Windows 10 Torrent

I like torrents. If you get a torrent that's properly seeded, then they're super fast. Because today is release day speeds directly from Microsoft may be bad. I've decided to mirror the ISO for Windows 10 Professional on my 1Gbps seedbox for a day or two. Some things to remember:

• This is totally legal
• This is not pirating
• This version comes directly from Microsoft and is the newest possible version
• You still need to have a valid Windows 7/8 key to install and activate Windows 10
  • Need help finding your key? NirSoft can help.
• Jet fuel can't melt steel beams
• Mark Zuckerberg was created by the NSA
• If you want to request another version of Windows 10 (e.g. Windows 10 Home), I may be persuaded via PM
• I am fully willing to accept full frontal nudity in lieu of sweet-sweet karma
• ~~Hummus~~Baba ganoush tastes like a Vegan's asshole

Not in the USA?

/u/puggy-a reports that this ISO's version of Cortana does not work correctly if you're outside of the USA. Why? No idea--take it up with Microsoft. I'm trying to find some direct links to the audio packages now, and I'll include a link here if/when I find them.

Download

• The iso contains both the x86 and x86_64 versions. Wee!

Torrents are slow! Booo! (a.k.a speeds)

After about 22 hours of seeding, I removed the torrent from my seedbox to do a few other things. After I was done I decided to re-seed. I had to re-download. You glorious bastards were seeding at <strong>53.1MB/s</strong> (425 Mbps for those of you on --bps).

That's fast, baby.

Yep, Magical Jellybean Keyfinder.

Produkey is also good, as it's free version finds all versions of Office keys.

I prefer ProduKey instead; Magic Jelly Bean KeyFinder doesn't read BIOS keys, requires installation, and has been replaced by Recover Keys which cost $29.95. No thanks.

It works. You just need to get the key from the upgrade install and use that for the clean install.

You can use this program to get the key.

http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html

You can use something like NirSoft Produkey to get the BIOS key for Windows 8/8.1. If the laptop originally came with Windows 8, the 8.1 installer won't pick up the key automatically, and also won't accept this key during the initial install phase, but you can use it to activate Windows after it's been installed (assuming you installed the correct revision - core/pro).

If the drive is not completely failed, there is a possibility to turn it on for a minute and run software like ProduKey to retrieve the product key. Depending on how the drive failed, I have had friends freeze their drives to successfully retrieve a file or two.

Spiceworks is able to do that automatically. It will take some configuration to get it scanning properly, but then it will update automatically.

Failing that, going machine to machine with something like ProduKey and making a big spreadsheet as you go.

Yes, but from what I've read you first need a Windows 10 key so you first have to do an upgrade. Then once you have a key from Windows 10 (which you can save via Nirsoft's ProduKey tool: http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html) you can download/create an ISO to do a clean drive install.

Yup. I'm a fan of ProduKey, but alas it's utterly dead.

It doesn't always work with laptops, either, since they often seem to be installed with a volume/image key that doesn't match the sticker and usually can't be activated.

You can downgrade to 8.1 on the laptop. The installation ISO is freely available for download from Microsoft. For the actual install, you might need the product key, which you can probably grab using Produkey. Lmk if you have any troubles, or start a thread on /r/techsupport.

Edit: what's the deal with the desktop? You want to do the upgrade but it's not going through?

If you do not have the product key for your existing installation, download and run Produkey to extract it.

Download your current version of W7 from this link and do a fresh install on the SSD.

Check the bottom of the laptop for the key.

Alternatively, the key might still be somewhere on the computer. You could use Produkey to check for it, as seen in this guide.

Pull the harddrive, connect to another computer, run Produkey, and make sure to choose external Windows installs. It will populate with your product keys for any Windows products, save a copy.

When you're installing Windows make sure it is an OEM version and not an MSDN (that includes Digital River versions). All things aside, I'm really surprised you need to type in a product key, the key are tied motherboard and I haven't had to type one in since the Vista days.

It will be better if you reinstall the OS on the new SSD rather than cloning it. I give below the steps that you need to follow for the same. In case you want to clone it, let me know and I'll provide the details for the same.

1. Note down the product key of your existing W7 installation. In case you cannot find it, use produkey to extract it from your existing installation.

2. Download the W7 iso that you currently have installed from this link.

3. Burn the iso on a DVD or create a bootable USB.

4. Power off your computer, remove the HDD and plugin the SSD.

5. Change the boot order in BIOS or at startup, to boot from DVD/USB and install W7 on the SSD.

6. Install all drivers.

7. Power off the computer and connect the HDD to another SATA port.

8. Change the boot order in BIOS to boot from SSD.

9. You will need to reinstall all the programs that you currently have installed.

I provided a solution; I knew for a fact that there is software available but I didn't know the name off-hand and didn't care to leave my reddit app to find a link for someone else.

http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html

Have I met your comment standards now?

