Windows 8.1 Offered Early to Some Businesses for Testing

Microsoft is backtracking a little more in their stance on releasing Windows 8.1 early to developers. Microsoft announced yesterday that Windows 8.1 would be made available for download to business customers who qualify.

TechNet and Microsoft Developer Network members as well as businesses with volume licensing and Software Assurance agreements can download the software.

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Microsoft is already accepting activation keys for 8.1 that worked with consumer versions of 8.0. I updated several days ago and activated without a problem. The genuine Microsoft versions of 8.1 that are so plentiful on the 'net require two activation keys, one provided by Microsoft that is used for the installation--and then you must use your original Win 8.0 key and Microsoft will activate your installation. It's all 100% legal and above board--these are legitimate Microsoft-released (leaked) disc images provided for folks who don't want to wait until October to upgrade. (I'm sure that if Microsoft was not behind this then my 8.0 key would not serve to activate 8.1 at this time.) Oh yeah, it's a free upgrade from 8.0 and your upgrade retains *all* of your installed programs, whether they came from the Microsoft store or elsewhere.

Of course, if you want the upgrade from Win7 so that you won't lose installed programs, you'll have to get Win8.0 and upgrade to 8.0 from there, and then update free to 8.1 from 8.0, I suppose, since Microsoft is only allowing upgrades from Win7 to Win8.0. (I have no idea why they are doing it this way.) This may change after October 18th, but then again it may not...

WaltC said:

Microsoft is already accepting activation keys for 8.1 that worked with consumer versions of 8.0. I updated several days ago and activated without a problem. The genuine Microsoft versions of 8.1 that are so plentiful on the 'net require two activation keys, one provided by Microsoft that is used for the installation--and then you must use your original Win 8.0 key and Microsoft will activate your installation. It's all 100% legal and above board--these are legitimate Microsoft-released (leaked) disc images provided for folks who don't want to wait until October to upgrade. (I'm sure that if Microsoft was not behind this then my 8.0 key would not serve to activate 8.1 at this time.) Oh yeah, it's a free upgrade from 8.0 and your upgrade retains *all* of your installed programs, whether they came from the Microsoft store or elsewhere.

Of course, if you want the upgrade from Win7 so that you won't lose installed programs, you'll have to get Win8.0 and upgrade to 8.0 from there, and then update free to 8.1 from 8.0, I suppose, since Microsoft is only allowing upgrades from Win7 to Win8.0. (I have no idea why they are doing it this way.) This may change after October 18th, but then again it may not...

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Just because a leaked copy works doesn't mean microsoft was behind it. Your windows 8 key is supposed to work, that is how it was designed so of course it will work. That doesn't mean that microsoft wants you getting a leaked copy off of warez sites.

Exavior said:

Just because a leaked copy works doesn't mean microsoft was behind it. Your windows 8 key is supposed to work, that is how it was designed so of course it will work. That doesn't mean that microsoft wants you getting a leaked copy off of warez sites.

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Heh...Now, why did I know some wiseguy was probably going to say this?... Look, I can kind of sympathize with your prudent fear of "warez sites" because it is a fear that I share as well. If it eases your mind, then don't bother with it, but it is rather crass of you to attempt to spoil the party for other people who might like to have it at this point in time. This "some warez site" you comically mention is distributing a bona-fide 8.1 version that could only have come direct from Microsoft. IE, this is not some "hack" that somebody cooked up as a platform for malware. It's the real McCoy.

Apparently, you didn't read the headlines a couple of weeks ago when it was announced that Microsoft was going to go ahead and release 8.1 to developers despite having said that they'd have to wait just like everyone else. The software was no doubt leaked by someone in possession of 8.1, probably someone with a MSDN or Technet subscription, who disagreed with Microsoft's original decision to make everyone wait until mid October even though the company had just announced it was going to RTM with 8.1 six weeks ahead of the "release" date. Some people bought 8.0 a year ago (I bought it in January) and were not in a waiting mood--they should not have had to wait six weeks *after* RTM. That was always ridiculous and of course Microsoft did yet another 180 on this issue, too, this year--another bad decision reversed, made by somebody new in charge, I guess, who hasn't been there very long.

Just try activating any Microsoft OS with a key that used to work but has since been delisted by Microsoft. It won't work. That lets you know Microsoft has complete control over the activation servers. Also, for some reason you think that the activation servers apparently won't know the difference between Win7-Win8.0-Win8.1. Trust me, they do. Just try activating your Win8 copy with a Win7 key or vice-versa--won't work, obviously. When I activated 8.0 the servers knew that I was activating 8.0. Likewise, when I activated 8.1. The only people, remember, who have 8.0 keys are the people who bought Windows 8.0. Everyone else who purchases Win8.1 will get the same DVD/.iso but with brand-new keys, so it would have been relatively simple for Microsoft to set the activation servers to start activating 8.1 with 8.0 keys or with any key on October 18th. This they did not do. (How could they, since they'd already released 8.1 to MSDN and Technet subscribers?)

So don't think that just because it's been leaked to the Internet that it isn't 100% legitimate, because I'm satisfied that it is.

I have a volume license agreement with SA and it is not available for me.