Windows 10: After a clean install, I can't use the product key that my laptop previously had.

My laptop was bought from a local computer store and has genuine license with bloatware from Acer. I cannot see the area where you can enter your product key. In relation to product keys, are windows computers nowadays use a specific email so that you can re-use the product key after doing a clean install? I thinking the reason why I can't enter the product key is because my wife may have been the one who setup the computer before. Thanks in advance for the tips and work arounds.

:)

 

Clean Install Workaround for Vista

You may remember this news story on techPowerUp! a couple of days ago relating to the lack of clean installs when using the Upgrade Editions of Vista, which required an old OS to be installed. However, Paul Thurrott has managed to find a workaround for this issue, which ironically lets users do a clean install Vista without any previous version of Windows, albeit a little tedious. Here are the steps:

• Boot from the Windows Vista Upgrade DVD as normal
• When prompted for a product code, leave this blank
• Select the version of Vista you have purchased and let Vista install
• When you boot to your desktop for the first time, run the Vista setup from Windows
• This time enter your product key
• When asked whether you want to do an Upgrade of Custom install, select custom and choose a clean install
• Windows will now install for a second time and you should be able to activate it

Remember, these steps are only advised for use in order to achieve a clean install of Vista, it is only legal to use the upgrade editions if you have previously purchased the appropriate version of Windows.

Source: DailyTech

 

Cleaning off a Mac Laptop

cleaning it?

Step 1: buy about a half gallon of gasoline.

Step 2: douse laptop in gasoline.

Step 3: toss a burning match onto laptop.

Step 4: watch the fire clense your laptop.

 

Windows 10 product key for a clean install

Similar problem. I have a Sony Vaio Multiflip with preinstalled Windows 8.1SL and did a clean install of Windows 10. I got the product key read from BIOS but appears to be useless since Windows 10 could not recognize either BIOS product key or the key I
typed in (read from BIOS previously).

I erased recovery partition on the laptop to save space too.

If MS could enable upgrade/clean install ISO that can read product key right from BIOS then it would be wonderful.