lost windows 10 product key

Question

my dell xps 8910 desktop was having problems with outlook so i decided to use restore point to turn back my computer till outlook was working.
i ran the system restore but it froze recreating the registry. After leaving it 24 hours i eventually turned off the pc.
then when i switched on the pc it tried to do automatic repair which did not work.
i eventually found a dell repair tool on my computer which got it up and running.
the problem i have now is that windows 10 is not activated as it is looking for a product key.
windows 10 was pre installed on the machine when i bought it from dell i have no disks
I cannot find any key info on my invoice, computer case or the box the computer came in
I am finding it impossible to find a contact e mail or phone number for dell
I am concerned apart from not being able to access the windows apps i do not think i will get updates.
how do i get around this problem
Thanks
Dave

redxps630 · Answer

If you log in Windows using your Microsoft Account credentials there is a good chance it will activate Windows for you.

you do not have a retail Win 10 prod key. you have a Dell oem key (I think aka volume license key) when you bought the pc from Dell.

redxps630 · Answer

The command 'wmic path SoftwareLicensingService get OA3xOriginalProductKey' can be used to retrieve the original product key for a Windows system even before activation, allowing you to see the product key associated with your Windows installation through the command prompt, accessing information from the 'SoftwareLicensingService' WMI class to get the 'OA3xOriginalProductKey' property.  How to use: Open a command prompt as administrator.  Type the command: wmic path SoftwareLicensingService get OA3xOriginalProductKey  Press Enter, and the command will display the product key on the screen.  This Windows 10 Pro OEM key will be tied to your computer hardware (motherboard). Make sure you install the correct edition of Windows 10. If you installed a different edition of Windows, then the OEM key will not work.  to know which edition of Win 10 Dell shipped with your pc, use your service tag on Dell product support site to view original spec. When you’re installing Windows 10, make sure to select 'do not have a key'; you will enter the OEM product key later on after installing Windows.

dksmithuk · Answer

@redxps630​ i have tried that the screen just flashes and the command box disappears

dksmithuk · Answer

@redxps630​  i cannot see where to log in

redxps630 · Answer

have you tried MS account log in re: the screen just flashes and the command box disappears did you run command line as Administrator?

ann_droid · Answer

Hi Try WINKEY + R type    cmd.exe cd\ next try .......... C:\Windows\system32>wmic path softwarelicensingservice get OA3xOriginalProductKey OA3xOriginalProductKeyxxxxx-XXXXXX-22222-11111-XXXXXX

dksmithuk · Answer

still no luck unfortunately

ann_droid · Answer

https://www.magicaljellybean.com/keyfinder/

dksmithuk · Answer

Will this work with Windows 10 Pro OEM key on the  motherboard.

ann_droid · Answer

Hi Linuxsudo strings /sys/firmware/acpi/tables/MSDM | tail -1 CMDwmic path softwarelicensingservice get OA3xOriginalProductKey POWERSHELLpowershell '(Get-WmiObject -query ‘select * from SoftwareLicensingService’).OA3xOriginalProductKey' The Linux one would be via Live Distro that does not install, runs in RAM, like https://www.linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=316 Powershell, as Admin level may work.

ann_droid · Answer

Last resort is try slui 4 then telephone in to MS in whichever country is suitable.

redxps630 · Answer

for some reason slui 4 does not bring up any window for me.  I am using 22H2 installation media.  any idea why?

ann_droid · Answer

Sorry but no I have not a clue.

Windows General

lost windows 10 product key

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