Windows 8.1 Pro Final (6.3.9600)

Question

Have a clean installation of Windows 8.1 Pro final (volume) since released date. Meanwhile until now it still cannot activated via KMS server perhaps not injected yet, online activation also not work. Current license status is "notification". Is
this will still available and if have expiry, until when? Any article mention this?
As noticed that preview version will expired by 15th Jan 2014
manggar77

Answer 1

hi don,
thanks. but what i wan't to know is before
8.1 pro activated, how long it can be used?
manggar77
if it is a VL channel product, you are required by the terms of the license to activate it.
For VL channel products, there are some functional limitations and informational warnings and reminders applied if the product is not activated, but there is no other impact.
Evaluation channel product will periodically shut down. VL channel product will not shut down.
Regardless of the channel (OEM, Retail, VL, Eval) the license terms require that you activate.
MSDN and TechNet, which are for evaluation and/or development, generally the advice is not to activate if you will commence and conclude your evaluation/development in a short period.
This aspect is not documented in any license terms that I've ever found.
(edit: I found it documented here, as up to 120 days)
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd981009.aspx
(Note that this is written for Win7/WS2008R2, and Win8/WS2012 may be different)
(there is also a description of the behaviour if not activated, and grace period expires)
(Also note that this is a white paper, not a license agreement)
So, if you are asking "what am I permitted to do?", the answer is, to comply with the license terms, you are required to activate.
If you are asking "what is the technical or user experience if I do not activate?", this depends upon the channel of the media you used.
Does this help? Or have I misunderstood your question?
Don
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