Solved Inability to upgrade Windows 8 Basic to Windows 8 Pro (VL)

Gredunza

New Member
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2
Hey, folks!

In our small office, we've made the decision to bring in a server.
Right now, we have multiple PCs installed with Windows 8 and Windows 8.1, both basic OEM editions; and several others installed with Windows 7 Home Premium OEM.

In order to insert them into the server's domain, I'm forced to upgrade them to their respective Professional editions, for which I've recently received a VLSC license.

Now, I've been trying to use the MAK keys to upgrade my current OEM versions with no success. Attempting to "Add Features," using 'slui.exe' and 'slmgr.vbs' to install the new key all come back with an error that the keys can't be used.

My question, as such, is whether it is even possible to upgrade Windows 8 Basic OEM to Windows 8 (or 8.1) Pro Volume License?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
Have a look here, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 Upgrade Paths Maybe you can make more sense out of it than I can?

EDIT: have you tried booting from the 8 Pro VL ISO and seeing if you get an upgrade option?

2nd EDIT: I'm thinking for the add features option to work the files needed must already be present and they are not. If you boot from the actual install media it may then be doable.
 

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
Heya!

Thanks for your reply, alphanumeric; and apologies for the lateness in mine.

I can, indeed, confirm that launching the 8.1 Pro Volume License ISO does provide you with the option to upgrade and maintain all your settings. You must, of course, follow this by changing the product key to the VL one and re-activate Windows.
Bottom line, even though it is not a supported upgrade path; and it does - in a way - require a 'reinstall", everything works as it should, and my 8.1 OEM is now 8.1 Pro VL.

Thanks for the help!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
:thumb:
 

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
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