Windows 10: Retrieving original activation key for windows

Hello!

I bought a demo-pc in 2014 that came with win8, but i was unable to log in as i did not have the password, so i flashed windows 10 insider build. But i am tired of all the bugs, so i want to get the regular windows 10 build now.

Does anyone know how i can do this? I do not know the serial key, but shouldn't it be embedded in the BIOS? The PC is an HP Envy touchsmart 14.

Can i just format, flash an win8 img, and then the PC will automatically retrieve the activation key by itself?

:)

 

Reverting to original license in windows 10

Windows 7 key is not embedded as win 8 is. He will need the original win 7 pro key since Enterprise is not actually activated. It cannot be activated without a volume license. Only windows 10 Pro was eligible to install on a win 7 pro computer. Enterprise
is not part of the free upgrade offer. The tech was wrong to have installed Enterprise.

The original Win 10 upgrade was never completely installed so there is no activated license to retrieve. If there is a sticker with the activation key on the computer, that can be used to activate Win 10 Pro.

 

Windows 10 pro restore to windows 10 home

Dear sir/madam,

I followed the steps that you kindly suggested. I found the "installed windows key" and the "original windows key". Then I pressed the "Change product key number" using the code of the "original windows key" in order to retrieve windows 10 home. Unfortunately
the system informed me that it is not a valid product key, code "0XC004F050".

Also, at the page of windows activation at my laptop, informs that the windows have been activated by digital licence connected to our Microsoft account.

As I mentioned earlier, we want to delete any connection of the laptop with our company Microsoft account.

 

Run Showkey Plus from this forum:
Showkey - Windows 10 Forums

 

Thanks, very helpful!

 

The latest RTM build of Windows 10 (build 10586 AKA the November update) should read the Windows 8 product key in bios and use that for activation, IF you install the same edition (IE: Home, Pro, N, Single Language - whatever matches the product key). If you start a clean install and the Windows 10 version you are installing matches the product key in bios it will not ask you for a product key or what version you want to install. So, if you get asked for a product key, you know you have the wrong version/edition of Windows 10 downloaded.

You can get Windows 8.1 from here, if you want to go back to 8.1:
Create installation media for Windows 8.1 - Windows Help

 

Thanks again. Only got two options when downloading, so i chose the non-N version of win 8.1. I guess it means i download the core version, wich is what i have a key for.

 

As long as it doesn't say Core Connected. That would be Windows with Bing, which you can't download from Microsoft. But Core Connected will upgrade to standard Windows 10 Home.

Also, if you mount the ISO file you downloaded in Windows 10 or Windows 8 - let's say you get a virtual drive letter of E:. In an elevated ("run as administrator") command prompt you can enter:

DISM /get-wiminfo /wimfile:E:\Sources\install.wim /index:1

and
DISM /get-wiminfo /wimfile:E:\Sources\install.wim /index:2

that will tell you the versions of Windows contained in the image that can be installed with it. E:\, obviously changes to whatever drive letter you got when you mounted the ISO file. Windows 8 and 10 typically only have two versions in each install file, but you can try index:3 and above and see if there are more included. Windows 7 will have like 6 different versions.

The above commands will also work after you have burned a USB flash drive or DVD from the ISO file or directly with the Media Creation Tool. Although - download an ISO file with Windows 10 Media Creation Tool and the install.wim file will be install.esd, just change the file name in the above commands to match it.

 

Just FYI, what is listed as "Windows 10" on the Media Creation Tool is multi edition. It can install Home or Pro. If an embedded key is detected it will auto match the edition and you won't be asked to select Home or Pro, or be asked for a product key. If no key is detected, or the key is for a version not supported by that ISO, you'll be prompted to select Home or Pro, and enter a key. For the current latest build anyway. Older builds would not use Windows 8/8.1 keys.