Windows 8 Activation error with Windows 8.1 Pro

Sometimes the key is in the bios with certain notebooks and the like but if you think your Windows isn't genuine this short FAQ from Microsft might help some:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/windows/help/genuine/faq

"When I bought the laptop no DVD came with it, as it is pre-installed. So I'm a bit concerned because I think the guy installed on it a pirated copy (which I payed for it the full Windows 8 full price) and I'm not sure what to do."

Pre-installation is standard now so that alone is no reason to suspect software piracy. You do need to activate a new load of Windows within a month of buying it so you should not ignore it. You should go ahead and activate it.

Because Windows is pre-installed you should also run the utility which comes with your machine to burn a set of recovery disks. If you do not do this you will have no means of recovering your system if and when your hard drive fails or you suffer somemakor system corruption/infection.

kemical said:

Sometimes the key is in the bios with certain notebooks and the like but if you think your Windows isn't genuine this short FAQ from Microsft might help some:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/windows/help/genuine/faq

Click to expand...

That link isn't for Windows 8.1

Sonny said:

I just had the same problem two days ago. Bought a HP Pavilion notebook and it said windows was not activated. I did call Microsoft support and told them I just bought it but couldn't activate it. They went and generated me a new product key. You might have to make that call and see if they can do the same for you. Good luck!

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I will try that, thanks

patcooke said:

"When I bought the laptop no DVD came with it, as it is pre-installed. So I'm a bit concerned because I think the guy installed on it a pirated copy (which I payed for it the full Windows 8 full price) and I'm not sure what to do."

Pre-installation is standard now so that alone is no reason to suspect software piracy. You do need to activate a new load of Windows within a month of buying it so you should not ignore it. You should go ahead and activate it.

Because Windows is pre-installed you should also run the utility which comes with your machine to burn a set of recovery disks. If you do not do this you will have no means of recovering your system if and when your hard drive fails or you suffer somemakor system corruption/infection.

Click to expand...

You mean I shall backup the whole C drive because the activation error may corrupt it?

No - activations is not going to corrupt your pc. I'm not talking about making a backup of your recovery partition. A pc or laptop which comes with Windows pre-installed also has a recovery partition from which you can boot a recovery process which resets your pc back to the state in which you bought it. This is a convenient way to recover your pc from a serious problem or if you wish to reset it to manufacturer standard. The one weak link lies in the fact the recovery partition is stored on the same physical drive as your live system so if the hard drive itself fails then you have lost not only your entire system but also the means to recover it. For theis reason your pc will have a built in utility to burn a set of dvd's with the recovery image which you should do and then keep safely in case you should suffer a complete hard drive failure. (I'd actually make two copies of the dvds! - but then I don't trust computers!)