My laptop came with Windows 10 last year. If I run this command "wmic path SoftwareLicensingService getOA3xOriginalProductKey" in the command prompt I see my serial key but none of the paperwork has any note of the key anywhere. If I download the bootable USB option from the windows 10 site, can I use this key to activate it again?
Windows 10 Key Query
- Thread starter muttclugg
- Start date
Soldato
Use Macrium Reflect to image the hard disk. If the key does not work, you can at least go back.
Soldato
- Joined
- 18 Oct 2002
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- 6,669
Pretty sure if it came with Win 10, it will be hardware-linked, so sort of a virtual key that you don't need to worry about.
I've done lots of fresh installs on Win 10 laptops and they never need a key.
During a recent re-install on a laptop that was originally Win 8, which I had probably done the free upgrade to Win 10, it asked for a licence key, which worried me slighty and I just clicked "activate later", but once I logged in to my MS account (after install), it seemd to activate OK.
I've done lots of fresh installs on Win 10 laptops and they never need a key.
During a recent re-install on a laptop that was originally Win 8, which I had probably done the free upgrade to Win 10, it asked for a licence key, which worried me slighty and I just clicked "activate later", but once I logged in to my MS account (after install), it seemd to activate OK.
As long as you've made no significant hardware changes then it will just activate automatically. If you have made significant hardware changes (motherboard and processor for example) then it may not activate automatically, but Microsoft Support can sort it out for you and activate manually if you explain that you've upgraded components.
Associate
You don't need the license key as it's embedded in the BIOS (which is why there is no paperwork with it included), as the windows 10 installation media will automatically pick up on that key and select the correct version of windows to be installed.