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10148
October 11th, 2019 13:00
Windows 8 Product Key missing from bios
This is on an XPS 8700 purchased a few years ago.
It came with Windows 8, followed by the free upgrade to Windows 10.
Windows 10 recently stopped working. Typical solutions failed. I had an iso backup, and installed that.
Everything is working as it should but I have a watermark floating above everything on my screen saying "activate windows", but windows activation fails.
According to Microsoft, I need the Windows-8 key in order for Windows 10 to be activated.
To retrieve the Windows-8 key, I used this command
wmic path SoftwareLicensingService get OA3xOriginalProductKey
in "powershell (Admin)", (so at a command prompt).
It returned with "OA3xOriginalProductKey". and that's it. No product key was listed.
So it appears as if the windows 8 product key that was "injected" into the motherboard is not there.
The motherboard is the original. I made no hardware changes immediately prior to this problem occurring.
Is there a way to get the product key from Dell, without paying $100 just for the privilege of talking with them?
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Vic384
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October 11th, 2019 16:00
If the Windows 8 key is in the BIOS/UEFI you could try this: https://salamspotcom.blogspot.com/2018/03/3-ways-to-extract-windows-8-10-product.html
Vic384
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October 11th, 2019 14:00
Since you had upgraded to Windows 10, Windows should have been activated with a digital license linked to your Microsoft account. See this: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/12440/windows-10-activate
You can also go to All Settings / Update & Security / Activation to get more information about activation.
Brett2424
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October 11th, 2019 14:00
Yes it should have. But it didn't. According to Microsoft, the activation of Windows 10 is dependent on the Windows-8 key stored on the motherboard. Since there is no Windows-8 key on the motherboard, Windows 10 will not activate.
Thanks for the link, and other information, but I've been trying to find the solution to this for a couple days now, and I had already been to that (useless-to-me) web web page, and I'm very (much too) familiar with the activation screen.
I could find nothing anywhere about my specific situation.
Brett2424
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October 11th, 2019 15:00
Yes. I tried ProduKey. It showed no Windows-8 key. It did show a Windows-10 key, but I was told by a Microsoft representative that it was a generic key that cannot be used to activate the product.
Vic384
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October 11th, 2019 15:00
Have you tried to retrieve the OEM key with software like the program ShowKeyPlus? Or NirSoft's ProduKey?
Brett2424
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October 11th, 2019 16:00
Vic384, you did it. Thank you.
I used ShowKeyPlus, and that revealed the original key. Then I was able to activate Windows 10.
The annoying watermark is gone.
Thank you again.
Brett
Vic384
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October 11th, 2019 17:00
Glad I could help.