I think on a OEM Win8 system with an embedded product key, you are supposed to install Win8 Core first, then enter the Win8 Pro product key after setup. Do you mean that Win8 setup still prompted for a product key? I believe there are utilities to find the embedded ACPI MDSM key if you need to. On the solution you found, your computer comes with only Win8 Core right, so even if you used ei.cfg etc you'd get only Win8.1 Core, not Pro as your MSDNAA subscription allows.
Problem is my installation was Windows 8: Single Language, not Core. I tried ei.cfg methods, not helpful. I found my key through a tool. But it does not even allow me to enter. With ei.cfg tricks I could enter but it did not accept. In Pro, it did not even ask for a key and said that I just can't install. Even supplying it with ei.cfg does not help.
Ah, I am not an expert on single language versions of Win8. It is not surprising that they won't let you install or activate any other version of Win8 using this key, but the installer just failing instead of prompting for a key looks like a bug. But as I said above the solution you found isn't too bad anyway.
Re:Before you Dual Boot – MS, OEMs and Linux
by ntakasaki on Sunday March 16, 2014 @10:51AM
(#7409582)
What has this got to do with Secure Boot?
Re:Before you Dual Boot – MS, OEMs and Linux
by tanzam75 on Sunday March 16, 2014 @12:33PM
(#7410030)
> What has this got to do with Secure Boot?
It's got nothing to do with Secure Boot. If he had gone into the UEFI and disabled Secure Boot, the problem would still have occurred.
Secure Boot has become this scapegoat for everything that could possibly go wrong.
As its name suggests, Secure Boot prevents the OS from booting. If the installer is complaining about a product key mismatch, then it's got everything to do with the installer and nothing to do with Secure Boot.
I did not say Secure Boot causes this, the UEFI contains product key, and it does not allow to be deleted, modified or extracted. Since it is permanent there, Windows installer fails to accept another key, or even a legitimate higher edition Windows installation.
Re:Before you Dual Boot – MS, OEMs and Linux
by tanzam75 on Sunday March 16, 2014 @02:14PM
(#7410495)
> I did not say Secure Boot causes this,
Here's what you said:
> Hear my fucked up story of UEFI, Secure Boot and Windows 8:
Why mention Secure Boot at all? It's got absolutely nothing to do with your situation.
It is a story about all of them, I did not say Secure Boot caused this problem, I said I disabled it to be able to install Windows 7.
Re:Before you Dual Boot – MS, OEMs and Linux
by tanzam75 on Sunday March 16, 2014 @03:15PM
(#7410744)
> It is a story about all of them, I did not say Secure Boot caused this problem, I said I disabled it to be able to install Windows 7.
Suppose that a user buys a Windows 8 machine, goes to a website, and downloads malware that slows down the machine and makes it unusable. Finally, a local teenager wipes the machine, disables Secure Boot, and installs Windows 7.
One would hardly say that this is a "f-cked up story of" malware, Secure Boot, and Windows 8. Secure Boot is merely incidental, and has nothing to do with the issue of malware on Windows 8.
Re:Before you Dual Boot – MS, OEMs and Linux
by Spearchucker on Monday March 17, 2014 @04:04AM
(#7413724)
Note that it is version-specific. I just flattened my Surface Pro 2 and used a non-OEM version of Windows, which required its own product key. Also, Windows 8 and 8.1 have different product keys, but if you upgrade OTA to 8.1 it will install the same SKU (OEM) for 8.1. Changing the OS is complicated with UEFI and secure boot, the usability is insanely bad, with a lot of boundaries being blurred. It's the worst experience I have ever had when installing a clean OS.
Re:Before you Dual Boot – MS, OEMs and Linux
by voltagex_ on Sunday March 16, 2014 @05:33PM
(#7411411)
There are some terrible implementations of UEFI, and Microsoft is copping the blame for a lot of it.
Microsoft deserves the blame. They require UEFI (more accurately called Restricted Boot) for Windows 8.
Re:Before you Dual Boot – MS, OEMs and Linux
by voltagex_ on Monday March 17, 2014 @12:14AM
(#7413008)
Bullshit. I can boot Windows 8 from legacy (BIOS) mode on two machines.
Yes, your own installation works, but not OEM installation works with legacy mode
Re:Before you Dual Boot – MS, OEMs and Linux
by pritambaral on Monday March 17, 2014 @05:16AM
(#7413948)
I think what your parent comment meant is that Microsoft requires UEFI to grant OEM licenses, otherwise known as "compatible with Windows 8" stickers.
Re:Before you Dual Boot – MS, OEMs and Linux
by nosefrog on Sunday March 16, 2014 @11:23AM
(#7409710)
"But It could not verify my key, that is buried in my motherboard."
Secure Boot systems verify your OS against a key stored on your hardware.
Re:Before you Dual Boot – MS, OEMs and Linux
by ntakasaki on Sunday March 16, 2014 @11:32AM
(#7409763)
He's talking about Windows product key which has nothing to do with the secure boot key. You could have a properly activated Windows installation get stopped by Secure Boot because of failed boot kernel verification, or you could have Secure Boot verified boot failing Windows Activation.
Re:Before you Dual Boot – MS, OEMs and Linux
by graycoder on Sunday March 16, 2014 @11:24AM
(#7409722)
I like the way you think.
Re:Before you Dual Boot – MS, OEMs and Linux
by graycoder on Sunday March 16, 2014 @11:24AM
(#7409716)
I think he was referencing secure boot checking the keys as being the main problem/cause of all the issues.
Just download one of those Win7 activation-removed torrents. They just work, and loads better than the Win8 cesspool.
Re:Before you Dual Boot – MS, OEMs and Linux
by Spearchucker on Sunday March 16, 2014 @12:41PM
(#7410060)
No way I'd trust an OS like that.
You're right. I don't.
I use Linux.
Then become a part of botnet, or goodbye bank accounts
Did you try the ei.cfg trick?
Yes, it did not help
I have a Windows 8 laptop. It had 2 HDDs, so I easily installed Ubuntu 13.04 to second HDD. However, during a Win8 update process, it hanged for hours and I force closed. Then even my recovery partition was corrupted. So, I wiped my first HDD, and since the OEMs don't give DVDs anymore, I could not install it. I live in Turkey, and there is a special version of Win8 Single Language, not found on internet. You cannot confirm checksum of them because it is not widely used, and depends on the region I think (maybe wrong). Therefore, even If I found a iso on Turkish forum I could not verify it, but tried to install Single Language version anyways. But It could not verify my key, that is burried in my motherboard. I tried to install Windows 8 Pro from MSDNAA, and it said it cannot because of the internal license on my pc. I tried dozens of way to disable it. When I got Windows 8.1 Pro from MSDNAA as well, It installed without problems. That is really f*cked up. I did not like flatness of even windows, I disabled Secure Boot, removed my partioning from GPT to MBR, installed my Ubuntu with Windows 7 as it is used to be, before these dark times.
Now I'm a teaching assitant of operating systems course, students need to use Linux for assignments, and almost all of them uses VirtualBox, which is not a very good replacement for native experience. It is fast, but not fast enough.