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I have a Sony Vaio Pro laptop that came preinstalled with Windows 8. I wiped the disk and now I don’t have the original system left any more. For my misfortune, the laptop didn’t have a Windows installation code with it. I didn’t even check that before removing Windows, because until now all the computers I’ve seen have had a code with them, either on a sticker on the bottom of the computer or in the manual.
I read that these computers have the code stored in their BIOS. I copied my Windows 8 installation disc contents to a USB. This disc is burnt from a ISO file that I got when I upgraded my Windows 7 to 8 via the Microsoft tool.
I changed the boot type from legacy to UEFI (Ubuntu didn’t like UEFI) and booted from the stick. It asked me the language and keyboard settings and then it asked to click the install button. Shortly it showed an alert message saying
The product key entered does not match any of the Windows images available for installation. Enter a different product key.
I tried searching with the error message and people suggested to override the key in BIOS by using a pid file, but that’s not possible in my case because I don’t have it.
How should I proceed?
MikkoP
Posted 2014-02-04T15:23:11.027
Reputation: 591
1You have to use the same OEM version of Windows 8 Sony used in the factory, not an upgrade version. That way the embedded key matches the version in the supplied install image. Did you try contacting Sony? They will probably send/sell you a set of disks that work properly. – Ƭᴇcʜιᴇ007 – 2014-02-04T15:28:27.313
@techie007 So you are saying there is no other way? Sony was unwilling to help with this. – MikkoP – 2014-02-04T15:32:46.890
Sony was unwilling to help? That's pretty unusual, since it's up to them to support their OEM install. What did they say when you asked them how to deal with this situation? – Ƭᴇcʜιᴇ007 – 2014-02-04T16:03:32.137
@techie007 They told me to call Microsoft and Microsoft said that I should call Sony. – MikkoP – 2014-02-04T16:05:39.317
try a gvlk in your unattend.xml, also specify which version to install in the XML http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj612867.aspx -- if that don't work, export the version you want into a new .wim file without the version that has the key in your bios.
– Knuckle-Dragger – 2014-02-04T16:18:19.367Export-WindowsImagecmdlet in powershell can help.@Knuckle-Dragger There is a unattend.dll but no XML file.
Export-WindowsImage.. doesn't this do what I already have, the installation file? I can't do this on the computer I want to use it on, because it doesn't have Windows any longer. – MikkoP – 2014-02-04T16:33:18.823I installed the machine with a trial code (or something) I found online. I went to the internet and found a tool that should be able to find the product key that is hidden in the machine. It found a key and I tried to activate with that, but if I enter that code in the code field, it hangs a while and then disappears. If I use something called MSDM key, it says the key is invalid. I used the tool in the end of this post: http://www.nextofwindows.com/how-to-retrieve-windows-8-oem-product-key-from-bios/
– MikkoP – 2014-02-04T18:23:39.737