Sideloading on domain joined Windows 8.1 Professional Update Tablets

Hi folks,

first, I want to apologize for my bad English. I'm out of practice since several years and Google Translator is not the best assistance.

We are developing a Windows 8 LOB App for our customer. This App shall only be available for the employees of this customer. Therefore, releasing the App in the Windows Store is not an option.

As far as I understand the announcements by Microsoft, it is now possible to sideload Windows Store Apps on devices where Windows 8.1 Pro Update is installed. The requirements are the app has to be signed, the group policy "Allow all trusted apps to install" has to be enabled and the devices must be part of a domain. A sideloading key is not required anymore.

At the moment I try to sideload an app to an Windows 8.1 Pro lenovo tablet. The System is up to date and the device is part of an AD-Domain.

To sideload the app, I've done the following:

-> First I deleted the developer license from my testing device.

-> Then I've created a code signing certificate with mkcert and Pvk2Pfx according to.

-> Creating and signing the App package with Visual Studio 2013 worked without problems.

-> I activated the local GP "Allow all trusted apps to install" and installed the certificate under the local machine\Trusted Root Certification Authority certificate store.

But when I try to install the app with Add-AppPackage, the process abort with an error. The error message says, that a developer license or a sideloading key is required.

What do I wrong? Has someone managed to sideload an App to a domain joined Windows 8.1 Pro device and can give me some advice?

Many thanks in advance.

Tobias

March 6th, 2015 10:39am

Hello Friend, 

Your English is pretty damn good; no need to apologize :)

see this: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/jj874388.aspx?ocid=wc-nl-insider

in short if you are using windows 8 PRO edition of windows and you want to use Enterprise sideloaded app in your environment you will need to use a sideloading product key, this is done to ensure that you don't use your pro version of windows in place of enterprise version, 

you will need to purchase a sideloading key and then need to slmgr /ipk it nd then active it, Slmgr /ato ec67814b-30e6-4a50-bf7b-d55daf729d1e

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn613835.aspx

Sorry for sharing the bad news! 

Namaste, 

mayank

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March 7th, 2015 2:04pm

see this: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/jj874388.aspx?ocid=wc-nl-insider

in short if you are using windows 8 PRO edition of windows and you want to use Enterprise sideloaded app in your environment you will need to use a sideloading product key, this is done to ensure that you don't use your pro version of windows in place of enterprise version, 

you will need to purchase a sideloading key and then need to slmgr /ipk it nd then active it, Slmgr /ato ec67814b-30e6-4a50-bf7b-d55daf729d1e

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn613835.aspx

@Mayank, Ah, no, that information is all outdated (it applies to Win8.0, not applicable to Win8.1u1)

Instead, this later information is published, and a useful guide is here:
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/micham/archive/2014/05/30/sideloading-store-apps-to-windows-8-1-devices.aspx

March 8th, 2015 3:56am

thank you Don, I also found this later, http://blogs.windows.com/business/2014/04/02/building-the-mobile-workplace-with-windows-and-windows-phone/  it reads: 
  • Easier Deployment  Delivering Windows 8.1 Update via Windows Update allows businesses to deploy updates with increased predictability. And, to help businesses develop and deploy modern apps for their workforce, we are enabling sideloading for any domain-joined Windows Pro PC or tablet.

let me delete my original post so that i dont confuse anyone :)

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March 8th, 2015 3:28pm

Coming back to the original question, 

Are you running add-appxpackage when you get this error? this will not provision a package but will simply add the package for current user. 

March 8th, 2015 3:54pm

Hello everybody,

many thanks for your fast answers.

Deason Wu. the article you've linked to in your answer is exactly what I've used.

Mayank Sharma, yes, I've used add-appxPackage for installing.

Maybe I was wrong and Windows 8.1 Pro Update is not installed on my device. Though the update KB2919355 is installed and there are many sources that mention this as a quite reliable indicator, to determine, whether the running operating system is Windows 8.1 Pro Update.

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March 9th, 2015 4:24am

Hello,

I have only one question about licensing: have you already purchased a Sideloding License in open program?

for application developement without Windows Store, you need to purchase a Sideloading Key license in VL contract.only customers Enterprise Agreement and select plus Agreement contracts have th epossibility to download the Sideloading key from VLSC without to purchase an extra license.

thanks

diramoh

March 9th, 2015 7:32am

Hello diramoh,
so far I haven't purchased any sideloading keys. I'm still not sure if I really need them, in my scenario.
The great question for me is: Do I need an sideloading key, regardless of whether or not my Windows 8.1 Pro devices are part of a ad domain.

