Guide to preserve Windows 8.x OEM Activation

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Damn - I thought if someone brought along to me a new Windows 8 laptop I could simply use True Image to restore a pre-prepared same version of Windows 8 image (with all software and Office etc) and then use the product key from the OEM laptop to "reactivate it" (by using the phone activation method) as the hardware wouldn't have changed at all...

Will this method fail? Is there anything I could do to get this method to work as I intended?

 

Won't I get the opportunity for phone activation?

 

Just want to make sure I am reading this correctly. I got a Dell laptop and the slmgr.vbs tells me the version is Windows(R), Core edition. If i use the MSDN iso I can just install as if it were a blank hard drive and it will grab the key from the bios and activate when i get online?

Thanks

 

Ok - one last question (for today)

The Windows 8 laptop I have just bought has "Win 8 RTM Core OEM DM" installed (as reported by The Ultimate PID Checker)

So...

I've just done a test "fresh, clean" install on a new HD from my MSDN Windows 8 ISO and it installed fine but The Ultimate PID Checker reports that this MSDN version is "Win 8 RTM Core Retail".....

So the question is, if I use the official key from the MSDM Table in the BIOS and use it on the cleanly installed "Win 8 RTM Core Retail" ... will it work or are the versions different? I haven't tried doing this yet for fear of my official key being blocked ;-)

 

Thanks but it wasn't too obvious to me...

I just thought that "Win 8 RTM Core OEM DM" might be different to "Win 8 RTM Core Retail".....

 

I'll try it and report back..

 

Yup it worked

I put in the MSDN Windows 8 RTM English, 64-bit (x64) ISO CD with a clean HD and it installed without prompting for a key the exact same version as the one the laptop came with (Win 8 RTM Core OEM DM) which is great news..

Now I can prepare a fully loaded image to use on any other new Windows 8 laptop that has Win 8 RTM Core OEM DM

Although I got the impression from Tito in a previous post that it was unusual for OEM PC's to have Win 8 RTM Core OEM DM installed

 

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Maybe I'll start a new topic so we can get users to let us know which Brands are installing Win 8 RTM Core OEM DM on their PC's - then I'll tell my friends and family only to buy those

 

please forgive my ignorance I heard about OEM : DM key, but what does DM stand for ?