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Copies of Windows 8 Pro are freely available from Microsoft’s website for anyone who wants to try out the operating system. Normally, the software would expire after 180 days, a period that is meant to allow Volume Licensing customers to automate and manage the activation process. But a loophole in the company’s Key Management System allows anyone to legitimately activate their copy of Windows 8 permanently, for free.
The goof centers around the Windows Media Center upgrade that’s being for free offered by Microsoft themselves until January 31 next year. Specifically, when entering the add-on key, Microsoft’s Key Management System will let you fully activate your copy of Windows 8 without running a validity check for the product key of the underlying system the Media Center add-on is being installed on.
To get a free Media Center key all users need to do is request it from Microsoft’s website using any email address. Once the code is in your inbox, do a search for “Add features to Windows 8” under Settings, click on it and enter the product key. Media Center will download and install, and after your system comes back from a reboot, you’ll be able to use the same upgrade product key to activate Windows.
With this your copy of Windows 8 will become fully active and 'legitimate', which you can verify in the activation window where it should read “Windows is activated” instead of “Windows is activated until…”.
The method has been confirmed to work by several news outlets. I tried it as well but upon requesting a Media Center key the site responded it will be emailed to me “within 24 hours” -- I can’t tell if the wait period is standard or if Microsoft is moving to patch the flaw by implementing a check for the underlying system.
User Comments: 70
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spydercanopus said:
Can anyone confirm this?
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StaffJesse said:
Can anyone confirm this?This works. I did this about a month ago when it was found on MDL (mydigitallife). If you want the latest mods/workarounds check them out for anything MS puts out.So, far, it took me about 15 minutes to get used to Win8. I finally have a use for the Windows Key other than keyboard shortcuts!
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@Capt. That would be very unprofessional of Techspot, they'd definitely loose me as a reader. I wouldn't consider that a service.All literal interpretation and no sense of humor makes Chazz a dull boy... You can sing that to the tune of, "all work and no play". Maestro........I don't think so especially considering several other news forums are posting this. I do not see this as TS advocating the loophole - it's simply informative. Do with it as you wish. I personally bought 3 licenses on Win 8 already and it was really worth the money.Trust me, that was a joke. I'd actually opt for a copy of Ubuntu if I needed a free OS.Even if its free. I still don't want it.Nail on the head, hit you did.....(Who talks like that? No really, I can't remember....:oops
. DEIT: Yoda, of course. (Nor for that matter, spell on the first try, "edit", can I not"
. Well I am at work, so I guess It's fitting.Didn't come off as a joke, but I guess many things don't on the net. And I just offered it as a opposing opinion, I wasn't really serious...as it wouldn't be my money being hurt. That's just something I'd expect warez-here.com(random name don't know if it's real) would do.
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Well I am at work, so I guess It's fitting.Didn't come off as a joke, but I guess many things don't on the net. And I just offered it as a opposing opinion, I wasn't really serious...as it wouldn't be my money being hurt. That's just something I'd expect warez-here.com(random name don't know if it's real) would do.Well, they took away my beloved, "rolleyes" emoticon, which was my "tell".
Why can't just you conform with your co-workers, and surf for pr0n during working hours?
Getting bogged down in an internalized ethical dilemma, does no one any good, and in extreme cases, could lead to temporary impotence.
All kidding aside, the emoticons in this software all look alike to me. They pretty much share the same expression as someone who just sat on their own thumb, and doesn't know whether to enjoy the rush, or make a mad dash to the nearest confessional. (Phew, talk about ethical and moral dilemmas),
What are you still doing at work anyway? Don't you have a headache to fake, and a turkey to buy?
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@ captn. Well we're the relatives that the entire family seems to converge upon come the holidays, so there isn't much hustle and bustle for me this holiday season. A bunch of us opted to take a non-traditional holiday off earlier this year. We'll be off thursday and friday just not today.
Christmas time though, a entirely different story.
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Darkshadoe said:
I believe this is a tactic by MS to get people to use Win 8So say, you snag a free sopy of Win 8, and you're chugging along with it, and the next thing you know, it fails WGA, and M$ wants you to cut them a check for the "free copy". Something like that?OR... MS doesn't say anything about it being a "free" copy in hopes it boost sales in the Apps dept.
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OR... MS doesn't say anything about it being a "free" copy in hopes it boost sales in the Apps dept.In all reality, Windows didn't come with "WGA"s as part of its feature set. It was added later.
With that said, I'm going to cling to my conspiracy theory, and I extend a joyous invitation for you to join me in paranoiaville, by clinging to yours also.
We can have, "separate but equal" conspiracy theories.
People are going to start paying for Windows apps? What the hell is this world coming to?
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Ok, so what is the product key to install Windows 8 RTM for x64? I'm at a standstill trying to install this in a vm.
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Ok, so what is the product key to install Windows 8 RTM for x64? I'm at a standstill trying to install this in a vm.I'm getting that you don't need one from reading the full news article. You need the key to the Media Center add-on. (Big question mark there & a couple
s for good measure). -
Why would you want a copy of Windows 8 would be my question
Yeah, I've got it, for 15 bucks, just because I could, installed in a VM, but
I don't see anything it does, or can do, that win7 does. Unless you have a touch
screen device, I don't see the benefit. Maybe later, but right now, win7 serves my
purpose.
