My laptop came with Windows 8 preinstalled so I fotted my SSD and installed Windows 7 Now in the future if I ever want to install Windows 8 it is not working because the key built into my BIOS is for the Standard Windows 8 whereas the DVD I have is a Windows 8 Pro DVD so when I first run the installer, it says Windows cannot be installed because it cannot a valid key What the people on the forums told me is that I need to insert my Win 8 Pro key as a PID.txt file and put it in the sources folder of the DVD here is my problems: 1) When I extracted my current DVD which is bootable BTW to an ISO, then used MagicISO to add the PID.TXT file and save it again.... after I burned that modified image the DVD was not bootable so it was no good for me 2) I need a fresh Windows 8 Pro US edition untouched 3) can someone give me step by steps of how to add the PID.txt into the ISO and still have it bootable or how to burn the ISO in a bootable fashion? thanks
Do not extract the iso open it with UltraISO ( I don't trust magiciso ) and add your PID.TXT file to sources folder and save or burn to dvd. 1: Create a new text file and copy paste the text below inside and save the file as PID.TXT [PID] Value='Enter Product Key Here' do not enter the brackets i,e use Value=xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx Rather than pid you could try adding ei.cfg file Code: [Channel] volume [VL] 1 then that will give you option to select windows 8 or windows 8 pro.
Thank you Urie, you are the most helpful person on these forums 1) can I create both the PID AND the ei.cfg file at the same time or only one method? 2) do i need to place the ei.cfg file in the sources folder?
Thanks, I added the PID.txt file to the sources folder, now I am trying to create a bootable USB using RUFUS
Yup was a pain in the but trying to add Win8 Pro to a Core machine until it was realized we needed to use an ei.cfg or pid.txt. I almost felt force fed Core for a day or two.