According to official announcements by Microsoft and several other source, this requirement was removed in May 2014. The sideloading guide, which Deason Wu has linked to, cites explicitly that no sideloading keys are required since that date.

Thanks

Tobias

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March 9th, 2015 9:43am

Hi Tobias,

yes, exactlly I confirm that since may 2014 Microsoft changes th elicensing model for Sideloading key and Microsoft confirms that:

As of May 1, 2014 organizations that are in the following Volume Licensing programs (regardless of what they purchase) will be granted Enterprise Sideloading rights at no additional cost. Product keys to enable Enterprise Sideloading will be made available through the Volume Licensing Service Center (VLSC): Enterprise Agreement, Enterprise Subscription Agreement, Enrollment for Education Solutions, School Enrollment and Select and Select Plus

Other customers who want to deploy custom line-of-business Windows 8.1 apps can purchase Enterprise Sideloading rights through the Open License program as of May 1, 2014. These rights include the ability to sideload on Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 devices. MAKs for these customers will be made available through the VLSC.

thanks

diramoh

March 9th, 2015 12:05pm

So, I think the point which diramoh is trying to make, is the difference between "entitled" for sideloading, and, "configured" for sideloading.

Windows 8.x Enterprise editions, only available via VL, are already pre-enabled for sideloading (there is no need to configure a sideloading product key on Win8.x ENT)

Windows 8.x Professional editions, available via OEM, Retail and also VL, are not pre-enabled for sideloading, and so these will need a sideloading key installed/configured.
(this changed for Professional editions in May 2014. Pro is now apparently enabled providing Win8.1u1 is applied)

Further to this, sideloading keys are (since May 2014) granted automatically by MSFT to VL customers.
If you are not already a VL customer, you can become a VL customer of the Open License program to purchase sideloading rights.

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March 9th, 2015 4:19pm

You should also check that KB2919355 is correctly applied, by performing a "check for updates" on Windowsupdate.

KB2919355 was subject to some revisions, and depending upon how the tablet device was imaged, might require further components to be installed for the revised KB2919355.

You might also check: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/3000850 which is the latest (November2014) rollup since (KB2919355 April2014)

March 9th, 2015 4:43pm

Hello,
though, I have not updated this thread in the last days, I'm still not sure, whether sideloading keys are necessary to successfully sideload apps to domain joined Windows 8.1 Pro devices.

To make sure that I have got you right: Might someone confirm to me, that even for domain joined devices with Windows 8.1 Pro Update installed, sideloading keys are necessary, because these devices are only ready to, but not yet enabled for sideloading.

If no sideloading keys are necessary, is it required, for successful sideloading, that the devices are logged into the domain network and connected with the domain controller, for a successful deployment? My test device is domain joined but at the moment it is not logged into that domain network.

Thanks.

Tobias
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March 12th, 2015 7:08am

Hello,
though, I have not updated this thread in the last days, I'm still not sure, whether sideloading keys are necessary to successfully sideload apps to domain joined Windows 8.1 Pro devices.

To make sure that I have got you right: Might someone confirm to me, that even for domain joined devices with Windows 8.1 Pro Update installed, sideloading keys are necessary, because these devices are only ready to, but not yet enabled for sideloading.

If no sideloading keys are necessary, is it required, for successful sideloading, that the devices are logged into the domain network and connected with the domain controller, for a successful deployment? My test device is domain joined but at the moment it is not logged into that domain network.

Thanks.

Tobias

I'm unable to confirm myself, since I don't use Pro edition in my organisation (we use Enterprise edition because we purchased that in our agreement).

It might be possible, that the MSFT statements for Pro (does not require sideloading key), might only be functional when using the Volume Licensing channel product for Pro. i.e. maybe the OEM channel and Retail channel of Pro might not be enabled for sideloading?

It sounds like you are using an OEM or Retail channel Pro (i.e. that OS shipped on the Lenovo device).

This is my observation from your symptoms. I'm not sure how to validate that, without trying each case.
It may be necessary to raise a support call with MSFT to validate that.

March 12th, 2015 4:03pm

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