Windows 8.1 Download Free Full Version Key

When we download Windows 7 ISOs, we can install Windows without a product key. The installation will go through, and we will get a 30-day trial of the operating system. With the official Windows 8.1 ISOs, though, we can't skip entering the product key during the installation. Let's see how to bypass this restriction and install Windows 8.1 without a product key.

Unblock any international website, browse anonymously, and download movies and Mp3 with complete safety with CyberGhost, just for $2.75 per month:

Table of Contents

The Magic 'ei.cfg' file

We can somewhat understand Microsoft's point of view when they made the product key mandatory for a Windows 8.1 installation. It sort-of makes sense as an anti-piracy measure.

With the Windows 7 30-day trial, one could install Windows and have them for free. Then, once every new moon, they could format and reinstall Windows, and no one would be the wiser.

Also, one would need to have Windows installed if they wanted to run an activator, should they swing that way. So, Microsoft decided to cut the problem off at the root. Mandatory product key equals no trial, equals no activator. Makes sense, doesn't it?

And then, they made it easy to bypass this system. And, when we say 'easy,' we mean 'child's play' easy. That's Microsoft for you.

The only thing we need is to create a notepad file, on any version of Windows.

Inside, we copy and paste the following:

The only 'hard' part is that when we save the file, we don't leave the default 'Text documents' on 'Save as type.'

We select 'All Files' and type the name 'ei.cfg.'

The result is a file ei.cfg that has a type 'CFG File.'

We 're halfway there. With this ei.cfg file, we can Install Windows 8.1 without a product key.

We just need to get it in the Windows 8.1 installation medium. There is the easy way and the hard way to do so.

How to Install Windows 8.1 without a product key from USB

The fastest and easiest way to install Windows 8.1 without a product key is by creating a Windows installation USB drive.

We need to download a Windows 8.1 ISO from Microsoft if we haven't already. Then, we can use a 4GB or larger USB flash drive and an app, such as Rufus, to create a Windows 8.1 installation USB.

After that, it's just a matter of dragging our ei.cfg file and dropping it in the 'sources' folder in the USB.

That's it. Once ei.cfg is within the 'sources' folder...

...we can install Windows 8.1 without a product key. The Windows installer won't even ask for one; it will straight-up begin the installation.

The installation will ask for a product key after the first automatic reboot, but there will be a handy 'Skip' button.

Of course, Windows are not activated. We will need a valid product key for that.

How to Install Windows 8.1 without a product key from DVD

Sometimes, using a Windows installation USB isn't an option. Maybe we don't have a USB flash drive, or an old motherboard might not support boot from USB.

In this case, we need to edit the ISO file so we can add ei.cfg before we burn it on a disc.

For this, we will use the 30-day trial version of gBurner. It's one of the few free apps that can edit a 2GB+ ISO, no questions asked.

We will find the latest version at http://www.gburner.com/download.htm

Earlier versions of Gburner came with multiple unwanted third-party apps, such as Ad-Aware Web Companion

However, the current version as of this writing, gBurner 4.3, seems to be free of such shenanigans.

In any case, we should never blindingly click Next->Next->Next on any installer. Also, apps such as Unchecky can help to ensure a safe installation.

Finally, on the last screen after the installation, it's a good idea to uncheck the option to associate .iso files with gBurner, especially if we will only use it for the 30-day trial.

After gBurner starts, we select 'Continue Unregistered.'

We click the 'open' icon and select the Windows 8.1 ISO.

Once loaded, we select the 'sources' folder, click on 'Add' and choose the ei.cfg file.

After we make sure ei.cfg was added correctly in sources, we select File -> Save As...

It's a good idea to choose a different name for the ISO, so we will have the clean ISO as a backup, in case something went wrong.

And that's it. We can right-click on the new ISO, select 'Burn disk image' to burn it to a DVD, and we 're good to go.

You might have noticed that the new ISO is a bit smaller than the original, even though we added a file. Apparently, gBurner does some slight data compression during the ISO creation process.

This won't matter for the Windows Installation, though. Either if we burn this ISO to a disk or use it to install a Windows virtual machine, it will work just as well.

Did you have any trouble installing Windows 8.1 without a product key?

Did you have any problem with the above and couldn't install Windows 8.1 without a product key? Leave us a comment.

Support PCsteps

Do you want to support PCsteps, so we can post high quality articles throughout the week?

You can like our Facebook page, share this post with your friends, and select our affiliate links for your purchases on Amazon.com or Newegg.

