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The first part of my question was where can I get my Windows 8 Key but that has already been answered elsewhere.
The second part is if I do the free upgrade to Windows 10 from Windows 8.1, can I use the old Windows 8 Licence in a VM Guest or on another PC? Or is that against Microsoft's licencing laws?
Thanks in advance
Zac Austin
Posted 2015-12-22T10:52:43.833
Reputation: 115
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I'm suspicious it would not activate correctly, as the Windows 8 key is likely in your UEFI and tied to the hardware. The virtual machine will report different hardware.
This should answer your question regarding licencing
https://www.microsoft.com/OEM/en/Pages/support-faq.aspx#fbid=NGO47IauTWg
Q. Can I install OEM software on a virtual machine (VMware)?
A. You can install OEM software in a virtual environment as long as you have a separate license for each instance of the software. It is fine to use the OEM version as long as it is properly licensed. To be clear, a separate version of the software must be installed for both the “standard” and “virtual” installations.
As your licence is now 'activated' for Windows 10, it would be against the licence.
Jonno
Posted 2015-12-22T10:52:43.833
Reputation: 18 756
Interested why this attracted a down vote? – Jonno – 2015-12-22T13:15:24.943
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No. It won't activate. You can use it to install Win8.1, but you'll need to activate online, and that's where it'll be rejected. The key is marked at MS as "used".
Dr.Ping
Posted 2015-12-22T10:52:43.833
Reputation: 159
The W8 key is absorbed into the w10 upgrade, so no, but you can go back to W8 on the original pc if you decide later. – Moab – 2015-12-22T15:45:06.230