Tablet upgrade, retrieve 8.1 key

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  1. Posts : 15,025
    Windows 10 IoT
       #21

    Try showkey and see what it lists for the key and edition its for. Key refusal usually means you installed the wrong version of Windows or typed it in incorrectly. Connected may be the "With Bing" edition, not sure. showkwy should tell you if there is an embedded key or not and the edition its for. https://www.tenforums.com/software-ap...7-showkey.html
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  2. Posts : 18,424
    Windows 11 Pro
       #22

    1. Download Kyhi's recovery tools, boot from it, and run showkey plus:
    Windows 10 Recovery Tools - Bootable Rescue Disk - Windows 10 Forums

    or just run showkey from Windows you have installed. Showkey - Windows 10 Forums

    2. Windows 8.1 Core Connected is Windows 8.1 with Bing. You need the original software that came with the tablet to install that. There are very, very few downloads of Windows 8.1 with Bing available - and none directly from Microsoft.

    3. Windows 10 Home will be the proper upgrade from Windows 8.1 Core Connected (8.1 with Bing). My Nextbook Tablet came with Windows 8.1 with Bing and Windows 10 Home installs fine on it and reads the product key from bios.

    4. On tablets like these - never delete the factory software without having a restorable image of it first like Macrium Reflect because....well, there are very, very few downloads of Windows 8.1 with Bing available - and none directly from Microsoft.
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  3. Posts : 15,025
    Windows 10 IoT
       #23

    I had a feeling Connected was the With Bing edition. I was just going to do a search to confirm it. Now I don't have to.
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  4. Posts : 148
    Windows 10 1607
    Thread Starter
       #24

    Thanks! Perhaps I'll just try installing Windows 10 Home using the existing 8.1 Core / Connected product key.

    The good thing is that the drivers for my other Windows tablet using the same chipset install fine. All except the touchscreen which is proving difficult to find.
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  5. Posts : 7,606
    Windows 10 Home 20H2
       #25

    alphanumeric said:
    showkey should tell you if there is an embedded key or not and the edition its for.
    On my Windows 10, ShowKeyPlus says 'OEM key not present in firmware'.
    Does it mean the key is not embedded in BIOS? If so, where is it?
    My key is a generic one according to Win 10 partitioning and product key - windows 10 - Windows 10
    markweatherill said:
    Perhaps I'll just try installing Windows 10 Home using the existing 8.1 Core / Connected product key.
    Perhaps you can try a generic key.
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  6. Posts : 15,025
    Windows 10 IoT
       #26

    Matthew Wai said:
    On my Windows 10, ShowKeyPlus says 'OEM key not present in firmware'.
    Does it mean the key is not embedded in BIOS? If so, where is it?
    My key is a generic one according to Win 10 partitioning and product key - windows 10 - Windows 10

    Perhaps you can try a generic key.
    The key will only be embedded if Windows 8/8.1 or 10 was installed by the OEM. If the PC didn't ship from the factory with Windows 8 or Windows 10 preinstalled it won't have an embedded key. If it's not in the BIOS its stored in the Windows registry. Installing Windows will not embed a key in the BIOS, only the OEM's can do that. showkey can pull it from either location. If you did the free upgrade to Windows 10 you will get a digital entitlement and a generic key. My laptop has an 8.0 Core OEM embedded key, and the generic 10 Pro key stored in the Windows install files. showkey shows both keys.

    You can install with the generic keys but the PC will not activate if it doesn't already have a digital entitlement. You can do a change key and enter a valid key to activate without starting over though.
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  7. Posts : 7,606
    Windows 10 Home 20H2
       #27

    alphanumeric said:
    If you did the free upgrade to Windows 10 you will get a digital entitlement and a generic key.
    I did the free upgrade on ASUS H81M-A. Does this motherboard have a digital entitlement stored on a Microsoft server?
    If it dies after a year or two and I buy a new ASUS H81M-A, will the new one have the same digital entitlement?
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  8. Posts : 15,025
    Windows 10 IoT
       #28

    Matthew Wai said:
    I did the free upgrade on ASUS H81M-A. Does this motherboard have a digital entitlement?
    If it dies after a year or two and I buy a new ASUS H81M-A, will the new one have the same digital entitlement?
    Go to Settings > Update & Security > Activation
    The new device, if it comes with Windows 10 preinstalled, will activate online with it's embedded key. It will have its own separate license. As far as I know, only the free upgrades get digital entitlements. The free upgrade is non transferable. That's my understanding anyway. The free upgrade is good for the life of that device. When that device dies, that license for Windows 10 dies with it.
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  9. Posts : 7,606
    Windows 10 Home 20H2
       #29

    Would Microsoft consider the new ASUS H81M-A and the inoperable ASUS H81M-A to be the same device?
    Some time ago I replaced an inoperable ASUS H81M-A with a new ASUS H81M-A, and Windows 7 could be used on the new one with the same OEM license, so I think Microsoft considered them to be the same device.
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  10. Posts : 15,441
    Windows10
       #30

    alphanumeric said:
    Try showkey and see what it lists for the key and edition its for. Key refusal usually means you installed the wrong version of Windows or typed it in incorrectly. Connected may be the "With Bing" edition, not sure. showkwy should tell you if there is an embedded key or not and the edition its for. https://www.tenforums.com/software-ap...7-showkey.html
    Bing is a valid upgrade path to Home - it Showkeyplus will tel you the key is embedded and its value but not that it is Bing afaik (you can see that on system info page from Windows 8 originally).
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