OMG commas. Anyways, people need to stop asking this question, Why would you want Windows 8? This iteration of the operating system is useful in a lot of ways, and doesn't have any of the terrible problems Vista did. It's lighter weight and brings a lot of new functionality via user accounts and Server 2012 is awesome. You can get a start menu back if you want, it works great on touch-enabled devices, and now I can have native apps on my HTPC for Netflix and other media software that makes it easy to use for people who aren't fond of navigating in the browser from the couch. It has lots of value; if you can't see it, express why.
Dude you have seriously absolutely no idea what you are talking about........
Great comeback, bravo sir.
I want to try out W8 but, doubt il stay with it long, W7 till W9 unless W9 will blow.
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I want to try out W8 but, doubt il stay with it long, W7 till W9 unless W9 will blow.Just a thought, but wouldn't Windows 9 be almost guaranteed to blow even more, if people take to liking Windows 8. If M$ thinks they can get away with it, they're liable to bring 9 out sooner, given a public outcry for it.
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I'm getting that you don't need one from reading the full news article. You need the key to the Media Center add-on. (Big question mark there & a couples for good measure).
That's how I took it as well, however, I'm stuck on the "Enter the product key to activate Windows" screen.
Just a thought, but wouldn't Windows 9 be almost guaranteed to blow even more, if people take to liking Windows 8. If M$ thinks they can get away with it, they're liable to bring 9 out sooner, given a public outcry for it.I heard windows 9 would be in RP next week.
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Darth Shiv said:
@peperonikiller Win7 and Win8 have the same kernels as the server variants. Server does not have MCE though. I use Win7 Ultimate as a file server (smb & ftp) and media centre. Depends really on what the other poster was referring to when they say "server".
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That's how I took it as well, however, I'm stuck on the "Enter the product key to activate Windows" screen.Um, the answer is possibly here somewhere: [link] although I surely wouldn't bet on it. There's a lot of conflicting info on this search page. (along with a DMCA complaint.._.
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That's how I took it as well, however, I'm stuck on the "Enter the product key to activate Windows" screen.Um, the answer is possibly here somewhere: [link] although I surely wouldn't bet on it.
Yeah, I tried that. I found 3 keys to try, though none of them worked. I remember reading something on TS about it a while back, though I got tired of looking. Logic tells me that TS would post something about it on the Win 8 RTM download page they linked to in the article, but I couldn't find it anywhere.
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Yeah, I tried that. I found 3 keys to try, though none of them worked. I remember reading something on TS about it a while back, though I got tired of looking. Logic tells me that TS would post something about it on the Win 8 RTM download page they linked to in the article, but I couldn't find it anywhere.At this point in space in time, isn't it possible that good old M$ isn't as far out of the loop as this article would lead you to believe? I couldn't find a trial of 8 anywhere on their site.That's not to say it wasn't there, I'm just fessing up to my own incompetence
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At this point in space in time, isn't it possible that good old M$ isn't as far out of the loop as this article would lead you to believe? I couldn't find a trial of 8 anywhere on their site.That's not to say it wasn't there, I'm just fessing up to my own incompetence
I've considered the same thing, and have come to the same conclusion. Oh well... NASFWG
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To be fair, I think MS is well aware of this exploit and couldnt care less about it. The goal is simply expose W8 to as many people as possible and make big bucks from Windows Store once paid apps start rolling.
Similar to Google's strategy of selling cheap Nexus devices with little profit but heavily invested on Google Play.
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Why would you want a copy of Windows 8 would be my questionThis is, as "prismatics", pointed out, "commatose"...... LOL
Yeah, I've got it, for 15 bucks, just because I could, installed in a VM, but
I don't see anything it does, or can do, that win7 does. Unless you have a touch
screen device, I don't see the benefit. Maybe later, but right now, win7 serves my
purpose.
OMG commas. -
To be fair, I think MS is well aware of this exploit and couldnt care less about it. The goal is simply expose W8 to as many people as possible and make big bucks from Windows Store once paid apps start rolling.
Similar to Google's strategy of selling cheap Nexus devices with little profit but heavily invested on Google Play.
no kidding, especially when you think this has been around a month and everyone is talking about it. A company like microsoft would have already fixed this issue by now! btw is this media center part of the app store or bundled in win 8? Does the kill switch rules apply to media center like other apps? heh good luck
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I forsee M$ will turn a blind eye to this exploit while some users become completely dependent upon Win8 for their pc/internet time. Then they will simply release a service pack that voids all these exploit keys, leaving all these "trapped" users with no option but to buy the Win8 properly and thereby rescue their games; music; assignents etc.
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This is prolly why they just sacked the head of Windows Division. That and when Steve Balmer showed it to Bill Gates, Bill said "fuc# Steve, this is sh1t". Yes folks, Steve Jobs has taken possesion of Bill Gates' body. Steve, as Bill, is now planning to get back all the cash he gave to Africa etc by giving them free RT devices with cached credit card details so their kids can 'accidentally' spend the money Bill gave away in the first place.
Steve can't die....he just caaaan't.
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You'd get the key in 24 hours? I got this message when I signed up for it
"Thank you
Your product key will be emailed to you within 72 hours. If the email doesn?t arrive in your inbox, be sure to check your junk email folder. "
I think they're going to patch it.
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Please tell us if Windows 7 legalize whit similar method. Thanks
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Aye I did it while it said 24, now it says 72. they are trying to fix it im assuming.
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