Windows 10: regarding blue screen after upgrade

Product Key is generally on the back of the laptop. If not, it may have been removed, in which case you are SOOL for that installation, you'll have to buy a new key and start all over. Sometimes MS reps will give you a new key when you call in.

 

Do we know if this system was upgraded from W7 or W8? Because if it was W8, then the key is stored in the BIOS, and a clean install would be easiest.

 

Hmmm, thought Windows 10 was eligible for activation via Digital Entitlement if the machine was upgraded to Windows 10 on a machine running a genuine copy of Windows 7 or 8/8.1?

I upgraded a Windows 7 machine not too long ago, and cannot remember having to use a key.
However, I do not remember what I did yesterday...*Confused

 

Correct, but XweAponX mentioned that the OP needed to find his original key. That's not necessary if it was a W8 machine as the original key is in the BIOS. The W10 installation will see that and install the proper version (Home or Pro) per that key. Also, if the machine had W10 installed and activated, you should be able to reinstall/clean install as often as you like/need, without a key, (whether it was a W7 or W8 originally), as the digital license resides on the MS servers. So, yes. the OP should be able to clean install, select "I don't have a key" if it presents itself, and the system should activate once it goes online (although some have said it takes a reboot or two). A key should not be necessary during install.

 

simrick,

Thanks, you have clarified the Key issue, whether upgraded from W7 or W8/8.1 *Smile

It is my understanding that, as you mention, this is the case:

 

Yes. Another thing you can do find out if the machine is registered to the owner's MS account, then if there are any activation problems, he has something to fall back on. There is an activation tool that can be run after the clean install:
How to re-activate Windows 10 after a hardware change | Windows Central
Of course, this won't work if the owner did not use an MS account on it already.

 

Now it's on this https://social.technet.microsoft.com...getfile/395547 screen. I don't think it passed the 25%.

I can suppose what option that was but I'm not completely sure. From this point, I want to be absolutely sure about what option or options I plan to try so I can at least be sure about what may not work. This way, I can obviously get closer to what could work.

I'd like for someone to persuade me to try a specific option. What I might do is shut it off to let it possibly physically cool down, and gather some information from the back of it in case that could be of help.

 

Windows Server 2012 R2? I thought W10 was on this thing?

 

The laptop is off now so below is information I just gathered about it. Some spaces were made for a possible trademark concern.

--------

DOL BY ADVAN CED AU DIO

-----------

in tel ins ide
CO RE i 5

----------

Aspi ire V 5

---------

in front of laptop straight above

and down, is what's in back of it

--------------

AN ATEL

N1 36

Bl uetooth

0741-12-6534
(barcode symbol)
(01)07898931331033

----------


Wind ows 8


----------------

A cer
A spire V5-571 ser ies
Model No. : MS2361
DC Rating : 19 V (and some symbol) 3.42A

A spire V5-571P-6604 MFG Date: 2013/01/11
S/N: NXM4AA031302098896600
barcode symbol
SNID: 30203904966

...

Maybe the product key is listed somewhere there, and it's there's certain letters grouped in front of it that I don't know mean it's the product key.

 

It was surely 8. What's a BIOS?

 

How exactly would I try this?

 

One of the problems is that the family member seemed certain that the installation completed, but the person was not specific enough about, and also even could have been mistaken. I have no clue if it was supposedly activated as well.

 

What I mean is that list of options was on the screen.

 

No, no key there. It's Windows 8 originally, so that key will be stored in the BIOS.

The Basic Input Output System, which the computer uses to talk to the operating system.

You would have to ask the owner of the machine, if they would normally log in using their Microsoft Account email and password. If so, then that machine is linked to their MS account, and if there are ever any problems with activation, this will help.

So do we know when or for how long W10 was working on the machine before it started having problems? I mean, did the problems start immediately after the upgrade, or after a Windows Update came through, or some other event (like an infection or specific program installation)?

Got it.

If we can not determine that W10 was installed and activated, maybe the best option would be to restore it to factory condition, grab the keycode and attempt to upgrade it again. Be advised that all personal data and programs will be lost doing this.

There should be a recovery partition on the hard drive which will do the restore operation; you access it this way:

• Turn on your computer, then press <Alt> + <F10> during startup to open Acer
  eRecovery Management.
• Click Restore Operating System to Factory Defaults.
• Click Next. Your hard drive’s original, factory-loaded contents will be recovered.

Make sure the machine is plugged in to the wall and not just running on battery when you do this. Once W8 is back on the machine, you will want to run ShowKeyPlus to grab the keycode. (Then you can proceed to upgrade to W10.) You shouldn't need the key for the upgrade if the system did indeed already upgrade successfully, but it's good to have just in case. I did run across one machine the other day that required a key for a clean installation, even though it had been running W10 for some months.

 

From what I recall there was definitely not an email account used to get the laptop on.

Based on the person's claim, it definitely upgraded to the 10 kind but unfortunately I don't have details. This happened right after the update.

What is a keycode, and how do you get it? Is it included on that list I provided? Can this be useful without a keycode if I don't have a way to find it? Maybe if I provide the information on that list to a worker in a company that's meant for the making of those specific laptops, that person can help me get the keycode.