{"id":219,"date":"2012-12-06T10:03:07","date_gmt":"2012-12-06T15:03:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.nccomputertech.com\/?p=219"},"modified":"2012-12-06T10:03:07","modified_gmt":"2012-12-06T15:03:07","slug":"will-bios-embedded-windows-8-product-keys-cause-reinstall-troubles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2012\/12\/06\/will-bios-embedded-windows-8-product-keys-cause-reinstall-troubles\/","title":{"rendered":"Will BIOS-embedded Windows 8 product keys cause reinstall troubles?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Those purchasing Windows 8 PCs are noticing that the small “Certificate of Authenticity” that is normally home to the product key is missing, and instead a “Genuine Microsoft” label has replaced it.
\nThis seems to be a cause of concern, and is prompting a number of questions.
\nRather than using a sticker, PC manufacturers are instead embedding the product key — associated with a fingerprint of the hardware — into the BIOS\/UEFI firmware on the motherboard. This is part of Microsoft new OEM Activation 3.0 (OA 3.0) mechanism and has been designed to combat piracy and, according to my OEM contacts, makes it easier for OEMs to order new keys from Microsoft, and even return unused keys back to Microsoft.
\nBut what does it mean to the end user?
\nTo most people, nothing. Windows is activated and should run normally. If, for any reason, you need to reinstall Windows 8 from the recovery partition or recovery discs, then the setup should recover the product key from the hardware, making it a lot less of a headache than having to read a string of tiny numbers off a sticker located somewhere awkward on your desktop or notebook PC.
\nBut what happens if you want to upgrade Windows? Does this BIOS-embedded product key mean that you’re stuck with whatever version of Windows that was installed on the hardware when it left the factory?
\nFull Story: Will BIOS-embedded Windows 8 product keys cause reinstall troubles? | ZDNet<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Those purchasing Windows 8 PCs are noticing that the small “Certificate of Authenticity” that is normally home to the product […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[5,11],"tags":[528,1218],"class_list":["post-219","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-microsoft","category-windows","tag-installation","tag-windows-8"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/papNkV-3x","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6788,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2014\/11\/06\/microsoft-will-no-longer-sell-retail-copies-of-windows-8-consumer-versions-of-windows-7-to-oems\/","url_meta":{"origin":219,"position":0},"title":"Microsoft will no longer sell retail copies of Windows 8, consumer versions of Windows 7 to OEMs","author":"NCCT","date":"November 6, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"As planned, Microsoft has ended retail sales of Windows 8 as well as stopped offering some versions of its Windows 7 operating system to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). This means that retailers will no longer be able to order more copies of Windows 8, which went on sale just over\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Microsoft"","block_context":{"text":"Microsoft","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/category\/microsoft\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8593,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2015\/09\/01\/microsoft-accused-of-adding-spy-features-to-windows-7-8\/","url_meta":{"origin":219,"position":1},"title":"Microsoft accused of adding spy features to Windows 7, 8","author":"NCCT","date":"September 1, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"By\u00a0 Peter Bright | Ars Technica Windows' network activity continues to be scrutinized amid privacy concerns. Windows 10 was first put under the microscope with both new and old features causing concern. 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Some Windows Insiders are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Microsoft"","block_context":{"text":"Microsoft","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/category\/microsoft\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8692,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2015\/10\/22\/major-windows-10-pc-update-tipped-to-land-in-november\/","url_meta":{"origin":219,"position":3},"title":"Major Windows 10 PC update tipped to land in November","author":"NCCT","date":"October 22, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"By Ian Paul | @ianpaul Microsoft is getting ready for its next major update to Windows 10, dubbed Threshold 2, and to hear Paul Thurrott tell it we\u2019ll be getting the update next month. 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