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Let's say I have one of those Windows 8.1 Pro PCs that have the product key embedded in the BIOS. When you install Windows 10 to this, it will activate using that Windows 8.1 BIOS key.

However let's say I had a reason to use my own genuine Windows 10 Home (not pro) product key. I can go to Settings > Activation > Change Product Key and use the Win 10 key and it will say activation was successful.

However, running this wmic path softwarelicensingservice get OA3xOriginalProductKey shows the original Win 8.1 Pro embedded BIOS key even after a reboot. Also the System window shows the product key ending in -AAOEM which from my understanding means it is using the OEM embedded key.

I have tried completely reinstalling using the Win 10 ISO and their media creation tool. Windows 10 Home gets successfully installed and activates successfully, however always seemingly with the embedded BIOS product key and not the one I provided. However this may be just a misunderstanding on my part and I"m not 100% understanding that perhaps this is still being activated with my product key, but I can't see how I can tell. The "version" is successfully dowgraded from 8.1 PRO to 10 HOME by using the PID.txt method in the installation media.

Any ideas?

EDIT: This is unlike the suggested Possible Duplicate as in that thread, someone is trying to upgrade their overall edition, not downgrade. They are successfully activating but not with a new product key as I am trying to do.

vukos
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    The command you issue is specifically polling the ACPI table for the Windows license key. The "PID.txt" method is how you accomplish what you want. You can also configure the ISO to be a Retail channel since OEM licenses cannot activate Retail installations, you should be prompted for a license key during the installation process. This is the same method you use to make a Retail Windows 7 image work with an OEM license key just slightly modified. – Ramhound Jan 08 '19 at 13:00
  • @Ramhound The one thing I haven't tried is the [Retail] method, and I will do so shortly. Is there a concrete way you know of confirming that Windows is indeed activated with the Product Key I provided and not the BIOS one? I have been doing the PID.txt as I said and according to at least that CMD command I am running, and checking for the XXXX-AAOEM key in the System window, it appears the original embedded key is still being used – vukos Jan 08 '19 at 13:08
  • @Ramhound I attempted the Retail method and I was never prompted for a product key. I was prompted to choose my version though. Installation is currently proceeding but I highly suspect Windows will just activate with the BIOS product key again. For reference I have removed the previous PID.txt file and added the ei.cfg modified for Retail – vukos Jan 08 '19 at 13:19
  • @Ramhound Another update. I tried the Microsoft Genuine Advantage Diagnostic Tool and it shows my new Product Key with a status of Genuine. I suppose that means I'm ok? I will reinstall one more time and run this tool before and after applying my product key to see if there are differences. – vukos Jan 08 '19 at 13:36
  • You should verify the image you are using contains both Windows 10 Professional and Windows 10 Home, or in an ideal situation, it only contains Windows 10 Home. Personally, if you have already verified the tool indicates the correct key and the installation is activated, repeating the process isn't necessary. – Ramhound Jan 08 '19 at 13:49

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