This is a new early 2015 macbook pro retina display, purchased from an apple store while in the UK. The W8.1 was purchased from a UK online retailer.
I have had the language set to UK English and the keyboard to UK English in both the mac and the installed windows. I have reset to US in both and it made no difference. The windows repair package and the Bootcamp Assistant in any case provide software on-screen keyboards for inputting the key. Using these made no difference.
I have not re-mapped any keys.
The W8.1 supplier assures me that the keys supplied are valid and is now offering a refund. Fair enough, but clearly there is a bug stopping me from getting the key accepted online during installation.
Maybe W7 would work, but I somehow doubt it. I suspect a bug specific to this model of macbook :-(
Have you any further advice?
Thanks for this help so far, appreciated even tho we have not won yet!
Ah..ha! We win at last.
I think that all this hassle has been because I did not correctly reset the NVRAM. I did it again and the experience with the audible alerts was different and was more like the description.
The new key still did not work in the installed VL version (incompatibility with the pro version), but it did in the Windows recovery version from the USB. All up and running. Windows is now asking to install 96 updates - lol ! Parallels is working fine too.
Thanks a bunch
Dougyl
