How do find the key for Windows 10 ? (Resolved)

[Pardus]

My laptop came with Windows 10 Home out of the box, when the screen died I sent it into SquareTrade for warranty repair. Upon receiving the laptop back, it seems to have been reformatted and reinstalled with Windows 7 Home version. Unfortunately, Windows will not activate and I don't want to use Windows 7.

After speaking to a rep at SquareTrade, they said all I need to do was download the Home image and reinstall the operating system to have Windows self-activate. The problem is Windows installation is asking me for the product id key before it will continue to install process.

I know the key from Dell is embedded into the bios, no sticker is on the laptop anywhere. How do I figure out what the key is or retrieve it so I can properly install the right version of Windows 10. The laptop's recovery image was also wiped out and did not come with an operating system on any physical media.

Anyone know how to locate the embedded key ?

 

[corkyg]

Call Dell and get it.

 

[JackMDS]

Use the Generic Key to install Win 10.

Then, the MS Win 10 Activation Sever would probably recognize your Computer and would Activate it.

https://winaero.com/blog/generic-key-to-install-windows-10-rtm/

 

[PliotronX]

Did you use the media creation tool to grab the image? There is a small print link to skip entering the key.. Last I knew as of a week ago anyway. Is this booting from the disc or running from the windows 7 installation?

 

[Pardus]

Used the media creation tool and the generic key, still didn't activate. Will have to call Dell.

 

[mikeymikec]

NB: You don't need to use the generic key. Just click the option that says you don't have one, then pick the correct version of Win10, and it'll sort out the product key and activate itself.

 

[bruceb]

Some good information is here (long article, about 4 pages or so)
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us...y/33f31475-93b3-4d1c-812f-4b21fbd807a7?auth=1

 

[mxnerd]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3Apbh1QuNE

 

[Elixer]

Used the media creation tool and the generic key, still didn't activate. Will have to call Dell.

If it was activated in win 10 before, then it should activate again automagically.
Contacting Dell won't do anything, since there are no more keys to give.

The only time you would have a key is, if you updated from 7 or 8 to win 10.

 

[Puffnstuff]

Yes the automatic activation when you perform a clean install of a previously activated system is a real boon simplifying the process.

 

[edcoolio]

NB: You don't need to use the generic key. Just click the option that says you don't have one, then pick the correct version of Win10, and it'll sort out the product key and activate itself.

I would only add that, hopefully, you "registered" the device by using the Microsoft login account rather than a local account.

It typically eliminates any mistakes and speeds up the process of the Microsoft servers granting you a valid digital activation / license.

 

[mikeymikec]

I've re-read the OP. If the computer originally shipped with Win10 and considering it was from Dell, then the product key is extremely likely (in my experience) to be embedded in the BIOS. Therefore when you install Win10 it won't ask for a product key (because it retrieves the embedded one automatically), and will activate without any problems.

However, reading the rest of the OP's posts on this thread, it seems to me that they didn't send you the laptop you originally sent back, it seems to me that they've sent you a different one (or possibly a different board), which doesn't have an embedded key (or for some bizarre reason they nuked the embedded key during a .... screen repair?). IMO take this up with SquareTrade. Why on earth did it come back with a different OS when all they had to do was a screen repair? Did they warn you this would happen?

 

[bruceb]

One thing the OP can do is to make sure he has the latest BIOS from Dell. Maybe even reflash it. And also be sure he used the correct version of Windows 10 (Home or Pro, etc) to match what the computer originally came with. He can go to dell.com (support section) and enter his Service Tag .. There is an option there to see the Original Configuration. That will tell for sure if he should have Win 10 and which version. I am betting when the motherboard was replaced, it has an older BIOS and the idiot repair shop did not check to see if Win 10 properly activated or if the BIOS was at the latest version.

 

[Thebobo]

Look under the doormat?








Sorry ~

 

[Puffnstuff]

The problem is Windows installation is asking me for the product id key before it will continue to install process.

You can install 10 without entering a key and once online it will automatically reactivate itself.

Used the media creation tool and the generic key, still didn't activate. Will have to call Dell.

Don't use any key and allow the system to reactivate automatically.

the product key is extremely likely (in my experience) to be embedded in the BIOS.

You might try looking in the battery compartment for the key.

I have reinstalled 10 multiple times on several machines and once 10 is activated the first time on that hardware you never have to reenter a key ever again when clean installing it. Always skip the question when it asks you to enter a key during the installation process.

 

[JackMDS]

In the last few months I upgraded numerous amount of Win 10 Pro from v1607 to v1703.

I downloaded an ISO made a Bootable USB and run it. All the computer were Activated under 1607.
About 30% of the computers did not activated immediately. I was too busy and let it go for few days. Surprisingly all of them after after 2-3 days Activated themselves with no intervention.

My guess would that there is also a factor of MS Activation server that suffers from periodical "Hickups".

 

[Puffnstuff]

Surprisingly all of them after after 2-3 days Activated themselves with no intervention.

I remember when 10 first debuted and we had to hit the activation button repeatedly to force it to finish the process activating the OS.

 

[Kaido]

I've re-read the OP. If the computer originally shipped with Win10 and considering it was from Dell, then the product key is extremely likely (in my experience) to be embedded in the BIOS. Therefore when you install Win10 it won't ask for a product key (because it retrieves the embedded one automatically), and will activate without any problems.

However, reading the rest of the OP's posts on this thread, it seems to me that they didn't send you the laptop you originally sent back, it seems to me that they've sent you a different one (or possibly a different board), which doesn't have an embedded key (or for some bizarre reason they nuked the embedded key during a .... screen repair?). IMO take this up with SquareTrade. Why on earth did it come back with a different OS when all they had to do was a screen repair? Did they warn you this would happen?

That would be my guess as well - once Win10 is activated against your hardware, they store that profile in the cloud so that it auto-activates it after a reinstall. I've probably done it hundreds of times at this point.

An easy workaround is to install Windows 7 Home using the special Dell disc, then do the Windows 10 upgrade (still available here), and then it will be activated against OP's current hardware setup. From there, you can do a system reset to wipe out the old Windows 7 files, or just do a fresh install of Windows 10 & it will activate just fine. Of course, that's assuming the laptop originally shipped with Windows 7 from Dell, which would have the pre-authorized key in the BIOS.

http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/19/drivers/osiso/recoverytool

http://www.dell.com/support/article...d-use-the-dell-windows-recovery-image?lang=en

 

[Pardus]

SquareTrade said during the screen repair process, the hard drive failed diagnostic testing and they decided to replace it since it was already there. When I asked why did they install Win 7 instead of what the laptop had originally, the only answer was someone will get back to you in a few days with that response.

When someone did get back to me, was told to visit a website called Windows ISO Downloader which let me download the correct iso image for my machine, did a clean install from USB, and unfortunately, Windows did not activate.

Updated the BIOS as BruceB mentioned. Spoke to Dell who did a remote connect, all they did was check drivers and install some testing software. They had no idea why the activation failed and passed the buck to Microsoft. So after going back and forth with SquareTrade and Dell and getting nowhere, my next call was to the Windows activation hotline where some computer robot voice had me and a long string of numbers and gave me back another long set of numbers that activated Windows.

 

[Puffnstuff]

That's odd. I've changed drives out on a previously activated windows 10 machine and when it came back up it activated just fine.