Reinstall Win8 after upgrade to 10?

[backwoodsman]

Hi all,

HP Probook that came new with Windows 8, and now has a "Windows 10 Home for Refurb PCs" COA. Customer wants 8.1 installed, but the installer asks for a COA number, which of course the machine never had for Win8. It won't accept the number on the Win10 COA, and won't proceed without a number. What are my options to get Win8.1 to install and activated?

Thanks.

 

[britechguy]

Simple, buy a license for Windows 8.1. Although I'd be advising clients very strongly against that now. The clock ticking on Win8.1 is getting louder and louder and January 2023 (I think that's the drop dead date) will be here before you know it.

 

[backwoodsman]

Simple, buy a license for Windows 8.1.

That's one solution, but I'm trying to find out how to get it to use the Win8 license this machine already has.

 

[nlinecomputers]

Just use 10 and enable the full screen start menu.

How to Enable a Windows 8-Style Start Screen in Windows 10

Although most people prefer to forget about Windows 8 entirely, some people did enjoy the full-screen Start menu---especially those on tablets with touchscreens.

www.howtogeek.com

 

[britechguy]

That's one solution, but I'm trying to find out how to get it to use the Win8 license this machine already has.

No snark of any kind intended, but unless you were to have the license key originally associated with that hardware, it *doesn't* have one anymore. That was supplanted by a clean installation of Windows 10, as this was clearly not an in-place upgrade given how the COA reads.

Unless you or someone else miraculously manages to find the Win8.1 key which, when entered, is already associated with the hardware you're going to have to buy another.

And, again, it is bad practice at this juncture to go back to Windows 8.1, whether that's what the customer wants or not. As @nlinecomputers has stated, it makes way more sense to re-create the look and feel elements of 8.1 that are wanted, since that's a cinch under Windows 10.

And if the customer is giving the standard, completely uninformed whining about "spying" and Windows 10 they need to be educated, not encouraged to continue along that line.

 

[backwoodsman]

Just use 10 and enable the full screen start menu.

He doesn't want Windows 10 that looks like 8; he wants Windows 8.1.

And, again, it is bad practice at this juncture to go back to Windows 8.1, whether that's what the customer wants or not. As @nlinecomputers has stated, it makes way more sense to re-create the look and feel elements of 8.1 that are wanted, since that's a cinch under Windows 10.

And if the customer is giving the standard, completely uninformed whining about "spying" and Windows 10 they need to be educated, not encouraged to continue along that line.

Thank you for your opinions, but they're outside the scope of my question.

 

[nlinecomputers]

Windows 8 systems should have the key embedded in the bios. It’s possible that the refurbisher deleted that key when the new Win 10 refurb COA was applied.

 

[nlinecomputers]

https://www.nextofwindows.com/how-to-retrieve-windows-8-oem-product-key-from-bioshttps://www.nextofwindows.com/how-to-retrieve-windows-8-oem-product-key-from-bios

 

[nlinecomputers]

He doesn't want Windows 10 that looks like 8; he wants Windows 8.1.

 

[nlinecomputers]

Execpt for the start menu win 8 and 10 are virtually identical. Such a request is misinformed at best and irrational at worst.

 

[nlinecomputers]

And if the customer is giving the standard, completely uninformed whining about "spying" and Windows 10 they need to be educated, not encouraged to continue along that line.

To a certain degree that is a valid point but Windows 8 has much the same issues and you can’t turn them off like you can in 10.

 

[Markverhyden]

The clock ticking

When I see that phrase it makes me thing of the Pink Floyd song "Careful With That Axe, Eugene"

 

[NviGate Systems]

The Windows 8 license is embedded in the system board. The refurbishment company would have to have a repair contract with the OEM to even have the tools to read let alone modify that info.

Now, there are tools to read these keys so you can install 8.1. But your customer isn't gaining anything. The only thing I can think of is ProBooks usually come with Windows Professional, so if you install Windows 10 Pro and retrieve the embedded key, you have a decent solution.

 

[Markverhyden]

It's an OEM machine so it has to have an OEM version of Windoze to use the built in key which is most likely an SLP key..

 

[Porthos]

Run this and it will show you the 8 embedded key if it has one.

Download ShowKeyPlus - MajorGeeks

ShowKeyPlus is a portable freeware app to retrieve and save your Windows product key if you lost it.

www.majorgeeks.com

 

[britechguy]

To a certain degree that is a valid point but Windows 8 has much the same issues and you can’t turn them off like you can in 10.

I'm not quite certain what our point of disagreement is. I absolutely agree with what you're saying. Also, anyone who intends to stay in the supported Windows ecosystem is going to be under Windows 10.

It is stupidity, pure and simple, to avoid the operating system produced by the company of your choosing. You don't hear this kind of "I don't want it" crap under Apple, any one of the single Linux distros, etc. When it comes to OSes, you take what the makers make. It's always been this way. And it's folly to run any unsupported OS, no matter who produces it, in contact with cyberspace.

 

[nlinecomputers]

It's an OEM machine so it has to have an OEM version of Windoze to use the built in key which is most likely an SLP key..

That’s Windows 7 technology. Windows 8 and 10 have unique keys in the bios. A Windows 8 install usually picks them up but as often you had to manually input it. Windows 10 is MUCH better at properly retrieving the key.

 

[nlinecomputers]

I'm not quite certain what our point of disagreement is. I absolutely agree with what you're saying. Also, anyone who intends to stay in the supported Windows ecosystem is going to be under Windows 10.

It is stupidity, pure and simple, to avoid the operating system produced by the company of your choosing. You don't hear this kind of "I don't want it" crap under Apple, any one of the single Linux distros, etc. When it comes to OSes, you take what the makers make. It's always been this way. And it's folly to run any unsupported OS, no matter who produces it, in contact with cyberspace.

Wasn’t disagreeing with you. Could have better worded that. My bad.

 

[nlinecomputers]

The Windows 8 license is embedded in the system board. The refurbishment company would have to have a repair contract with the OEM to even have the tools to read let alone modify that info.

Now, there are tools to read these keys so you can install 8.1. But your customer isn't gaining anything. The only thing I can think of is ProBooks usually come with Windows Professional, so if you install Windows 10 Pro and retrieve the embedded key, you have a decent solution.

I have seen some Dell Bios that can delete the key and the embedded certificate for secure boot as well. You could also add certificates. I added Canonical’s Ubuntu key so that Linux could secure boot on one.

 

[Stever]

The Windows 8 license is embedded in the system board. The refurbishment company would have to have a repair contract with the OEM to even have the tools to read let alone modify that info.

If someone has run a tool to flash the OEM code out of the bios then you could do the same in revese and flash an 8.1 code back in, a well known hack.
Personaly I would not mess with the bios.