need to ever post a screenshot, the last four are useless for anyone else to use:

in this example you see my installed Win10Pro key, and the other two are the original(there if it's other than an OEM) and OEM(from BIOS)
Image 005.png

Yes you can upgrade to pro if your key is legit: Add Features to Windows 8
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Update Pro in Hyper-V/Windows 10 Pro 64 bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Cliff's Black & Blue Wonder
    CPU
    Intel Core i9-9900K
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus X Hero
    Memory
    32 GB Quad Kit, G.Skill Trident Z RGB Series schwarz, DDR4-3866, 18-19-19-39-2T
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS GeForce RTX 3090 ROG Strix O24G, 24576 MB GDDR6X
    Sound Card
    (1) HD Webcam C270 (2) NVIDIA High Definition Audio (3) Realtek High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    BenQ BL2711U(4K) and a hp 27vx(1080p)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080 x 32 bits (4294967296 colors) @ 60 Hz
    Hard Drives
    C: Samsung 960 EVO NVMe M.2 SSD
    E: & O: Libraries & OneDrive-> Samsung 850 EVO 1TB
    D: Hyper-V VM's -> Samsung PM951 Client M.2 512Gb SSD
    G: System Images -> HDD Seagate Barracuda 2TB
    PSU
    Corsair HX1000i High Performance ATX Power Supply 80+ Platinum
    Case
    hanteks Enthoo Pro TG
    Cooling
    Thermaltake Floe Riing RGB TT Premium-Edition 360mm and 3 Corsair blue LED fans
    Keyboard
    Trust GTX THURA
    Mouse
    Trust GTX 148
    Internet Speed
    25+/5+ (+usually faster)
    Browser
    Edge; Chrome; IE11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender of course & Malwarebytes Anti-Exploit as a
    Other Info
    Router: FRITZ!Box 7590 AX V2
    Sound system: SHARP HT-SBW460 Dolby Atmos Soundbar
    Webcam: Logitech BRIO ULTRA HD PRO WEBCAM 4K webcam with HDR
If you do a change product key, and enter the Pro key, it should upgrade to Pro, reboot, and then verify the key and activate. I've done it in the past. You can't activate 8.1 Core with a Pro key, and vis versa.

If there is no key in the BIOS, on a clean install, you will be prompted to enter a Key. Enter a Pro key and Pro will be installed.
 

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 everyone
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 64 bit PRO
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    lenovo ideapad 320-141SK
    Other Info
    THIS MACHINE WAS PURCHASED WITH WINDOWS 10 HOME 64 bit,and i want to run windows 8.1 PRO 64 bit
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