Windows 8 PCs now embed their product keys in the BIOS, a move that offers both pros and cons.
In the past, a new Windows PC would display its product key on a sticker, usually on the side of a desktop and on the base or the bottom of the battery compartment on a laptop. But with Windows 8, Microsoft has switched gears and now stores and encrypts the key in the BIOS instead.
A response to a question on Microsoft's Answers Web site confirmed the details earlier this month:
One of the improvements Microsoft is making to Activation 3.0 for newly built machines that come preloaded with Windows 8, you won't have a COA (Certificate of Authenticity) sticker attached to the machine anymore. Instead, this will be embedded in the BIOS. This will avoid product keys from being compromised and OEMs will buy what they need.
So if you need to reset or reinstall Windows 8, you don't need to hunt for the product key. It's automatically applied and activated. That's certainly a plus, especially when the numbers on those product key stickers wear out or are just too small to easily read.
Related stories
Microsoft certainly benefits from this new activation process since a Windows 8 product key embedded on one PC seemingly can't be used on another.
But therein lies the problem for the user.
Let's say you own a new PC running the standard version of Windows 8. And you own a standalone (aka a System Builder) edition of Windows 8 Pro with its own product key. You then install Windows 8 Pro on your PC. Will Windows insist on using the embedded product key, or is there a workaround so you can manually enter the key that came with your Windows 8 Pro System Builder software.
No Drivers License Required
Or, let's say your current Windows 8 PC dies and you need to replace the motherboard or install the OS on a totally different working computer. How can you do that if the product key is locked to the dead PC's original BIOS?
A couple of people posed those same questions on the Microsoft Answers page but have yet to receive answers.
Their names are Philios, Skovos and Lycander. This uberlevel isn't really that hard, as long as you don't get too close to them for being an amazon. I used to play Diablo II Lord of Destruction when I was young, and I still get to play it.I played the Diablo II mod called Median XL, which is the mod that adds lots of new skills, class-based equipments, mystic orbs, sacred-tier equipments, uberquests, uberlevels, heroic bosses,and more! Median XL is currently the most popular mod for Diablo II.This uberlevel is called Tran Athulua, which are guarded by many bow-wielding amazon warriors and some jungle snakes that you can fight. Median xl sigma tran athulua. The location of this level is in Halls of the Dead Level 3, Dry Hills.The bosses in Tran Athulua are elemental priestesses, and they drop Sunstone of Fire, Sunstone of Ice, and Sunstone of Thunder.
Further, the product key itself is embedded and encrypted in the BIOS. So even if you boot into the BIOS, you won't find the key as an entry that you can simply write down. As the Microsoft rep on the Answers page noted, you can view the full Windows product key using a third-party utility, such as Belarc Advisor, Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder, or ProduKey. But that key is still tied to its original machine.
I tried the process myself, grabbing the product key from a Windows 8 PC using Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder and applying it to a different computer. And Windows would not accept it.
Microsoft lays out your options
So what can users do? In an e-mail to CNET, a Microsoft spokesperson outlined some options for people who find themselves in one of the scenarios described above.
First, if you buy a PC with the standard version of Windows 8, you can upgrade it to Windows 8 Pro. But for now, Microsoft and other retailers are only selling the physical media for the Windows 8 Pro Pack, which would run you $69.99.So what can users do? In an e-mail to CNET, a Microsoft spokesperson outlined some options for people who find themselves in one of the scenarios described above.
Microsoft does offer an upgrade option to Windows 8 Pro for Windows 7, Vista, and XP users. That upgrade sells for $39.99. It's available for for $14.99 until the end of January, but only for recent Windows 7 PC buyers. ZDNet's Ed Bott found that the Windows 8 Pro upgrade key for a PC running an earlier version of Windows will also upgrade a PC running the standard version of Windows 8.
So you can use your Windows 7, Vista, or XP computer to buy the Windows 8 Pro upgrade key and apply that to your standard Windows 8 PC, an option that would cover the first scenario.
It's also important to note that Microsoft does not currently offer a full retail edition of Windows 8 in the same way that prior versions of Windows were available as full retail packages. The only standalone (non-upgrade) edition of Windows 8 available is the System Builder edition. This edition is designed more for original equipment manufacturers and hobbyists building their own PCs from scratch. So it's not a product the average user would likely purchase in the first place.
What about the second scenario? Your Windows 8 PC dies, and you need to reinstall Windows or transfer the license to another PC. The Microsoft rep explained the process as follows:
The OEM license is actually non-transferable to another PC. When you buy a PC preinstalled with Windows, that version of Windows is only licensed for that PC and cannot be transferred to a new PC. The transfer of the license must accompany the PC it was licensed for. If the customer were able to get that machine fixed, they would simply need to call customer support to re-activate if there were changes big enough to merit PC reset or system recovery unusable.
