How to be disappointed in 5 easy steps (a Windows Upgrade Offer experience)

[francescob]

• Step 1: Buy an new, expensive Windows 7 Touchscreen PC as a replacement for your current PC knowing it will be upgradeable to Windows 8 (unfortunately the decent touch-screens are currently available only on all-in-one computers or I would have simply upgraded my current desktop computer)
  
• Step 2: Register on the Windows Upgrade Offer website and see your offer refused with no explanations whatsoever despite the machine being 100% qualified for the upgrade program (bought before February 2013, having at least Windows 7 Home Premium installed)
  
• Step 3: Enjoy contacting the Windows Store/Windows Upgrade Offer support that takes days to answer every e-mail (with no alternative since none of the local telephone numbers work)
  
• Step 4: After a week find out your offer was refused because the product key of your OEM computer wasn't activated
  
• Step 5: After an huge WTF moment realize that the product key couldn't have never been activated since it's an OEM machine (manufacturers activate their windows copies with a certificate stored in the BIOS, not by using every single product key located on the back of the machine) and that whoever designed the windows upgrade program apparently didn't even know how windows activations work
  

Of course it isn't over yet, now I'm supposed to call the windows phone activation service (with nobody mentioning that the code that service requires is only provided by unactivated Windows copies) and to start the whole process again. Oh, god...

Summary: Bought a touchscreen computer to run Windows 8, using it as a paperweight/dust magnet (I may even consider buying a few more to save on vacuum cleaning).

[Colin McGregor]

worked fine for me on my 3 yr old pc. I just lied about the date I bought the pc. I put September 2012 and it gave it to me for $14.

[DKAngel]

u do realise u can get an upgrade key with no hastle without doing any of that crap :p also not all oem keys are stored in the bios, mine certainly wasnt and is the sticker on the side of my pc :p

but i managed to purchase my upgrade via the upgrade assistant program, have you tried that? and i also did what the poster above me did and it didnt even ask me for my old key as i ran the assitant winthin windows 8 via windows 7 compatibility

[francescob]

worked fine for me on my 3 yr old pc. I just lied about the date I bought the pc. I put September 2012 and it gave it to me for $14.

I think it works differently if your manufacturer offers to pay back for the upgrade, for example my previous Lenovo AiO didn't ask for the product key, just the model name.

u do realise u can get an upgrade key with no hastle without doing any of that crap :p also not all oem keys are stored in the bios, mine certainly wasnt and is the sticker on the side of my pc :p

but i managed to purchase my upgrade via the upgrade assistant program, have you tried that? and i also did what the poster above me did and it didnt even ask me for my old key as i ran the assitant winthin windows 8 via windows 7 compatibility

All the keys (well, actually certificates) are stored in the bios if your computer is from a major manufacturer, they don't unbox every computer to activate it with each single key. The key you see on the side/bottom of the computer is provided to let you install a clean copy of windows and that's the reason why when you restore the OEM software on your desktop/notebook it never asks for keys or to activate but when you use a clean windows install it does.

The upgrade assistant didn't ask me for any key, it only directed me to the shop for which I needed the upgrade code for but unfortunately I still don't have one (I also have to buy with an upgrade code to have the manufacturer reimburse me of the upgrade).