Trying to get a thread going to help inform people like me that already have Windows 8.1 installed and activated but are still having trouble figuring out what working options are available at this point to install Office 2013 without messing up there activation ?
If you own a retail license key for office 2013, just install it normally with your key and you shouldn't have an problems with licensing. If you are using a KMS emulator like Microsoft Toolkit to activate, you cannot currently activate because the KMS protocol has been updated to version 6 on Windows 8.1, mstoolkit only supports up to version 5. Office 2013 is forced to use the same KMS protocol as the current windows 8 version, which is why you could activate before but not now. The only solution in this case is to reinstall windows 8.0 and use Microsoft Toolkit or another KMS activator from there.
Are you saying to go back and install win 8 the install office then upgrade to win 8.1 ? Got to be another way then that ?
Another option most are failing to notice is a VM route. I know it's not ideal but for the time being it is a solution. Just install Windows 8 under a virtual environment and then run office with kms on that. Or just Duel boot Windows 8 and 8.1 and swap between the two. Also why not just try Open office or buy a retail license? If you need office that much that you are trying everything i would take that as a sign it might be a worthy investment.
Keep an eye out by searching Google for "Office 2013 Pro Offline/Online Volume License Activation MAK Keys". I found a valid MAK key this weekend that still had Online activations left and didn't even have to activate by phone and no KMS needed.
I'm struggling with this, with a legit (sorta) retail key, complete with an email and I did pay a very tiny amount of money to MS for it. The key just won't take. What I did originally was clone my drive to another one, then format/install Win8.1 Pro, activate it with a Win8 Pro key, then install Office 2013. It fails activation, despite being the key of Office 2013 that was on the exact same system except for the OS. /sigh.
You should try to disconnect from the internet and activate over the phone with your key. I have never tried activating retail office 2013 on any os, I always use mstoolkit. I am on windows 8.1 now, I run windows 7 in vmware so that i can kms activate office 2013. This is really the only solution right now if you don't have a working key.