Windows 8 w/Media Center suddenly says it's not activated? Can't activate??

While playing a game mid-lunch break, my technet (retail) copy of windows 8 with a purchased media center upgrade key (which was all activated and working properly) suddenly brings up the Activation screen as if it's not activated...? Why did

this happen? Office did the same thing when I re-launched it. Office activated with the same key without a problem, however Windows won't activate now.

When I try to enter my media center product key or technet product key it fails. It is very uninformative in the error. When I try to purchase a new key it tells me I can't in my country.

When I use the slui 3 command and put my product key in that way, it tells me my technet key isn't the right version and that I need to enter a key for win8 pro w/media center. So I enter my media center key and it tells me I can't enter an upgrade

key, it needs the full version! What the heck??

When I use slmgr.vbs -ipk &ltmedia center upgrade key&gt it gives me 0xC004F061 and tells me to run slui 0x2a 0xc004f061 which tells me: &quotThe Software Licensing Service determined that this specified product key can only be used for upgrading,

not for clean installations.&quot

When I run slui 4, it doesn't let me pick a country or such to activate by phone - it only lists this:

http://imgur.com/8DnxEDI

It says to contact via phone to activate... so I click the link, which doesn't take me to a list of phone numbers. After some digging I found this:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/950929?seamId=100100626&ampmodalityType=2

That tells me to go to &quotChange PC Settings&quot and going to active and then activate by phone - but my screen is already asking for a product key, and there is no activate by phone option! SLUI 4 doesn't give me a phone option... What can I

do to rescue my OS.

When I enter slmgr.vbs -upk it tells me: Error: product key not found.

*sighs*

Just when windows 8 started to grow on me... THIS happens. WTH??

Anyone have some advice?

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