Wait, let me get this straight: if I do a clean install right now of MICROSOFT.WINDOWS.8.PROFESSIONAL.RTM.X86.ENGLISH.DVD-WZT I can use it just like a trial for 30 days, as in no watermark, fully working metro apps etc? Or I get the watermark and locked personalization instantly at the first log in?
Well, I guess MS will prevent that, but for now there is no imitation in days or months to use Windows 8 RTM in notification status (= unactivated); also updates are normally done. So I don't really worry - at least not for now!
Damn it, how easily it is to get disinformed from just 1 post. Thank you for the explanation Jessica.
1. Longer than 30 days! (For now: unlimited!) 2. Watermark still there: however there are tricks all around here to remove it. 3. Fully working metro apps. 4. Still: partly locked personalization: some have workarounds in the registry e.g.
You get activation overlay + watermark , or if you remove your key, you'll get a full screen Metro notification to Activate your computer in PC settings. It just pops up even if you run a full screen app, watching a movie. To kill the activate windows overlay, you just have to restart explorer.exe, I think it is the easiest way. Then you have 3-4 hours til it pops up again. These are all the limitations of an unactivated windows 8 for now, unless MS figures something out. You can rearm it 1000 times, not like 3 times in earlier Windows 6.x.xxxx releases. I think it is for the 30 days trial period, but I haven't found it anywhere saying " You have XY days left to activate"
Some of you people are extremely helpful, I was asking myself which were again the disadvantages of having an unactivated windows 8, wanted to post, decided to search them myself, and bam! Palbertsma and Zanarkand read my mind it seems.
The watermark is not full screen: it's small, just in the right corner. It remains visible, even during watching movies. To temporarily remove you could kill and restart explorer.exe, but removing with a patch here around is much easier: it removes it once and for all! For the second paragraph: please read former posts, just on this very page!
The patch didn't remove it for me, I think it is because I installed a language pack. Yes I know it is in the right bottom corner, but I've seen it appeared full screen, just randomly, to activate my windows now, clicked on the Activate now button, and it sent me directly to PC settings, Windows Activation.
You might try to apply the patch again: probably it will work, even after installing a language pack.
Blah blah. Anyone wanna take a wild guess on why the actual KMS host name in slmgr.vbs output is cleared?