ProduKey is better, NirSoft makes awesome tools and doesn't try to sell you anything.

http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html

But if it's an OEM install of Windows 7, the entered product key is going to be a semi useless generic oem one.

Media created with this tool will most likely be more up-to-date than your disc. You'll need a USB flash drive since your laptop doesn't have a disc drive.

Since your laptop originally came with Windows 8 preinstalled, the key will be embedded in the BIOS and the Windows install should automatically find it. If you want to know the key anyway, you can use ProduKey.

To start fresh, after you boot to the USB select Custom Install and delete ALL the partitions on Drive 0 (don't delete the partition on the USB drive), then select the unallocated space as the install location for Windows and the installation will automatically create the necessary partitions. This method will get rid of HP bloatware, however you may need to visit HP.com in order to reinstall certain drivers.

You can use the Microsoft Media Creation Tool to get you ISO images or create bootable USB media for clean reinstalls.

Produkey can fetch you the product key for your current system, though if your system ID doesn't change, it should automatically activate. Better safe than sorry however.

I have been using a paid version of Acronis. Does Acronis trial allow you to clone?

For OP: If you have lost the W8 key, extract it by running produkey and keep it safely.

You can clone the existing HDD to the new drive. However since the installation is 6 years old and also becaue the HDD is failing, I would not recommend cloning. Go in for a fresh install of Windows.

You will be able to install the OS on a new drive or a system as long as you are only using it on one computer. However, ensure that you have the original windows key available with you. This is very very important.

In case you have misplaced it, this is the right time to extract it from the existing installation, before the HDD fails completely. Use Produkey to extract the same.

Use ProduKey to get the license key.

http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html

And then download a Win7 ISO (You can find the TechNet ones) and burn to disk and reinstall. Completely legal.

When you purchased your laptop, did you happen to log in with your Microsoft account at any point? With Windows 10, even if your product key is embedded, it will still be tied to your Microsoft account and will activate if you login (and obviously have internet connectivity).

Also, how did you reset your computer? If you created a bootable USB drive (with the same Windows 10 sku) and formatted, it should have automatically activated. If you reset it through ASUS' own recovery partition (if your computer has one) it should have restored your unit to an activated Windows 10 with all of the additional ASUS bloatware.

Have you tried third party tools to recovery your product key?

Try Nirsoft's ProduKey found here: >http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html#DownloadLinks

You shouldn't have to call Microsoft at all.

The key is on the COA sticker affixed to the side of the box or embedded into the BIOS/UEFI.

You can use this software to retrieve the key from the BIOS/UEFI: http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html

Your "product ID" is not your key; use ProduKey to view your current Windows key that should match your sticker.

OEM/system builder keys cannot be transferred to new hardware, thus you will need to purchase a new key.

How to obtain your Windows 10 license key

1. Upgrade your current windows to windows 10 through the automated upgrade thingy
2. Download ProduKey
3. Note down your Windows 10 product key

-- Optional

1. Download Windows media creation tool

2. Create a windows install media with the Windows of your liking (Your key only works for the version you got upgrade to, so Home or Pro)

3. Install a fresh copy of windows

First and foremost, you need to pull your Windows 10 product key. You can do it using an application called "Produkey".

http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html

Secondly, you need to download and burn the Windows 10 ISO from Microsoft.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

Lastly, you need to install it.

http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/software/operating-systems/1401617/how-to-clean-install-windows-10-and-create-boot-media

What version of Windows? Most(all?) Windows 8 machines have the Product Key saved to the BIOS on the motherboard. As long as you load the correct Windows version it should pull it automatically. For all other version you can use something like Produkey or BelArc Advisor to pull the product key from the registry before you wipe.

I've used ProduKey from NirSoft. Super lightweight and portable, great for customer machines on the bench and it does have remote capabilities as well.

http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html

If chntpw doesn't solve your problem (most like due to a bug in the latest version, which has been there for years or due to computer being in a domain) backup system32/sethc.exe and replace it with cmd.exe. Hit shift 5 times at the logon prompt and bam rootshell.

net user MyNewAccount password1234 /add
net localgroup Administrators MyNewAccount /add

bam new account with admin privileges

Or copy system32/config/SOFTWARE and extract the key with e.g. produkey

http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html This is the software I use to locate lost keys from customers computers. However if it's been formatted it's not possible to recover it. Customer has to contact Microsoft directly by verifying some information.

Don't know about 3s, but both 2s and 3 I own have the license key in the BIOS, and I didn't need to go through any activation process. On the first turning on, Windows went through initial setup (starting from language select), and after that booted ready to use.

Both 2s and 3 have special recovery partition to clean (re)install of the OEM Windows, with all the drivers included. But an attempt to install Windows from any other source would require a separate key.

