SOLVED Find Windows Key

[jimlau]

I'm having trouble with my main drive. It freezes. My other drive in my PC does boot. How can I find the product key on the freezing drive? Can i do it somehow from the other drive? Or can I only get it when that drive is the booted 1?

I'm assuming I need a fresh install.

Thanks

W10 Pro - Version 21H1 , Build 19043.1165

 

[Bighorn]

You don't need the Product Key as used on earlier versions of Windows, that was a change with Windows 8. I just changed out a bad 250GB HDD, put in a 500GB HDD in a Dell Latitude E6410 Notebook, it was cleaned from any software. I used the USB Thumb drive made using the MCT/Media Creation Tool process and deleted the partition on it [it was GPT but BIOS only MBR], installed Win10 Pro x64. Since it had previously had Win10 and was online the install picked up and activated the Digital License, no problem.

 

[ubuysa]

If your copy of Windows 10 is a retail copy then they key is on the box.

If your copy of Windows 10 is OEM then you don't have a key. There is a special code in the BIOS that is used on first activation.

In both cases, on first activation the key or code is checked and the hardware ID of your PC is logged in the Microsoft activation servers as having a valid license. If you later reinstall Windows, when it tries to activate it passes the hardware ID to the activation serves, they see that you have a license and Windows activates immediately.