Windows 10 key?

[ron350]

Is it posable to retrive a windows 10 key from a rebuilt computer?
I was told the hard drive has a bad section and needs to be replaced.

[dmill89]

There are several ways to get the key, but it shouldn't be necessary if the system was previously activated. If it was an OEM pre-built from a major manufacture (Dell, HP, Lenovo, Acer, Asus, etc.) they key should be "baked" into the firmware on the motherboard, if it was a "custom" build from a low-volume manufacture (or just someone else's build that was previously activated) activated with an OEM license, or a previously upgraded system, then a "digital-license" should be tied to the system ID (based on the motherboard) stored in Microsoft's database. Either way it should activate automatically after connecting to Microsoft's activation servers without the need for manually entering a key (if prompted on install just select the "I don't have a key" option and continue installation). If you replace the motherboard with one that doesn't have a key associated (one that never had an activated copy of windows installed on it) you'll generally need to buy a new key (or activate windows through "less official means") as only full retail copies of windows can be transferred to new hardware, OEM keys are locked to the "system" (motherboard) once activated.

https://www.howtogeek.com/660517/how...ommand-prompt/


https://www.techrepublic.com/article...0-product-key/


https://www.wikihow.com/Check-Your-Windows-Product-Key

[ron350]

Dmill thanks i will check those out.

[sam_sam_sam]

The only option that you have either you need a recovery disk for the computer in question or you need an install disk with a new product key otherwise you will end up with a pirate operating system and things do not go well with this type of install

This is the reason why I only deal with computers that I can get a factory recovery disk to bring it back to way it was from the factory this is for the best results

[R_J]

The windows 10 install likely has a digital license, any of the key readers will only give you the generic key for that version home,pro etc.. windows 10 iso's can be downloaded from microsoft for free. just skip past the key during the install and disconnect from the internet during install if you want to use a local accout and not a M$ account.
Like stated in #2, windows will activate when it connects to the activation server on line.

If you open a cmd prompt and type slmgr/dli it will give you the last part of the generic key

[ron350]

Ok in 2019 I followed instructions and made 2 recovery dvd's in case my hard drive died. If i install my new hard drive and use those recovery dvd's will win 10 then update to the latest version or will i be stuck with the 2019 version?

[R_J]

It will update just fine to the latest version

[ron350]

R_J thanks.

[dmill89]

The only option that you have either you need a recovery disk for the computer in question or you need an install disk with a new product key otherwise you will end up with a pirate operating system and things do not go well with this type of install

It isn't a "pirate" install as long as you have a legitimate license. Assuming you're doing a re-install on a system that already had a previous legitimate activated install of Windows 10 then it will have a license that is tied to the hardware not the installer.

I generally haven't had any issues re-installing Windows 10 using the generic Microsoft installer (either via the media creation tool on Microsoft's web site or from an ISO obtained from the Microsoft web site), nor did I have any issues installing with a Windows7/8 key prior to the cutoff of Microsoft allowing those "upgrades". Windows 10 is also pretty good about pulling in the drivers for at least semi-modern hardware (though I'd highly recommend getting the latest graphics driver from your GPU manufacture, especially if you have a dedicated GPU) as long as you have it connected to the internet, and anything made by a major OEM (Dell, Lenovo, HP, etc.) should have all the drivers on their web-site as long as the hardware "officially" supports that version of windows. Older versions of Windows (particularly pre-7) aren't as good with this and will require more manual effort to get the correct drivers, and of course hardware from "no-name" brands or defunct companies can also be much more difficult to source. Some much older versions of windows (i.e. Win-Me and Win 9x) did have keys tied to the install media (since this was the only validation prior to Microsoft going to online activation), but nothing semi-recent works like this (at least for "mainstream" windows, windows server can be a different story).


I've got mixed opinions about OEM restore disks (or images for newer systems), yes they offer the convenience of having all the correct drivers "baked into" the image, though many of these drivers are long out of date (as they will be whatever the system shipped with), and they often come loaded with a ton of bloatware ("consumer" system tend to be worse with this than those intended for business use).


My Lenovo T15g gen 2 is running an original OEM install image (since it is a fairly recent machine, and didn't have ton of bloatware, and it is actually a "factory downgrade" windows 10 install from a windows 11 license), but every other Windows 10 install I have is from the "generic" Microsoft installer (either a full custom build like my main desktop with a full standalone license and install CD, a OEM machine with a previous activated Windows 10 install that was wiped and reinstalled with generic media, or systems with Windows 7/8 keys that were "upgraded" with full fresh installs from generic media before Microsoft stopped allowing these "upgrades")