Gents, Now that MS has closed the door on the KMS + WMC free Key method to get Win8 Pro Media Center; I'm stumped how to move forward. Although I had activated 3 of the 4 keys MS sent, they were all on my main box, so they'll only continue to work there on the drives I used to install / activate. Windows doesn't transfer hardware platforms so I can't just plug one of the drives in elsewhere. Hence the problem. I was given a Lenovo M55 box (no hard drive - which I have a few spares => or DDR2 Ram -which I had to buy as I gave away all my surplus to needy friends & family). I was going to try Win8 Pro Media Center on it using this method, but I waited too long. So far I really haven't played with Win8 much as I couldn't stand that the basic design is for touch screen, which I don't have, but with the Start Button Apps I thought it may work far better for a desktop. I was only going to use the box to connect to one of my TV /Stereo systems. It would be mostly for Tunes (I've got about 250 Gigs of MP3s) and maybe a bit of web surfing. I already had a Bluetooth MS Keyboard and Dell Mouse that were sitting around, as well as a Asus Wireless N USB stick still in it's box, so I thought all I had to do was buy the Ram and drive on. So now I'm looking for a Plan B. (I may even have to buy Win8 before prices go up Friday. OMG!! ) Is it possible to somehow copy over the required files from one of the activated drives from the other Box to the Lenovo? I know I could leave the Lenovo in a KMS mode but I'd prefer to have it "full retail" so I can forget about maintaining activation. (Set & Forget it.) Thanks for taking the time to read this post, and think about a solution. I sure hope there is an easy way to get the Lenovo working on Win8.
The M55 came with what OS ? The $39.99 upgrade option is certainly at the very least available .. and then picking up another free WMC key
1. Install pro and activate it with KMS then use your WMC key to upgrade to PROWMC and activate it through Skype/Phone 2. Swapping harddisk has worked for many ,you may also try your luck. 3. Most reliable solution BUY $15 key and use the WMC key before 31ST.
If this is the purpose of the machine you could just reinstall the original OS it came with or install W7 ultimate and use Daz loader .. What OS is on the coa.. I am running 5.1 sound on windows 98 se and a 10 year old turtle beach sound card in the garage which scares the wildlife if I crank it up
Gents, I appreciate the inputs so far. I am interested in trying Win 8 so I don't get too far behind. I know I can put Win 7 or XP onto this Box in a heart beat, and realistically Win 7 is my latest back up plan. This OS reminds me of when Vista was rolled out. I lot of folks tried it and didn't like it (me included) so I gave it a pass until Win 7. I'm not yet sold on Win 8 and I'd rather not pay big $ until I am certain I want to stay with it. The COA for the Lenovo PC is for Win XP Pro but as I remember the key listed needs to be translated (I forget how) to use to install the OS. If I somehow figure that process out, will the $40 upgrade be a clean install as I remember disasters way back to Win Me and such doing "upgrades". Can the "BUY $15 key" give the same results for a clean install? I'd risk $15 bucks to try it on the Lenovo.
Please elaborate. Thanks. I guess I was editing my last post when you posted. I said "(By the way, I have a Dell Win XP OEM Disk if that would be helpful. Just for grins, I'll put it in while I wait for your reply and see what it does on install.)" I vaguely remembered that an OEM XP disk is the same for all OEMs. It picks up info needed from Bios and installs. Right now it's passed by the Screen where you put in the Key. (The Disk is for Win XP SP3). I used to muck around quite a bit in Win XP days. But I'm not getting where you are going in regards to obtaining a Win 8 clean install. Please elaborate. Thanks.
CRC32 = 5237B729 (The Dell OEM XP3 disk loaded in about 20 minutes. Of course it lacks a few drivers, including the LAN.) Is the $15 Key a viable option for this Box? I already have a couple Win 8 Images (untouched according to Hash checks.)
The $15 key is looking for W7 installed which you could do with W7 install with Daz loader .. let me know if you want to go any further with IBM oem XP pro x86 sp3 install disk .. Also did your dell oem install activate?
The LAN Driver isn't native to Win XP Sp3 so I'm chasing it to find out. It's an Integrated Broadcom Gigabit. The Lenovo site isn't cooprerating.
Thanks for trying but I finally got it, installed, and WinXP SP3 Activated. For a while there MS was trying to sell me Win 7 for $149.00 Where to next?
Yes, it's x64 capable. That's why I bought 4 Gigs of DDR2 Ram for it. I haven't mucked about with a Daz loader for ages. Seems like the less costly approach is going that way. I do have a legit Win 7 Pro SP1 64 Bit bought from MS but I want to put it onto a Gamer Box in the Future. If I install it with that keyon the Lenovo, will MS nuke the Key so I can't use it sometime later? Or another approach is my existing box has Win 7 Ultimate. Can it be used to get the $15 key without nuking it? Then use the key on a fresh Win 8 install on the Lenovo?