Windows 10: My Product Key

I have hit another roadblock in my marathon two-day attempt to restore the laptop that Windows 10 destroyed. I do not have the product key for the device, so cannot even revert to Windows 8.1. The product key is not shown in the Amazon purchase listing for the device, and I long ago lost the paperwork. Is there any way I can look it up (keeping in mind of course that the device itself is utterly unusable in its current state)?

:)

 

i dint know my product key plz tell my product key for activation windows10

You don't need a key to activate windows if the device was previously activated. The hardware is registered with MS servers.

If Windows 10 was pre-installed on the device you can use

wmic path SoftwareLicensingService get OA3xOriginalProductKey (and press return) in a Command Prompt (admin) to find the embedded key.

If you are installing Windows 10 for the first time you need to buy a licence key.

 

i dint know my product key plz tell my product key for activation windows10

When you upgraded from a previous version of Windows or receive a new computer preinstalled with Windows 10, what happened is the hardware (your PC) will get a digital entitlement, where a unique signature of the computer will be stored on Microsoft
Activation Servers. The Windows 7 or Windows 8 genuine license you were previously running will be exchanged for a diagnostics key.

Anytime you need to reinstall Windows 10 on that machine, just proceed to reinstall Windows 10. It will automatically reactivate.
You will prompted to enter a product key a couple times through the installation, click I don't have a key and Do this later.

There is no need to know or get a new key, but if you have issues with Digital Licensing or the Activation Troubleshooter, you can utilize an existing Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1 product key
you already ownto reactivate if necessary. or use the reset function in Windows 10.

Windows 8.0, Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 came preinstalled on my computer, how do I find the product key?

Press Windows key + X

Click Command Prompt (admin)

Enter the following command:

wmic path SoftwareLicensingService get OA3xOriginalProductKey

Hit Enter

The product key will be revealed, copy the product key then enter it

Click Start > Settings > Update & security
> Activation > Change the product key then enter the new product key then click
Next to Activate

If you are unable to activate Windows 10 after all the above and you are certain you have the correct edition installed, then please attempt phone activation:

Activate Your Windows 10 License via Microsoft Chat Support

Windows 7 came preinstalled on my computer, how do I find the product key?

The product key is usually located on the COA sticker attached to the bottom of your laptop or in the battery compartment. In some rare cases it can also be found in the memory compartment. For tower systems, look at the top or the side of the system unit. It
looks like the following:





If the Certificate of Authenticity (COA) sticker is damaged or letters or not legible, you will have to consider the following options:

• Use a digital camera to capture a picture of the COA then enlarge it on your computer.
  

• If the COA sticker is damaged, then you would need to use the recovery partition to reinstall Windows 7, this will exempt the need to use the product key to activate your Windows 7 installation.

• If your recovery partition is not available or damaged, you should
  contact the manufacturer of your computer and request a recovery disc set you can use to reinstall Windows 7. They might charge a small shipping and handling fee. This will exempt the need to use the product key also.

• If none of the above options work or is not available, then its best you purchase a new Windows 10 license:
  

Buy Windows 10 Home/Pro

I bought a retail box copy of Windows 7 or Windows 8 or Windows 8.1; where do I find the product key?


For Windows 7, the product key can be located on a pamphlet in inside the Windows 7 box.



For Windows 8 or Windows 8.1, the product key can found on a small business size card inside the Windows 8 box.

 

If it doesn't have a key on the bottom, then it is stored in the BIOS. If you install Windows 10 or 8.1, the license will be picked up during the install.

Windows 10 doesn't destroy computers. You likely had issues or incompatibilities, so the upgrade didn't get applied properly. Most of us would tell you that a clean install of 10 fixes all of that. But, if you must roll back, a clean install of 8.1 should do the same.

 

It is demanding a product code before installing. It will not allow me to install without a product code.

And I must beg to differ. I had a perfectly usable laptop until Microsoft delivered its latest Windows 10 update. Now it does not even boot up. Microsoft broke my computer.

 

I am really hoping we don't have to rehash this yet again. To understand the industry and technology is to understand why it isn't Microsoft's fault. Besides, using common sense, if Windows 10 was at fault, we would all have issues. Instead, I, as are many others, are rolling out Windows 10 on a corporate scale because of how well it works.

As for your issue, you may be trying to install a different version than what you are licensed for, ie, Home vs Pro. If you have that correct, then you need to check the computer, such as underneath the battery on a laptop for a COA sticker.

 

You can create a bootable USB, DVD or CD of Kyhi's recovery drive:
Windows 10 Recovery Tools - Bootable Rescue Disk - Windows 10 Forums

Boot the computer from that and it contains Superfly's Showkey Plus utility which will display any product keys stored in bios/UEFI and what version of Windows the product key is for:
Showkey - Windows 10 Forums

 

As mentioned, use showkey to determine what version of Windows your OEM key is for, then download the correct install media. The most likely reason your getting prompted for a key is your trying to install the wrong version. Home Single Language when it should be Home or vise versa. The download listed as just "Windows 10" in the Media Creation Tool is multi edition and can install Home or Pro. Many people when looking for 10 Home, download the 10 Home Single language version, that version will not accept 10 Home keys.

 

Not really true. It will ask for a key if it can't find one. I always get asked to enter key as I don't have one stored in BIOS. If you install in a VM with no key in BIOS it will also always ask you to enter a key. If it can find a key in BIOS it will automatically use it - it will therefore install Home if that is what you had on Windows 8 for example even if you have subsequently upgraded to 10 Pro.

If you have previously installed and activated Windows 10 then just click on "I don't have a key" and it will activate when it connects to the internet. If you install the wrong version and click on "I don't have a key" then it will not activate and you'll have to re-install using the correct installation media.

 

True, and a valid point, that is a posibility. But from what I see in the first post, the PC came with Windows 8.1 preinstalled. Odds are it has an OEM embedded key. showkey will confirm that if so.

 

AFAIK, a key is not needed - it should give the option for Home or Pro at first - if an OEM key is not detected - once the edition is selected it's default key will be used. I will need to test this theory tho'...

 

Yeah, if you click the "I don't have a key", may not be the exact wording, something like that, you will then be asked to select the edition to install. I'm pretty sure it asks for the key first though? Not 100% sure though. I hardly ever do stock installs these days. Not on my on PC's anyway.