You may try Product Key app, which should show you OEM BIOS key.

You can use this to get your Windows key:

http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html

Put a copy somewhere safe and give the Win10 upgrade a shot. I did it just a few months ago, and from what I've read it still works.

I recommend getting your Windows 10 key first. Use the program called ProduKey: http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html

Be prepared. Y'know?

Use Microsoft's Media Creation Tool to create a bootable flash drive that will install Windows on the SSD.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/15088/windows-10-create-installation-media

If the computer is recent the Windows product key should be stored in the computer. However I like to grab the license key just in case. This tool will help with that.

http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html

If the Media Creation Tool can't get the product key from the computer it will prompt you for it.

You won't need your product key unless you are changing your motherboard.

Activation is tied to your motherboard, so if you reinstall the same edition of Windows (Pro, Home, etc) it will activate automatically without needing any key.

If you must, you can retrieve your key using a tool like ProduKey or ShowKeyPlus

http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html

Windows 10 has a nifty option if you don't have anything super secret on it: https://www.laptopmag.com/g00/articles/reset-windows-10-pc?i10c.encReferrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8%3D&amp;i10c.ua=1

To get your key off, you can use NirSoft produkey: http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html

what i would suggest is to fetch your product key via prodkey http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html then boot off a usb if you want to go that route.

Ive restored many times due to wanting to keep my wacom product in tact but having a fresh install. I havent tried a complete format since a clean restore will bring all my wacom drivers to default and such. im not too sure if youll run into problems if you do a format.

That's insane they want that much for a copy of Windows on a USB stick. Especially when you can go to the MS website and download W10 for FREE. And, as you know, I posted the link in my post below. As for your product key, the one shown there MAY not be the one that is actual. Use a program, such as produkey to show the license. Compare it to the one shown in My Computer>Properties, as it may or may not be the same. The one produkey shows is the one you will need, if you need it.

Well you can use the Media Creation Tool to do a fresh install of Windows 10 through a USB thumb drive or burned DVD. You can also use it to try and do an upgrade, but that may give you the same error.

I would also check your motherboard product key with ProduKey, see if it exists: http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html or with this tool: https://neosmart.net/OemKey/

• Make sure you have a Microsoft account registered with your account on your Windows 10 installation and login using it. This should make sure your product key is backed up with Microsoft.

• Download and create Windows 10 Installation Media using the Media Creation Tool, ideally using a 4GB+ thumb drive: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

• Just to be doubly sure, backup your Product Key to a TXT file using ProduKey to the same thumb drive you used to create the installation media: http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html

• You may also want to backup your drivers, too, using DISM: http://theitbros.com/how-to-backup-and-restore-drivers-windows-10/ (saving them to the same thumb drive)

Alternatively you can try using a bootable environment like "Clonezilla" to clone the Windows 10 installation from your HDD to the SSD, but this will only work if the Windows partitions are as big or smaller than the SSD, and may involve fixing the boot records afterwards.

Right, the 8/8.1/10 COA is just a logo now for OEMs.

The keys instead are embedded in the BIOS and can be retrieved with produkey.

http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html

Install 10, specify you don't have a key, and get the network going. If it doesn't activate on it's own then use the 8/8.1 key retrieved via produkey.

8/8.1 should activate on their own using the embedded key otherwise the same method applies.

> (Speaking of which, I am pretty good at clean installing systems, except for one thing I don't understand...product keys. I don't get how if I wipe a system and reinstall windows how I can reactivate Windows with the key. I also don't know how to back up programs to move them to another computer when a customer upgrades)

What I use. I've only ever needed to use it for Office, but I imagine the Windows key it pulls would work too.

You can just use the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool to do a clean install of Windows 10 instead of trying to upgrade.

• You'll need a 4GB thumbdrive or writable DVD
• You'll need your old Windows 7 key to enter it during activation - if you can't find it anywhere such as an old retail box, on a sticker on your computer, or in paperwork then you can use a tool like this one to pull it from your system
• Skip the prompt to enter a Windows 10 key during installation
• Enter your old key after clean installing Windows 10 to get the free upgrade license

produkey will find and display keys from the registry, however if Office is asking for the key, there is a chance that the registry key that holds it was removed or overwritten during repair. You can try either way, it is a free download.

No. I think you can re-install and just skip activation when prompted, you'll automatically be activated. I stress "I think," because my case is different. I installed Windows 8.1, upgraded to 10, then did a refresh. Then a re-install, and it couldn't be activated. So I went back to 8.1, upgraded to 10, then re-installed, automatically activated. It's ridiculous. You should use Produkey to get your Windows 10 key before re-installing. This way you don't have to skip.

http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html

Are you currently on 8.1 or 10? If you're on a non-activated 10, reinstall 8 and do the upgrade again. Then use this tool to obtain your Windows 10 Free Upgrade key.

