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May 19th, 2015 12:00
Accidentally deleted everything - the whole OS
So while trying to dual boot, I mistakenly removed all other partitions and ended up overwriting everything with a linux. Finally eneded up also adding a temporary Windows 7. This laptop came with a pre-installed Windows 8, whose key I never noted. It is Dell Inspiron 15-3521. Is it still possible to get back that original Windows 8? And how?
Thanks
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theflash1932
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May 19th, 2015 13:00
The key is programmed into the BIOS. You can get it by querying the BIOS from Linux or using a utility like RWEverything in Windows.
* You should stay away from those linuxes ...
Philip_Yip
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May 19th, 2015 14:00
See here to download a Windows 8.1 .iso and prepare installation media, focusing on the Dell OEM license and the UEFI BIOS with SecureBoot:
http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/download-microsoft-windows-and-office/download-microsoft-windows/download-windows-8-1-retail-and-oem-iso/
A hint for the future, if testing Linux use a Virtual machine:
http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/installation-of-windows-and-linux-on-a-virtual-machine-using-vmware-player/