Hi all: I bought a Lenovo Y500 a few weeks ago and I want to upgrade my setup with a new mSATA 120GB SSD. Right now the proper mSATA is used for Cache, but I want to use it for OS. Right now my system is installed on 1TB HDD, I know how to format my Notebook, but I don't want to lose the OEM license. Is there any mode to do a fresh installation without lose the license? I don't want to clone my actual partitions, because the notebook is with a lot of bloatware. Thanks a lot.
Thanks Tito, I already read this sticky, but I still have doubts. As I meant, my current Windows 8 license could not be used with a Windows 8 Pro brand new installation, is that correct? EDIT: Ok I read the thread again. As you say in the sticky: So if I am not wrong, I'll need a MSDN that matches with my SKU. But is there a way to change to Windows 8 Pro with same oem key? Thanks a lot.
The OEM Product Key embedded in the firmware of your PC is a license only for Windows 8 Core. It will only activate Windows 8 Core. It will not activate Windows 8 Pro. If you want Windows 8 Pro, you should purchase a license for it.
Read the guide carefully; determining the edition of your currently installed Windows is the first step.
I just finished the installation using Windows 8 MSDN (multiples editions), less than 15 minutes with the new SSD, and now all works just fine! No key prompt during installation and Windows is activated! Thanks a lot.
I'm not quite sure with this, but if you decide to reinstall Windows 8 later, you won't loose your license. Of course, you're allowed to (re)activate a newly installed Windows more than once on the same PC if you decide to perform a new installation. I hope this answers your question.
With a slightly altered install DVD/USB (ei.cfg) you can install Pro directly and activate via KMS. The stock MSDN multiple editions DVDs let you only install the edition matching the key in the MSDM table. Or just take Enterprise.