In other words, the only people doing this are already confirmed pirates. You are not going to do any of those things by accident. In order to take advantage of this loophole, you need to have acquired a volume license product key from an unauthorized source, downloaded the VL installer files from a pirate site (or tampered with legitimate installer files for Windows 8 so they appear to be Volume License media), and then deliberately activated the resulting installation using a server you're not authorized to use. Let me repeat the key part of that sentence: If you have already installed a pirated copy of Windows 8 Pro and used an unauthorized KMS server to activate it. The result is that your system appears to have a legitimate Windows 8 Pro license.
When you do that, the license information stored on your PC is replaced with new details that use the new product key. But if you have already installed a pirated copy of Windows 8 Pro and used an unauthorized KMS server to activate it, you can use the free Media Center Pack product key to "add features" to your installation. Normally, a PC that is activated using a KMS key has to check in with the KMS server every week and renew its license every 180 days. Several semi-underground Windows-oriented websites have published details on how to find 'open' KMS servers on the Internet. Those jolly pirates (most of them enthusiasts who play the piracy game for sport) have figured out that they can use product keys intended for use by Volume License customers and then activate those keys using a Key Management Service (KMS) server. If you want that, you need to step far outside of normal retail channels and start hanging with actual software pirates. "This key won't work." So where's my free copy of Windows 8 Pro? If you enter this key on a new PC running the Core edition of Windows 8 (not Pro), you get an error message:
You're entitled to the upgrade - enjoy it in good health. If you enter this key on a PC running Windows 8 Pro, you get exactly the effect you were expecting. On a PC running Windows 8 Pro, you can enter that license key and unlock the Media Center features, including the ability to play back DVDs. To get a free Media Center update, all you have to do is visit this online form and enter your email address.
The offer ends on January 31, 2013, and on February 1, the Media Center add-in will be a $9.99 update. But contrary to reports published earlier today, Microsoft hasn't accidentally begun dispensing free copies of Windows 8 Pro.Įarlier today, originated at an enthusiast site and has since been widely reported.Īnyone who writes that these are 'legitimate activations' or 'free activation keys' needs to go back to Software Piracy 101.Īs a promotion, beginning with the General Availability of Windows 8 on October 25, 2012, Microsoft is allowing anyone with a copy of Windows 8 Pro to install the Windows Media Center Pack for free.
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