How to extend the 90-day trial period of Windows 8 Enterprise (step-by-step)

If you're using the 90-day trial run of Windows 8 and you don't have the time to upgrade, then use these instructions to rearm and extend the trial period up to 270 days with simple commands.

Mauro Huculak @Pureinfotech

November 6, 2012

2016-05-02T07:57:02-04:00

Here is the thing, you’ve been testing the pre-releases of the new Microsoft’s operating system, then you moved to the 90-day trial of Windows 8 Enterprise final which is offered by the company for free.

Now if you are using the operating system in your main PC, you’ve got so used to it, you already made it your own and now all of a sudden, you noticed in the watermark in the bottom-right corner of the screen that Windows 8 is running out time. And worse, the Windows 8 Enterprise 90-day trial cannot be upgraded.

One solution for this is, of course, backup your data and make a clean install of the operating system, but if you don’t have the time, you can extend the trial period of Windows 8, and this guide we’ll show you how to do it:

How to extend the Windows 8 90-day trial period

To rearm the evaluation copy of Windows 8 pass the 90 days do the following:

While in the Windows Desktop, place the mouse pointer in the bottom-left corner of the screen, right-click and from the menu, click Command prompt (Admin).
Check the Windows 8 license information by typing the following and pressing Enter:
```
slmgr /dli
```
Use the following command to view even more details of the license:
```
slmgr /dlv
```
See the expiration date using the next command:
```
slmgr /xpr
```
Quick Tip: To use Windows 8 trial for the longest time, make sure you use these instructions close to the end of the trial. And remember you must complete activation before August 15, 2013, to use this evaluation.
To extend the Windows 8 license grace period simply use this command:
```
slmgr /rearm
```
Restart your computer to see the expiration date extended.

You can use the rearm command up to 3 times, which in theory will allow you to run Windows 8 for free for up to 270 days (almost a full year). Now you can enjoy Microsoft’s operating system for a bit longer, if you don’t have the time to do the work and upgrade.