Windows 8 Developer Preview Product Keys

The Windows 8 Developer Preview has been out for some days now. If you have been living under a rock, you may be interesting in our Windows 8 screenshots tour for a visual impression of the operating system, Jason’s first impressions of Windows 8, a list of mouse and keyboard shortcuts, Windows 8 Download links and Mike’s take on Windows 8.

If you have already installed the operating system, you’d probably noticed that the installation is straightforward and fast. Windows 8 users who try and reinstall the operating system or use the new reset feature to reset it may be in for a surprise, as they may be asked to enter a product key for the operating system to proceed with the installation.

The problem here is that Microsoft has not officially published a product key for the OS. A forum thread at the Microsoft Developer Network forum has the answer. A user is asking Microsoft there about the product key that needs to be entered during reinstallation of Windows 8.

Microsoft responds with the following answer:

If you need to reinstall Windows Developer Preview or use the Reset functionality, you might be asked to enter this product key:
6RH4V-HNTWC-JQKG8-RFR3R-36498
If you’re running a server version of Windows Developer Preview, you can use this product key:
4Y8N3-H7MMW-C76VJ-YD3XV-MBDKV
Note: These product keys are only for use with the Windows Developer Preview version of Windows 8.

Both the Windows 8 product key and the Windows 8 Server product key are mentioned in the answer.

Users who encounter similar difficulties can use those product keys to reinstall or reset the Windows 8 developer preview.