- Hello dear administrators! Question: how to find out the OEM key licensed Windows 8.1 laptop if not on it hard drive? Or in other words, how to find out the Windows 8.1 key sewn into laptop BIOS? My problem is that my HDD and I bought a new one, now I want to install on it the previously preinstalled Windows 8.1 Single Language (For one language) store, but I'm afraid that the system is not automatically activated during installation. I read on the Internet that with the help of some programs you can find out the Windows 8.1 key,“sewn” into the BIOS of the laptop and this key is saved in any case, for the entire life of the laptop.
- Hi admin! I bought a laptop a year ago, then Windows 8 was installed on it, which I immediately demolished and installed Windows 7, but now I’m thinking of returning Windows 8 back, but I don’t know license key can i see it somewhere? The Windows key used to be printed on the bottom of the laptop, but now it's not there.
How to find out the OEM key of a licensed Windows 8.1 laptop if it does not have a hard drive. Or in other words, how to find out the Windows 8.1 key "embedded" in the laptop's BIOS
Hello friends! With the advent of laptops preinstalled with Windows 8, Windows 8.1 and UEFI BIOS, Microsoft has changed the rules for distributing licensed copies of Windows, now the license key of the operating system is no longer on the sticker located on the bottom of the laptop, from now on the key is "sewn" in text form into the ACPI MSD table of the BIOS of the laptop. What to do, these are the new rules and according to them, ordinary user it is not necessary to know the key of the operating system installed on his laptop.
Despite this, you can view the contents of the ACPI tables and find out the Windows 8.1 key in BIOS using various utilities: RWEverything, OemKey, ShowKeyPlus, ProduKey. If your laptop boots up, then these utilities can be run directly in a running Windows and no matter which one this moment you have an operating system installed: Windows 7 or Windows 10, regardless of this, any of the programs I have listed consider the Windows 8.1 key from the BIOS.
You can also find out the key if there is no hard drive on the laptop at all, in which case we will have to boot the laptop from bootable flash drive Live CD AOMEI PE Builder, this flash drive contains all the programs I mentioned, in today's article I will show you how to create such a flash drive.
- Note: If you look at the question from the other side, then it is not necessary for an ordinary user to recognize the Windows 8.1 key sewn into the BIOS of a laptop, and that's why. The fact is that when installing on a laptop exactly the version of the operating system that was preinstalled on it from the store (in most Windows cases 8.1 Single Language), the key will be substituted during the installation of the system automatically and you will not need to enter anything. In other words, to know the key prescribed in the ACPI MSD table of the laptop BIOS is not needed under any circumstances, even if you replace the hard drive on the laptop. I wrote about all this with details in this.
For example, let's take a laptop with Windows 8.1 preinstalled from the store, delete everything from the hard drive and install another Windows 10 operating system, and then run our utilities and find out the Win 8.1 key registered in the BIOS.
Download all programs in one archive on my cloud storage.
So, we look at the Windows 8.1 key registered in the BIOS with the programs: ShowKeyPlus, OemKey, RWEverything, ProduKey.
First in line program ShowKeyPlus
The program displays detailed information.
product name(The version of the operating system currently installed on the laptop) - Windows 10 Single Language (For one language).
Product ID : Product ID .
Installed Key: Key installed now on Windows laptop 10 Single Language.
OEM Key: TO key from Windows 8.1, prescribed into the ACPI MSD table of the laptop BIOS (what we need is the key embedded in the BIOS).
OEM Edition: Operating system version ( Windows 8.1 Single Language) pre-installed by the laptop manufacturer. It is for this version that the key is suitable ( OEM Key) and it will be substituted automatically during the installation of the system, that is, you do not have to enter it.
OEM Key Program
Shows only the key Windows 8.1 sewn into the BIOS of the laptop.
Go to the program folder and run the executable file rw.exe.
Click on the button ACPI.
Click on the MSDM button and see the Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 key.
Already familiar to you from our previous articles, the ProduKey program will also cope with the task of determining the key of a laptop sewn into the BIOS.
The utility shows two keys, the first one is the OEM key registered to the ACPI MSD table of the laptop BIOS, and the second, the key of the currently installed Windows 10.
How to find out the OEM key of a licensed Windows 8.1 laptop if it does not have a hard drive?
Create a bootable USB flash drive Live CD AOMEI PE Builder
Friends, in this case, we need to boot the laptop from a bootable USB flash drive Live CD AOMEI PE Builder. Download the flash drive image on my cloud storage.
After download ISO image and run the program, it is for her that we will create a bootable USB flash drive.
In the main window of the WinSetupFromUSB program, select our flash drive (be careful, all data on the flash drive will be deleted).
Put a tick in the box Auto format it with FBinst and tick FAT32.
Check the box Vista/7/8/Server 2008/2012 based ISO and click on the button on the right to open the explorer window.
