Windows 10: looking for win 10 licence for used machine (and backups for hdd failure)

Recently the hard drive on my computer died, causing me to buy a replacement computer; this computer.


This is a refurbished computer that came with Windows 10. On the case is a sticker that says only "Windows 8 Pro" without any additional information (such as a product key)


I'm worried about what might happen should the hard drive die on this machine as well at some point.


As such, I have a number of questions.


1 - How do I find the product key for the original Windows 8 this computer came with. Is there any way to do so beyond looking at the case (IE can I do so somewhere within windows itself)


2 - How can I find the digital licence key that upgraded it to Windows 10. My activation screen tells me that it is linked to a Microsoft account; but is there any way to check to which Microsoft account it is linked? I have used my Microsoft account to log in to windows on this computer; is it now linked to mine?


3 - If it is linked to mine, what steps would I need to take should my hard drive die to get Windows 10 up and running on a new hard drive. If it is not linked to mine, how can I find what account it is linked to.


I do not have much, and this computer was bought with the help of friends. One of them is sending a SSD in the mail for me.


A - Can I do something to the SSD so that if my HDD dies, I can continue on with the SDD. If so, will it require me to "move" my windows to the SDD, meaning if that drive dies, I lose windows? Is there anything I can do to have two drives have windows so if one dies I can continue on the other?


B - Even if the answer to question A is not what I want to hear, can I migrate Windows to the SDD from the HDD without difficulty (if, due to the numbered questions, it turns out I don't have all the data I need)


Thank you for your help on this seemingly bizarre set of questions. As a bonus, is there any problem using Win 10 pro for home use? Most of the refurbish I've bought for home computer use (when the previous computer dies) have had "pro" or "business" versions of Windows, but I've never had problems in the past.

:)

 

HDD disappear when used

Hi,

Hardware failure or corruption within your system files are some of the possible reasons why you are experiencing an issue with using your SSD and HDD. For us to provide an accurate solution, we would need you to answer the following questions:

• Which build and edition of Windows 10?
• What changes were made to your device before this issue occurred?

In the meantime, we suggest running the automated troubleshooter for hardware. Follow these steps to do so:

• Open the Control Panel.
• Using the search box at the upper right corner of the window, type troubleshooting.
• From the search results, click on Troubleshooting.
• Click on Hardware and Sound and then choose Hardware and Devices.
• Once done, restart your computer and then check if the same issue persists.

We are looking forward to your response.

 

Copy/Clone of HDD used for Windows Backups


I use a 500 gb external HDD to store Windows backup files and System Images. I do a backup each morning. The 500gb external HDD stays connected to the computer and holds approximately 10 System Images in addition to the file backups


A few days ago, I used Macrium Reflect (MR) to make a clone of my 500 gb backup HDD. I wanted a backup of the backup to keep in a drawer.


Unfortunately, if I try to use the MR clone HDD to restore a System Image using Windows, Windows only lists the last System Image instead of the approximately 10 System Images that I know are on the cloned HDD. (Windows appears to be treating the cloned HDD like a network backup - listing only the last System Image).

I have not used MR to make backups. If I start using MR for backups, will I be able to clone the MR backup HDD and then store it in a drawer. If the answer is yes, will I be able to select System Images off of the clone when I try to use MR to restore a System Image off of the cloned HDD?

Thanks for any info or suggestions.

 

Copy/Clone of HDD used for Windows Backups

Why on earth did you try to clone a drive that contains image backups?

The image backups are compressed and all you had to do was to simply copy the backups from one drive to another using file explorer.