I recently nuked my harddrive and needed to reinstall Windows 7 on my machine. Unfortunately, I had lost my previous Windows 7 activation key and needed to get a brand new one. The fantastic thing is that i’ll still use Windows while i used to be waiting to get my key attributable to the 30 day trial period that each Windows installation has. i might be hosed if this scenario happened on Windows 8.

A report from Computer World confirms that Microsoft would be removing the 30 day activation period in Windows 8. The change comes from how Windows 8 handles activation wherein the important thing should be provided in the beginning of installation. Those buying a brand new PC pre-installed with Windows 8 won’t ought to worry about activation.

The change in activation directly applies to those that are upgrading from Windows 7 to eight. In the course of the initial installation, it’s going to first ask for the standard 25 alphanumeric code that came with the software. Failure to go into the code will stop the installation. Compared, Windows 7 asks for the activation key near the tip of installation. Users can skip this step and activate Windows at anytime in the course of the next 30 days.

So why did Microsoft change their policy- It will appear that they now not separate the operating systems when buying a retail version of Windows 8. Both regular Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro are at the same disc. The activation key initially determines which version to put in. It is sensible, but it surely still appears like a slap within the face for those people who depended on that free 30 day period greater than once.

Fortunately for brand spanking new PC buyers, you won’t ought to worry about activation in any respect. Windows 8 will activated on the factory and be ready to be used when it arrives in your doorstep. i might assume that new PCs would still include activation keys if you choose to reinstall Windows 8. Microsoft may also decide so you might have got to buy a brand new license in case you reinstall Windows 8.

As for Windows 8 Enterprise, it’s business as usual. Identical to its predecessor, it’ll ship with a Key Management Service that’s activated by the host machine.

It’s strange really Microsoft claims that Windows 8 is their most consumer friendly operating system yet. So far as usability goes, that could rather well be the case. It couldn’t be farther from the reality, however, in terms of consumer rights. The removal of the 30 day activation period is simply the most recent in a string of actions that sees consumers getting the shaft including desktop users being forced to apply the Windows 8 “Metro” UI or Microsoft blocking users from filing class action lawsuits.