Explorer opens, find the Live CD AOMEI PE Builder ISO image, select it with the left mouse button and click "Open".
- Hello dear administrators! Question: how to find out the OEM key of a licensed Windows 8.1 laptop if it does not have a hard drive? Or in other words, how to find out the Windows 8.1 key embedded in the laptop's BIOS? My problem is that my hard drive failed and I bought a new one, now I want to install on it the Windows 8.1 Single Language pre-installed from the store, but I'm afraid that the system is not automatically activated during installation. I read on the Internet that with the help of some programs you can find out the Windows 8.1 key,“sewn” into the BIOS of the laptop and this key is saved in any case, for the entire life of the laptop.
- Hi admin! I bought a laptop a year ago, then Windows 8 was installed on it, which I immediately demolished and installed Windows 7, but now I’m thinking of returning Windows 8 back, but I don’t know the license key, can I see it somewhere? The Windows key used to be printed on the bottom of the laptop, but now it's not there.
How to find out the OEM key of a licensed Windows 8.1 laptop if it does not have a hard drive. Or in other words, how to find out the Windows 8.1 key "embedded" in the laptop's BIOS
Hello friends! With the advent of laptops with pre-installed Windows 8, Windows 8.1 and UEFI BIOS, Microsoft has changed the rules for distributing licensed copies of Windows, now the license key of the operating system is no longer on the sticker located on the bottom of the laptop, from now on the key is “sewn” in text form into the ACPI MSD BIOS table laptop. What to do, these are the new rules, and according to them, it is not necessary for an ordinary user to know the key of the operating system installed on his laptop.
Despite this, you can view the contents of the ACPI tables and find out the Windows 8.1 key in BIOS using various utilities: RWEverything, OemKey, ShowKeyPlus, ProduKey. If your laptop boots up, then these utilities can be run directly in running Windows and it doesn’t matter which operating system you currently have installed: Windows 7 or Windows 10, regardless of this, any of the programs I have listed consider the Windows 8.1 key from BIOS.
You can also find out the key if the laptop does not have a hard drive at all, in which case we will have to boot the laptop from the bootable Live CD AOMEI PE Builder flash drive, this flash drive contains all the programs I mentioned, in today's article I will show you how to create such a flash drive.
- Note: If you look at the question from the other side, then it is not necessary for an ordinary user to recognize the Windows 8.1 key sewn into the BIOS of a laptop, and that's why. The fact is that when installing on a laptop exactly the version of the operating system that was preinstalled on it from the store (in most cases, Windows 8.1 Single Language), the key will be substituted during system installation automatically and you will not need to enter anything. In other words, to know the key prescribed in the ACPI MSD table of the laptop BIOS is not needed under any circumstances, even if you replace the hard drive on the laptop. I wrote about all this with details in this.
For example, let's take a laptop with Windows 8.1 preinstalled from the store, delete everything from the hard drive and install another Windows 10 operating system, and then run our utilities and find out the Win 8.1 key registered in the BIOS.
Download all programs in one archive on my cloud storage.
So, we look at the Windows 8.1 key registered in the BIOS with the programs: ShowKeyPlus, OemKey, RWEverything, ProduKey.
First in line program ShowKeyPlus
The program displays detailed information.
product name(The version of the operating system currently installed on the laptop) - Windows 10 Single Language (For one language).
Product ID : Product ID .
Installed Key A: The key is currently installed on a Windows 10 Single Language laptop.
OEM Key: TO key from Windows 8.1, prescribed into the ACPI MSD table of the laptop BIOS (what we need is the key embedded in the BIOS).
OEM Edition: Operating system version ( Windows 8.1 Single Language) pre-installed by the laptop manufacturer. It is for this version that the key is suitable ( OEM Key) and it will be substituted automatically during the installation of the system, that is, you do not have to enter it.
OEM Key Program
Shows only the key Windows 8.1 sewn into the BIOS of the laptop.
Go to the program folder and run the executable file rw.exe.
Click on the button ACPI.
Click on the MSDM button and see the Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 key.
Already familiar to you from our previous articles, the ProduKey program will also cope with the task of determining the key of a laptop sewn into the BIOS.
The utility shows two keys, the first one is the OEM key registered to the ACPI MSD table of the laptop BIOS, and the second, the key of the currently installed Windows 10.
How to find out the OEM key of a licensed Windows 8.1 laptop if it does not have a hard drive?
Create a bootable USB flash drive Live CD AOMEI PE Builder
Friends, in this case, we need to boot the laptop from a bootable USB flash drive Live CD AOMEI PE Builder. Download the flash drive image on my cloud storage.
After downloading the ISO image, run the program, it is for her that we will create a bootable USB flash drive.
In the main window of the WinSetupFromUSB program, select our flash drive (be careful, all data on the flash drive will be deleted).