If you prefer your purchases from China, we are affiliated with the largest international e-shops:

Windows 10’s free upgrade offer is over, according to Microsoft. But this isn’t completely true. There are a bunch of ways you can still upgrade to Windows 10 for free and get a legitimate license, or just install Windows 10 and use it for free.

There are a few ways you can still get Windows 10 for free, without using a pirated license: you can install Windows 10 with a 7 or 8 key, or install Windows without a key—it will work just fine, save for a small watermark reminding you to purchase a license.

Here’s how each of those methods work.

Provide a Windows 7, 8, or 8.1 Key

RELATED:You Can Still Get Windows 10 for Free With a Windows 7, 8, or 8.1 Key

While you can no longer use the “Get Windows 10” tool to upgrade from within Windows 7, 8, or 8.1, it is still possible to download Windows 10 installation media from Microsoft and then provide a Windows 7, 8, or 8.1 key when you install it. We tested this method once again on January 5, 2018, and it still works.

Windows will contact Microsoft’s activation servers and confirm the key to the previous version of Windows is real. If it is, Windows 10 will be installed and activated on your PC. Your PC acquires a “digital license” and you can continue using and reinstalling Windows 10 on it in the future. If you head to Settings > Update & security > Activation after installing Windows in this way, you’ll see the words “Windows is activated with a digital license”.

Microsoft hasn’t communicated what’s going on here, or whether it will block this method in the future. But it still works right now. Even if Microsoft blocks this trick in the future, your PC will keep its digital license and Windows 10 will remain activated.

Reinstall Windows 10 if You’ve Already Upgraded

RELATED:How to Use Your Free Windows 10 License After Changing Your PC’s Hardware

If you’ve taken advantage of any free upgrade offer–either the original free upgrade offer during the first year, the accessibility offer, or by installing Windows 10 and providing a key for an eligible previous version of Windows–you can continue to “get Windows 10 for free” on the same hardware.

To do this, just download the Windows 10 installation media and install it on that computer. Don’t provide any key during the installation process. It should automatically activate after it contacts Microsoft’s servers.

Sure, you can only do this if you’ve already upgraded to Windows 10, but you can continue to install Windows 10 for free on the same computer in the future–even if you replace its hard drive or other components. The new activation wizard in Windows 10’s Anniversary Update will even help you troubleshoot hardware changes and reassociate the digital license with the correct PC.

Skip the Key and Ignore the Activation Warnings

RELATED:You Don’t Need a Product Key to Install and Use Windows 10

Here’s the real secret: You don’t need to provide a product key to install Windows 10. You can download Windows 10 installation media from Microsoft and install it on a PC, in Boot Camp on a Mac, or in a virtual machine without providing a product key. Windows will continue to work normally and you can do practically whatever you want.

Windows 10 will keep nagging you to activate it and won’t allow you to change any of the options under Settings > Personalization, but otherwise work just fine. It’s not something you’d necessarily want to do on your main computer, but it’s a very convenient way to set up a quick virtual machine, test Windows 10 on a PC, or install Windows 10 in Boot Camp. You can even pay to upgrade to a legal, activated version of Windows 10 from within your unactivated Windows 10 system after installing it.

This isn’t technically allowed by Microsoft’s guidelines, but they’ve specifically designed Windows to work this way. If Microsoft doesn’t want people doing this, it’s free to change Windows to block this in the future–and it might. But Windows has worked this way for years. This was even possible with Windows 7.

You can also head to Microsoft’s website and download a 90-day evaluation version of Windows 10 Enterprise. It will continue working for 90 days–about three months. It’s designed for organizations to evaluate Windows 10 Enterprise.

This evaluation copy comes with the extra features built into Windows 10 Enterprise, so it’s also a convenient way to test these Enterprise features. However, you can upgrade any edition of Windows 10 to the Enterprise edition if you have a key.

Unfortunately, other free offers—like the Accessibility offer from Microsoft—are now over. But these methods should cover you pretty well.

Of course, you can also just buy a new PC that comes with Windows 10. It’s not really free because the manufacturer has to pay for the Windows license. But, if you’re looking to upgrade from Windows 7, 8, or 8.1, it makes a lot more sense to buy a new computer that comes with Windows 10 for a few hundred bucks rather than spend $120 on a Windows 10 Home license to upgrade an old PC. PC manufacturers get a good deal and pay less than normal Windows users do for those licenses.