Hey guys. I'm overwhelmed about all of these mbr, gpt, and boot stuff. So, currently I have a windows 7 32 bit, it's 1 partition on my hard drive and I want to split this partition to install windows 8.1 x64 and have it on dual-boot. So to do it do I just split the partition in disk management, boot to my usb pendrive windows 8.1 and will it let me install on that newly made partition? Or before installing windows 8.1 on this partition do I need to convert it to gpt? I think I have alot more questions to ask but maybe I'll just explain what I want to do. I grabed a key to windows 8 oem from the bios and I want to check if it works, but I also want to keep my windows 7 installed in case that the code doesn't work. I read that it should activate even on the installation process, but even it it won't then I can just use some generice key and after installation I can just swap to my oem and it would work, but I just want to be 100% sure. Or maybe you recommend for me to just use some virtual machine, check if the key will activate (can I even activate windows on VM? I've never used virtual machine) and if it does just boot to my windows 8.1 install and format whole drive?
So I split the partition and leave it ntfs, mbr and windows 8 will just see it, install and it will dual boot into both systems with no problems? I also have daz loader for that windows 7, it won't cause any trouble? And thank you for that link, I think I saw it earlier today and downloaded it. It's really cool that it doesn't need a key to download, unlike that other microsoft tool that needs a key.
Well, it didn't worked. I made a new partition but it was mbr and in windows 8 installation said that it needs gpt. I also tried converting this partition in windows but failed and I read that I can only do it in gparted and didn't want to mess with that. So I just made a clean install of windows 8.1, but actually it was windows 8.1 installation what made me do it. When I choose format option of that empty partition some error pop out that it can't do it and... it deleted my whole drive . The good news is that my windows 8 oem core key worked with this windows media installation (windows 8.1), it read it from bios, didn't have to type it in. btw. I have a last question. If I'll update my bios to newer version will it delete my key from bios?
Hmmm, ok thx. It's actually good that windows decided to format my disk because it would be too hard for me to get windows 7 mbr and windows 8 gpt working together. But how do you know about this bios thing, have you tried it yourself? How can you guarantee that the license will somehow transfer itself to new bios (or maybe it'll read license from installed windows and then put it in bios? Do you know how windows license is saved in bios?)? I'll try to ask asus live chat tomorrow about that, but my warranty is over so they probably won't tell me a thing .
"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."