Put a tick in the box Auto format it with FBinst and tick FAT32.
Check the box Vista/7/8/Server 2008/2012 based ISO and click on the button on the right to open the explorer window.
Explorer opens, find the Live CD AOMEI PE Builder ISO image, select it with the left mouse button and click "Open".
A very standard and common situation is pushing many to read this material: I once bought a laptop with a licensed operating system installed. Windows system 7 or 8. After a certain time due to the need pen Windows installation or for any other reason, you need an activation key, which was indicated on the sticker, which is located on the bottom of the laptop, but over the months and years of operation of the laptop, it has long been erased or completely peeled off. How to be?
If your PC is running Windows with an activated license key, then "getting" it from the operating system will not be difficult. If by icon My computer right click and open Properties, then below we will see only code of product, not the activation key itself. It is also important to distinguish between what you need to get - just the code that was listed on a special sticker or the code for Windows 8, which is in the BIOS of the computer.
Screenshot of "My Computer" properties
For Win8 from BIOS using RWEverything
To extract the OEM license key Windows 8 from the BIOS of a laptop or desktop computer, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with - in it we looked at how to use the program to get the Win8 key from a new type of BIOS: UEFI. This method is also relevant for those who are trying to restore the key if another OS was installed instead of licensed Windows 8 "from the store".
Screenshot of RWEverything
Windows activation key in AIDA64
If you need an activation key for an installed and running system, you can use the already familiar program for a complete PC diagnostic - - go, get acquainted, download and install. Then run the program and open the tab operating system . In chapter License Information in field Product key and the required activation code for Windows will be indicated.
Screenshot of the AIDA64 program
In AIDA64, as well as in RWEverything, you can see the key sewn into the BIOS. To do this, go to the tab Motherboard, then ACPI. In chapter Table Description find MSDM and in the field SLS Data the 25-character Windows activation code we need will be registered.
Screen AIDA64
Finding an activation key via KeyFinder
A simple utility from Magical Jelly Bean. This small program does not take up much space and gives out only the bare minimum of information, but that is exactly what we need. You can download KeyFinder from here (the official website of the developers), it is available in two versions - the free one is enough for us. Download, install, run. In the left window, select the software for which you need to find out the activation key - in this case, we are interested in Windows 7 Home Premium. CD Key and there is the desired code.
Screenshot Key Finder
Instead of a conclusion
This list could be continued indefinitely, since there are at least a dozen more popular utilities for solving the same problem, but I think that the set provided will be enough for you. Found on the Internet and various scripts that use VBScript or PowerShell to extract keys without installation extra programs. Everyone chooses the method that is more convenient for him.
Every day, more and more people buy new PCs and laptops with Windows 8 preinstalled. And if earlier on the bottom of the laptop or the back of the PC case you could find a sticker that indicated the serial number of your system, then starting from 8 th version, Microsoft simply puts a sticker stating that this is the "fair" version.
OEM Windows version 8 is now bound to the BIOS and hardware your system. Microsoft provided only an update to the operating system, and, as usual, they forgot about the convenience of the user who decided from scratch.
Indeed, in the case of installing Windows on a blank disk, we will definitely need an OS key. Of course, you can search the network for a cracked key or some kind of its generator. But why? After all, we have already paid for our version by purchasing a new computer!
How to find out your Windows 8 license key?
In this case, it may come to the rescue special program key finder. You can download it from this link. By and large, we are completely satisfied with its free version. Free version supports 64-bit versions, and in addition, the program is able to open us Windows 7 license key And licensed Office key 2010 .
So, back to the program itself. To install it, you must have administrator rights. The installation itself does not cause any problems.
After installation, we just have to run the program and record the provided Windows 8 license key, and if our system has Microsoft Office 2010, then its license key.
Along with the program, a stripped-down version of a completely meaningless free program designed to accelerate Windows work. We see no point in installing it. Of the 35 errors found in the system, she offered to fix 7 for free, and demanded money for fixing the remaining errors. We simply do not see any point in such programs, especially since in the coming days on our website you will find an overview of several really good programs designed to service your system.
After working with the Key Finder program, you can safely proceed to. After all, now we know its license key.
Any system must be licensed and have some identifier pointing to this license. Software Windows software- a paid solution, which means that when buying online or on a disk, you will always have a product key. Some are wondering how to find out the Windows 7, 8 or 10 key. For which case it is up to you to decide, the main thing is that here you will find many options on how to perform this procedure.
One good option to find out the Windows 8 license key is to download the RWEEverything utility. Download from this site - http://rweverything.com/download.
So, the procedure for finding information about the license key may be needed in the following cases:
- When the system is damaged to such an extent that the option to fix the problem is to reinstall the system.
- The drive where Windows is installed is formatted.
