Windows 10: Find Product Key in Windows 10

I will let you know once I get my part and give it a try . I will be kind of shock if it works on a none legit windows version . Whether if this person in this other forum was telling the truth time will tell when I try

 

Thanks, as i saw the service did collect hardware info, made me wonder.

 

Hi,
Regarding the activating with the key that you can get from windows 10 through key finder software - I have done this. In fact, despite what I have read in several places now that when reinstalling on the same hardware you do not need a key I was required to enter a key when I did a fresh install on my Lenovo laptop (fresh install after an upgrade).
I used ShowKeyPlus and Produkey and they showed me a key which I wrote down in case I ever needed it. When I tried to reinstall I needed it.

What has now confused me is that when I looked up my product key on this machine (Asus desktop) it is the exact same as the key I was shown on my laptop.

 

Hello Wil, and welcome to Ten Forums.

That would just be a generic key you see that was used to install Windows 10 with.

Are you sure your PC is activated? This key can't activate.

Instead the free Windows 10 activation is registered on Microsoft activation servers for you PC when you had upgraded to the free 10 on an activated 7/8.1.

 

It was my laptop that I did the fresh install on. That was where I had to input this key. As far as I know it is activated, no problems yet at least and it says "Windows is activated" in System.
I had upgraded it from win7 to 10.
My biggest concern was that I might run into problems since both my desktop and laptop had the same key. But from what I am hearing I guess not.

 

So I should be able to pop in a new ssd into my laptop and boot from a USB that has a copy of windows 10 and it'd activate it automatically? I have windows 10 home right now, but its on a slow hard drive

 

Hello Lysias,

Only if you had already "upgraded" to the free Windows 10 Home from an activated Windows 7/8.1 on that PC first. This way the activation will be registered at Microsoft for the PC for the free Windows 10.

Otherwise, no. You would need to do the above.

 

Major problem
I recently upgraded from windows 8.1 to windows 10 legit version of 8.1
I wanted to get rid of all the bloat and start fresh, I used the product key to retrieve my activated windows 10 key I assumed that it was correct.
I then installed and formatted my drive and I am unable to proceed past the part for key entry to proceed?

 

Hello bruteforce, and welcome to Ten Forums. *Smile

When doing a clean install for the free Windows 10, you would want to "Skip" entering the product key number during Windows Setup to have it activated. The activation of the free Windows 10 on your PC is registered on Microsoft activation servers, and will automatically activate when installation is complete.

https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/1...n-install.html

 

I guess that would explain why both my Win 10 Pros have the same "key". One was an upgrade from 7 and the other from 8.1 on the same PC.

 

That would have come in handy on the second remote case I have here when swapping out the old memory and seeing the activate in 3 days reappear for a day or so. I removed the 4gb of Mushkin Enhanced for the new 8gb of Kingston Hyper X Fury and watched as 10 reactivated itself automatically being a minor hardware change while if this had been a recent install of 7 as seen once before I would have had to call into MS to have the previous version reactivated!

When running the tool be sure to use the save option a few times one in a local folder outside the usual found in the Windows.old users, Program Files, Program Files(x86) as well as on a separate drive if you have one! You could even print it out for safe keeping if you should end up needing to repair or replace the existing 10 install sometime later and after next July! Good for the long term haul! *Biggrin

 

The OEM key seems to be useless as it can be used on only the original computer, and we're unable to use the OEM key to activate Windows installed on another computer. The OEM key is embedded in the UEFI/BIOS firmware so we will also never lost it. When you perform a reset/refresh/reinstall, Windows will automatically detects and uses the OEM key embedded in UEFI/BIOS. Is it correct?

 

Hello Joya, *Smile

Unless the PC came preinstalled with Windows 10, the OEM key in UEFI firmware chip will not be used.

The information in the blue note box at the top of the tutorial on the first page and below can help with activation.

Activate Windows 10

 

Hi When I used ShowKey Plus, My installed key shows up as BBBBB all the way. What does that mean?

 

Hello blackbirdabhi, *Smile

If this is for a free Windows 10, then you will not have a product key available for it.

Instead, the PC gets registered on Microsoft activation servers with a digital entitlement to activate Windows 10 with.