Windows 10: Do Windows 10 OEM DVDs come with a separate key that can activate an installation or do I...

I'm building a PC as a gift and the end user would like to avoid any grey-market keys. The next best option I can think of is buying an OEM DVD from a retailer like Microcenter (buying a direct digital key from Microsoft is even more expensive). However, not only have I already installed Windows 10 Home on the machine, I don't have a DVD reader at all with which I could use the DVD. Is the key written down somewhere in the packaging or on the disc? Or do I have to use the disc to install if I want an activated installation?

Thanks in advance

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:)

 

activate windows 7 oem key

It came with my asus laptop. I looked the microsoft sticky below and it says windows home premium OA with an asus logo.

My mistake, I thougt this type of keys were called oem.

Actually the problem I have with my original recovery dvds is that I have the windows installation dvd but I missed the support/drivers dvd. And the recovery won't continue unless I put the support dvd during the process. So before contact asus to ask them for that disk and wait (and most probably pay for it) I got an original windows 7 disk and tried to put the key I have with my laptop. But that doesn't work.

About that xrm-ms, can it be somewhere in my installation dvd?

 

my windows 10 oem didn't come with a product key

no longer the case you can use a windows 7 SLP key on whatever so long as you install it with smgr ... I just used a sony 7 Home key off a dead laptop to activate a gateway AIO we had at work all I had todo was run slmgr -ipk and then slmgr /ato microsoft laxed the key requirements awhile ago now it no longer matters so long as you haven't burned through all the activations for said key
as for the windows 10 on dvd personally I have only seen preloaded usb sticks for sale I wasn't aware that newegg started stocking dvds again

 

my windows 10 oem didn't come with a product key

LOL yes they do. Legit OEM copies DO come with a key - on a sticker that you affix to the case. OEM and SLP (System Locked Preactivation) are NOT the same thing. SLP is what large OEMs like Dell, HP, etc do, where every system came out of the factory activated with the same "Manufacturer's Master" key in XP, Vista, and 7. Reinstalling with the factory image preserves this activation. However if you dig that key out with Magical Jellybean and try to do a clean install with it, activation will fail. That's why every machine that came out of a factory ALSO had a COA with a unique key. That is what you need to use for a clean install. Starting with 8, large OEMs began embedding the unique key into the BIOS, which is why they no longer come with a unique key sticker. However, you can still buy legit OEM versions of every version (the ones that small shops would use for their custom machines) - including 10 - which come with the sticker with a unique key.

The only differences between OEM and Retail versions is that the OEM version locks to the first motherboard it is activated on, while Retail can be moved to a different one. OEM also come with no support.