How to bypass product key while installing Windows 8

Microsoft has released Windows 8 to MSDN/TechNet subscribers and few other channels starting from August 15th. Few weeks ago; I got lucky to lay hands on it and I noticed that Windows 8 doesn’t allow keyless installation, like Windows 7, by default.

But after doing some R&D I have found a way to bypass the product key wizard while performing the installation. And in this article, you’ll learn how to suppress product key prompt while installing Windows 8.

Note: The following method is effective, legal, and does not requires a lot of technical expertise.

Prerequisites:

• Windows 8 ISO
• WinRAR / WinZip or other ISO extracting tool
• Windows ADK (Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit)

How To:

1. First of all, Download and extract the ISO file of Windows 8 RTM version you own.
2. Open Notepad to create a file with following code structure and save as ei.cfg in Sources folder.
   

   [EditionID]
   {Edition ID}
   [Channel]
   {Channel Type}
   [VL]
   {Volume License}

   The edition configuration file (EI.cfg) determines which edition of Windows to install and which license to use during Windows Setup. Where {Edition ID} must be a valid Windows Edition ID such as Core, Professional and Enterprise. {Channel Type} can be OEM or Retail. {Volume License} can be 1 (True) or 0 (False).

   For example:
   [EditionID]
   Professional
   [Channel]
   Retail
   [VL]
   1

3. Now create the bootable ISO or USB stick and burn your product key prompt suppressed Windows 8 installation disc.

Posted in: Windows, Windows 8, Windows Tips and Tricks