So that option would cover a motherboard replacement. But what if the dead PC couldn't be revived and you wanted to install Windows 8 on another PC? You'd be out of luck.
The version of Windows 8 that comes pre-installed on an OEM machine is not transferrable between PCs, according to the Microsoft rep. 'So if your PC was really put out to pasture, under the terms of the license agreement, you could not use backup discs to reinstall that license on another PC,' she explained.(Via Ghacks.net)
Updated November 27, 10:30 a.m. PTwith information from Microsoft.
Bios Is Missing A Required License Windows 7 Fix
We tested 5G speeds in 13 cities. Here's what we found: Faster speed versus more coverage. That's the most important issue for 5G networks today.
We drowned AirPods, Powerbeats Pro and Galaxy Buds: We sprayed them, dunked them and even put them through the wash to find out which one of these three wireless earphones can handle the most water.
The the software licensing service reported that the computer bios is missing a required license is developing at a frantic pace. New versions of the software should be released several times a quarter and even several times a month.
Update for the software licensing service reported that the computer bios is missing a required license.
There are several reasons for this dynamic:
First, new technologies are emerging, as a result, the equipment is being improved and that, in turn, requires software changes.
Secondly, the needs of users are growing, requirements are increasing and the needs are changing for the software licensing service reported that the computer bios is missing a required license.
Therefore, it is necessary to monitor changes in the the software licensing service reported that the computer bios is missing a required license and to update it in a timely manner.
First, new technologies are emerging, as a result, the equipment is being improved and that, in turn, requires software changes.
Secondly, the needs of users are growing, requirements are increasing and the needs are changing for the software licensing service reported that the computer bios is missing a required license.
Therefore, it is necessary to monitor changes in the the software licensing service reported that the computer bios is missing a required license and to update it in a timely manner.
/ If you do not update
The activation process for Windows 7 and Windows Vista can fail due to issues related to the ACPI_SLIC table some OEMs use in their computer’s BIOS. Maxst ar sdk for android. Microsoft has confirmed that problems exist in scenarios in which customers attempt to activate Windows 7 and Vista machines with Volume licensing keys. In order for the activation to fail, the process needs to be performed via a Key Management Service (KMS) and the PCs need to have the ACPI_SLIC table in the BIOS program. Original equipment manufacturers are leveraging the ACPI_SLIC table in Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI)-compliant BIOS programs in order to store the Software Licensing description information, the Redmond company informed.
According to the software giant, there are three error messages that customers can come across:
“1. Error Code: Invalid Volume License Key
In order to activate, you need to change your product key to a valid Multiple Activation Key (MAK) or Retail key.
You must have a qualifying operating system license AND a Volume license Windows <operating system> upgrade license, or a full license for Windows <operating system> through an OEM or from a retail source .
ANY OTHER INSTALLATION OF THIS SOFTWARE IS IN VIOLATION OF YOUR AGREEMENT AND APPLICABLE COPYRIGHT LAW.
2. Error Code: 0xC004F059
Description: The Software Licensing Service reported that a license in the computer BIOS is invalid.
3. Error Code: 0xc004f035
The Software Licensing Service reported that the computer could not be activated with a Volume license product key. Volume licensed systems require upgrading from a qualified operating system. Please contact your system administrator or use a different type of key.”
All the error messages noted above are delivered by the KMS server. This will happen when the volume activation server is incapable of identifying a valid Windows marker in the ACPI_SLIC table. Microsoft explained that this can happen because of two reasons. First off, the Windows marker in the ACPI_SLIC table can become corrupted. And second, the marker can be missing altogether.
Microsoft has also pointed out that there are portable computers from Lenovo which have been identified as being affected by the problems mentioned above. Lenovo machines with the following BIOS versions: Lenovo X60 - BIOS : 2.00 (7BETB3BL) 2006-08-07 and Lenovo T60 - BIOS : 2.00 (79ETB3BL) can produce failed installations error messages when customers attempt to activate either Windows 7 or Vista via a KMS server.
“A computer that was obtained from an OEM and that has an ACPI_SLIC table in the system BIOS must have a valid Windows marker in that ACPI_SLIC table. This Windows marker is important for volume license customers who plan to use Windows Vista volume license media to re-image or upgrade an OEM system according to the re-imaging rights in the volume license agreement. A computer whose ACPI_SLIC table lacks a valid Windows marker generates an error when you install a volume edition of Windows Vista. You cannot activate such a system by using KMS. However, you can activate the system by using a multiple activation key (MAK) or a retail key. Alternatively, you can contact the OEM for a replacement motherboard that contains a valid Windows marker in the ACPI_SLIC table. Or, you can purchase a new computer that has an operating system and a valid BIOS installed,” Microsoft explained.
Follow me on Twitter @MariusOiaga.