Where to locate software Product Id Key

[Roger Beno]

Hello,

I purchased refurbished a Surface Pro 7 from Amazon. I have the original box it came in but not the Product Key for the software.

Under Settings, I can find a Device ID and Product ID numbers. How do you obtain the Product Key number for the software?

I believe a re-installation thumb drive requires a Product Key.

Thanks, Roger Beno

 

[Trouble]

I believe a re-installation thumb drive requires a Product Key.

Although I can't speak specifically for the Surface device, you probably won't need a product key.
It is likely either present on the system at the firmware level or else, as is the case often with Windows 10, maintained by Microsoft and linked to that particular device.

 

[Bighorn]

Just a note, yesterday I changed out a bad Win10 250GB HDD for a cleaned 500GB [no Operating System], booted the USB Thumb drive created by the MCT/Media Creation Tool process, had to delete the only partition on the drive then Win10 installed. As soon as it was finished and I went online the Activation picked up the previous Digital License from Microsoft, all taken care of. One of the notes on the install is to choose "I don't have a key", didn't need to anything else. Most all OEM computers from Win8 upward have the key embedded in a chip on the motherboard. Have never done a System Builder or Retail version since Win7 where a Product Key was needed.

 

[Tim Locke]

Same here. Replaced a Mobo and CPU and when I installed W10 fresh with no product key it automatically activated.

But. I do have 3 machines all activated and at least one is logged on using my MS account all the time...if that might make a difference.

 

[Bighorn]

As far as I've seen one can have up to 10 machines per account, I have 2 accounts, 1 Hotmail and got the second when Outlook.com came about and both were to merge, finally did after a few years and both go to https://outlook.live.com/owa/.

 

[Ben Myers]

See https://www.winhelponline.com/blog/view-your-product-key-windows-10-8-7-script/

Ben

 

[ubuysa]

With OEM version of Windows 10 there is no product key. The vendor stores some sort of authorisation code in the BIOS for first-time activation. On first-activation the Microsoft Activation Servers store your 'hardware ID' - made up of some combination of motherboard and CPU ids - as a licensed Windows 10 platform. You can reinstall Windows as many times as you like after that, at activation time the PC will send its 'hardware ID' to the Microsoft Activation Servers who will see it's a licensed platform and Windows will activate immediately.

You can also make any hardware changes you like, as long as you don't change the motherboard and/or the CPU, because then the 'hardware ID' will change.

To cater for that eventuality Microsoft allow you to associate your OEM license with your Microsoft login ID to create a 'digital license'. If you later change the motherboard or CPU (and thus your 'hardware ID') you can login with the Microsoft ID associated with your digital license and Windows will activate.

BTW. If you buy custom built you can also use the digital license to save having to buy a copy of Windows with your custom build. You simply install Windows, login with your Microsoft ID associated with your digital license from your old PC, and Windows will activate on the new one. The old PC of course can no longer legally run Windows.