#1 way to find the key
In almost every laptop with an OS system, that is, there is no DOS, while it is licensed, there is a key wired into the BIOS. That is, it is an activation key for OEM systems. This is found in both Windows 7 and Windows 10. There should also be a sticker on the bottom of the device that contains the product key and a couple of irrelevant information. When download clean system desired edition (for example, Home), you can enter this key, thereby activating it.
#2 method to find system key
- Run Rw.exe
- In the window we find the tab ACPI, and in another window go to the tab MSDM. Finding a line Data where your license key will be written.
In this section, we use the program again, but with a different one. The previous one is also suitable for any system.
The program is called Product Key Viewer and you can download it from this resource:.
Why two keys in a laptop
All laptops you purchase online or in a brick and mortar store come pre-installed with OEM versions. The system can be anything. The OEM version is pre-installed on Windows computer A that uses special 2-key mapping authentication.
Initially, the key embedded in the BIOS is checked, further than the 25-digit license key already in the system, the so-called OEM certificate is also required to activate the system.
When you start reinstalling Windows 10 and activation starts, Microsoft servers will start matching these keys, 1st and 2nd license. Provided that both keys are related to Windows 10 Home for one language, then the activation will be successful (For an example, I indicated the tenth version of Home).
In order to check the Windows key, just download the ShowKeyPlus utility. It is free and there is no need to install it, and after opening you will immediately see the necessary data.
You will see the system name, product code, the key itself, and a second key for the OEM system.
Free PC Audit
Another tool that will help you learn about the Windows key on any computer. It is similar to the other tools we have reviewed. Download from here, run it and go to the "System" tab. On the left we are looking for the section " Windows product key". And in the right part of the window, the information we need is displayed.
How to find out the Windows key using Speccy and AIDA64
So, here we got to one of my favorite utilities, with the help of which I look at information about the system and components called. It also has an option to check the Windows key. All you need to do is go to the "Operating System" tab and on the right you will see the line "Product Key".
The second similar tool is this. Also go to the "Operating System" tab, which is there on the right. Find the line " Serial number". That's the whole process.
I don't think anyone would want to bother with typing a script when there are such simple methods as described above. But I still, just in case, I will indicate this method.
Below is a script that runs as a file with a VBS extension. Let's consider this option.
Open a standard notepad and paste this content into it:
Set WshShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
regKey = "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\"
DigitalProductId = WshShell.RegRead(regKey & "DigitalProductId")
Win8ProductName = "Windows Product Name: " & WshShell.RegRead(regKey & "ProductName") & vbNewLine
Win8ProductID = "Windows Product ID: " & WshShell.RegRead(regKey & "ProductID") & vbNewLine
Win8ProductKey = ConvertToKey(DigitalProductId)
strProductKey = "Windows Key: " & Win8ProductKey
Win8ProductID = Win8ProductName & Win8ProductID & strProductKey
MsgBox(Win8ProductKey)
MsgBox(Win8ProductID)
Function ConvertToKey(regKey)
Const KeyOffset = 52
isWin8 = (regKey(66) \ 6) And 1
regKey(66) = (regKey(66) And &HF7) Or ((isWin8 And 2) * 4)
Chars = "BCDFGHJKMPQRTVWXY2346789"
Cur = regKey(y + KeyOffset) + Cur
regKey(y + KeyOffset) = (Cur \ 24)
Cur = Cur Mod 24
Loop While y >= 0
winKeyOutput = Mid(Chars, Cur + 1, 1) & winKeyOutput
Loop While j >= 0
If (is Win8 = 1) Then
keypart1 = Mid(winKeyOutput, 2, Last)
winKeyOutput = Replace(winKeyOutput, keypart1, keypart1 & insert, 2, 1, 0)
If Last = 0 Then winKeyOutput = insert & winKeyOutput
a = Mid(winKeyOutput, 1, 5)
b = Mid(winKeyOutput, 6, 5)
c = Mid(winKeyOutput, 11, 5)
d = Mid(winKeyOutput, 16, 5)
e = Mid(winKeyOutput, 21, 5)
ConvertToKey = a & "-" & b & "-" & c & "-" & d & "-" & e
The file must not be saved with a text extension, such as ".txt". You must click the "File" button, select the "Save as" option and write some name in Latin, adding the VBS postscript. In other words, the title might be:
SIW program
The last section of the article. We use the SIW program. You just need to download it, run it and go to the left tab " Licenses».
Why are other characters displayed instead of a normal key
Sometimes, when trying to find out the Windows 7, 8, 10 key of a laptop or other device, a situation occurs when characters appear that are completely unrelated to the key. Typically, such systems are activated by the so-called MAK and VLK, and they are usually not saved. Such keys are not registered on the PC, but are located on Microsoft servers.
Another similar case may occur when changing components, so remember, maybe you recently changed your system board or some other component.
Now you know how to find out windows key 7, 8, 10 with different software and even by means of the system itself.
