Getting Past Product Key in Windows 8.1

With 8.1, it is now mandatory to enter a product key during installation. This requirement helps Setup determine the version of Windows to be installed onto the computing device. If, for whatever reason you wish to bypass this, there is a lengthy document over at Microsoft's TechNet titled "Windows Setup Edition Configuration and Product ID Files (EI.cfg and PID.txt)" that details the technique needed for the circumvention.

To accomplish this, navigate to \Sources folder on the installation medium (i.e. the flash drive containing the bootable 8.1 ISO) and create a file named "ei.cfg". This may be done with Notepad. Note that the file created by Notepad will be "efi.cfg.txt". Remove the .txt extension with File Explorer/ Manager.

Enter the following template.

[EditionID]
Professional
[Channel]
Retail
[VL]
0

Depending on the ISO in question, the tags may be set as:

• [EditionID] - Core, Enterprise or Professional (Leave [EditionID] empty if you prefer Setup to ask which edition you want installed)
• [Channel] - OEM or Retail
• [VL] - 0 or 1

Please note that this merely automates the product-key entry page in Windows Setup and does not activate Windows 8.1. The user is still required to activate Windows on a later date.