I know there are a few discussions going around on here and various other forums about this topic but I am completely stuck.

I have a valid Windows 8 Pro (64bit) product key. I did a fresh install of Windows 8.1, not thinking too much about how my product key would be affected - after all, it's all the same major version of Windows right?

So I fresh installed, the product key error message came up and I got on the phone to Microsoft and tried to enter that 9-10 part massive activation key thing and got error messaged and then hung up on multiple times. I put this down to bad phone reception. I went ahead and re-installed all of my apps and configured everything to how I like it.

This afternoon I again jumped on the phone to Microsoft and talked to a real person. He told me that I cannot use my 8.0 key with 8.1. Fair enough, I had a feeling this was coming. I asked for a way around this and he told me to reformat, install windows 8 and then upgrade to windows 8.1.

Seriously guys? wtf.

Does anyone know of a way around this, or if there WILL be a way around this in the near future? I'm not wasting another day backing up, re-formatting and re-installing everything onto my computer again just to upgrade and use my key that SHOULD work on the same major version of an O/S.

Rohan

Try this procedure

http://www.askvg.com/fix-windows-8-genuine-product-key-doesnt-work-for-windows-8-1-clean-installation/

Regards

Milos

Thanks Milos - I will give this a try and let you know.

Milos, I have had time to look at your link but come up empty handed. I had previously tried this approach and kept getting the same "this key didn't work, please check it and try again, or try a different key" error message.

I used one of the generic keys during the install phase in the hope of doing this method but it hasn't worked out.

Do you have any other ideas?

Here is how I did it.

I already have a key for 8.1 pro that I got through ebay which turns out that this is being activated by so many users. I went to our local market and found a windows 8 pro genuine retail so I buy it.

I do a fresh installation of windows 8.1 pro but couldn't use the new obtained windows 8 pro product key. I complete the installation with the blocked windows 8.1 pro product key and then later I changed  the key with the windows 8 pro production key.

Just make sure that the product key that you have is not being used before in any other pc. Even if you change your Hard Disk, CPU or motherboard, that will be counting as another pc. What happened with me is that I moved from HDD to SSD. That's what I understand from Microsoft windows supports.