How to upgrade from preinstalled win8 to win8.1 pro Have disk

marcus25
marcus25 Member Posts: 6 New User

Before I upfrade to win 10 I'd like to upgrade to win8.1 pro I have legit disk I bought, but when I try to install I get a message "serial number not match any on system" or something like that. I wiped the C drive but kept the recovery drives and still the same result. Restored the system to factory.

 

Any ideas short of buying a new HD, and if the number is embedded in the MB then it won't help anyway.

Answers

  • IronFly
    IronFly ACE Posts: 18,413 Trailblazer

    the product key is embedded on BIOS and honestly is not worth upgrading to windows 8.1 and then windows 10, it's better if you upgrade directly to windows 10.

     

    if your system has Home version sand you want the Pro version, you can simply upgrade to widnows 10 and then change the product key on it, it will switch to Pro version automatically.

     

    or you can do a clean windows 10 install and once at desktop change the product key

     

    http://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/7209-product-key-change-windows-10-a.html

     

    I'm not an Acer employee.
  • marcus25
    marcus25 Member Posts: 6 New User

    Not sure what you're saying about changing win10 product key. I have a bought Pro version of win 8.1.

    On my Acer I have a win 8 home. It already updated to win 10 without my knowledge and since I only had the win 8 home naturally win 10 also updated to the home version.

    I need Pro for using RDC.

    I deleted the OS and restored to factory win8, which is as far as I know is a home version.

    I try to avoid getting win10 home version again, hence my intention to upgrade to the win 8.1 Pro before it happens.

     

    Can't explain it any clearer.

    Thakns for your help

  • marcus25
    marcus25 Member Posts: 6 New User

    PS,

    To ugrade to win 10 my comp needs win 8.1 which is ready in windows store for me again, but it will be the same version as the win 8 on my laptop and following on, win10 will  be the same.

    As I said I only have the serials for win 8.1 pro not for win 10.

  • IronFly
    IronFly ACE Posts: 18,413 Trailblazer

    NO!

    you don't need windows 8.1 to upgrade to windows 10.

    you can upgrade from windows 8 and once on windows 10 you can enter your windows 8.1 PRO product key and windows 10 home will became a PRO version. (windows 10 accept prodcut keys from windows 7 and up)

     

    You can also, wipe your HDD completly and clean install windows 10, windows 10 will read the prodcut key from BIOS (Home version) and once in windows 10 dekstop, you can change the Home product key with windows 8.1 Pro that you have.

     http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

    I'm not an Acer employee.
  • marcus25
    marcus25 Member Posts: 6 New User

     

     

    I now have laptop that can't be reset, wnen try to install from DVD I get a message "serial numbers don't match with windows image" or something like that I assume this is the serial stored in bios.

     

    I created an Acer rescue disk when I got the laptop, I'm running it now, the laptop will not reset from the HD.

     

    If I try to install win 10 it gives me an error message that it can't use the HD partition because it's a GPT partition.

     

     

     

  • IronFly
    IronFly ACE Posts: 18,413 Trailblazer

    First of all calm down and explain better your issues.

     

    "install from DVD": DVD of what? Windows 8.1? windows 10?

    if you have a windows PRO only version, obvious this will not install on your machine, since you have an Home product key stored on BIOS.

     

    I didn't tell you to install a PRO version but to do a clean install of windows 10 and then use the Product key of your windows 8.1 PRO to switch to windows10 PRO version.

     

    if windows 10 installation tells you that can't install because it's a GPT partition, your installation media was created using MBR instead of GPT.

     

    Since now you restored your laptop with the Acer recovery disk, I suggest you to upgrade to windows 10 using windows update and once you are on windows 10 Home, change your product key using your Windows 8.1 product key.

    http://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/7209-product-key-change-windows-10-a.html

     

    Side Note: i don't have 980 accepted solutions for nothing, you just need to follow what i wrote.

    I'm not an Acer employee.
  • marcus25
    marcus25 Member Posts: 6 New User

    Never mind.

    I have been reprimanded by the mods.

    You were wrong just about everything, On Acer V5 you can't install from CD or USB unless change the Bios type to legacy. Then you can try to install but the partition is GPT and windows will not install, if you change it back to UEFI then it won't boot from USB or CD. Going around in circles.

     

    I zapped the HD as per your instructions and finished up with an unbootable unrecoverable laptop.

     

    Finally I downloaded a partitioning selfbooting utility 'GParted' and formatted the hard drive, then installed Win 10.

    After installation I tried to change serial numbers again as per your instructions, it of course didn't work I knew that from start, hence my original post.

    The message I got back that Win 10 picked up the serial from the Bios and as it was a home edition of Win 8, that it will stay a home adition of Win10.

     

    So much for that.

  • marcus25
    marcus25 Member Posts: 6 New User

    PS

    No I was totally unsuccessful to rese the machine to factory default. Tokk me 3 horurs to run from the recovery disk only come back with a recovery failed message.

     

    Not going to comment on your claim of success.

  • IronFly
    IronFly ACE Posts: 18,413 Trailblazer

    marcus25 wrote:

    Never mind.

    I have been reprimanded by the mods.

    You were wrong just about everything, On Acer V5 you can't install from CD or USB unless change the Bios type to legacy. Then you can try to install but the partition is GPT and windows will not install, if you change it back to UEFI then it won't boot from USB or CD. Going around in circles. 

     


    absolutly not.

     

    your V5 can boot and install from CD or USB using UEFI if your media is UEFI compatible, if you use Legacy you can have issues on drivers.

    UEFI will use GPT

    Legacy will use MBR

     

    So the main issue was your installation media set on MBR instead of UEFI/GPT.

     

    About product key, thousand of users switched from home to PRO, you just need to use the latest windows 10 installation media available (with november update or build 1511).

     

    you can try also this way to switch to PRO and then give your windows 8.1 PRO key:

    From your Windows 10 Home running Version 1511, enter the Windows 10 Pro Default key under change product key.

    VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T

    This default key will not activate the system, just take you to Pro so you can activate using a valid Pro key that you will provide.

    Once you have done this, the system will go through an upgrade process from Home to Pro, but will not be activated on Pro.

     

    nothing else to say on my side, have a nice sunday.

    I'm not an Acer employee.