I'll make an addendum to the guide.

Just as an alternative, this one will grab your Windows 8 key from the BIOS. I haven't used Magical Jellybean in a while to know if it has that functionality, but this one works in a pinch.

http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html

Yes. It is stored in the registry (regardless of whether it is in the BIOS as well).

Should be trivial to extract.

Use this, http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html then select source and point it towards the Windows folder.

If it doesn't activate (it might not), you can call Microsoft and resolve the issue.

>So my plan is to put the drive into a second computer so I'm not using the OS on the dying drive and boot into safe mode to grab important irreplaceable files such as photos and artwork.

No need to boot in safe mode. Normal mode will work without issues.

Clonezilla is fine. If you are comfortable using it, there is no point in trying any other program. However, cloning may not work if the drive has developed bad sectors.

Also, in case the cloning process fails, ensure that you have your windows license key saved. If not, extract it from your current installation while the drive still works. You can use Produkey or Jelly bean key finder for the same.

I'm not sure how the whole key system works with windows, but couldn't you just use something like Product Key to extract it?

This is assuming that the key "changes" from your old 7/8 one to a new 10 one once you input it.

No idea what I'm talking about.

Try searching again using the term(s) 'key finder' 'serial' and/or 'product key'

If I had to choose one right now, I would second the recommendation of the NirSoft software.

That's what I did with my $15 upgrade of Windows 8 when it came out. My OEM OS on my laptop was Windows 7 so I got the key in the email for the upgrade to Windows 8 and installed it on my desktop PC. Downloaded the ISO from Microsoft and did a brand new install.

Now I have 2 genuine OS that I can upgrade to Windows 10...

EDIT: Before you upgrade your Windows 7 get the product key with Produkey. You should be able to reinstall it on your original PC if it doesn't give you a choice and go back to your original Windows 7. The product it is still genuine and can be used.

Can you burn CDs or bootable USB sticks?

You can download an ISO of Windows here: http://msft.digitalrivercontent.net/win/X17-59186.iso

That's the iso install media for 7 64 bit and digitalriver is a licensed msft resupplies. They're not worried about you downloading the software, it's the license keys they really sell, and you already own one it came with the laptop.

If it's not on a sticker somewhere on your laptop, you can use a program like produkey (you'll want the 64 bit version, obviously) to recover your Windows license key. If Microsoft Office is on there, you'll want to recover the key for that as well. . . you can download install media for that also.

It's very likely that you'll need drivers (video, possibly wireless) for that model of laptop as well. These can be downloaded from the manufacturer's website. You'll want this site: http://support.toshiba.com/drivers, and then try searching it for the model number. Some models have more than one wireless chipset. This is a pain in the butt, but fixable.

Guaranteed, the wipe and reload is the way to go here.

You cannot do that my friend. However what you can do is - run Produkey to extarct the product key of your current MS Office installation from the laptop and use that key install it again on another computer/laptop.

Then you can just do a clean install of Windows on the laptop to wipe out everything.

Nirsoft also has a free utility to help get lost product keys; &quot;ProduKey v1.70 - Recover lost Windows product key (CD-Key) and Office 2003/2007 product key&quot;

Go to Computer -> System Properties. What does it say under "Windows Edition"?

If you can still read it, the original OS version is on the sticker.

You can also use ProduKey to see if the product key currently being used matches up with what you can read off of the sticker.

> Is it possible to extract activation key from image restore disc?

Windows 7 Backup system image? Possibly.

Look through the folder structure for a large .VHD or .VHDX file. This is an image of the drive and can be mounted to a drive letter in Disk Management.

http://i.imgur.com/C2DQaWP.png

Once mounted, you can point ProduKey at the offline Windows folder to retrieve the key:

http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html

Produkey from Nirsoft. If you connect the HDD to another computer and point to your old windows folder (select source function) it will list your Windows and MS-Office (except 2013) keys.

HDD Regenerator might help in restoring some bad sectors - you need time though. If it freezes on one spot for a long time then the drive is completely fubar.

This might be something that produkey by nirsoft can do. I know it has a CL interface for scanning a domain so it might be worth looking at. I've never used it to try to gather remote keys though so I'm not 100% sure on its effectiveness.

Edit: Doesn't look like it works with volume licensing for 7 or 8 actually.

You will need to reinstall them and make sure you know/have the product keys for the software also. I use a small, simple tool to find product keys. It is called produkey

Check it out! :)

Use your windows key, it should be on the case somewhere, but recently Win 8 OEMs have't been putting them there. If you can't find that, use ProduKey to help you out. Then use one of these downloads from Microsoft (depending on your version of Windows). Run it. Then enter your product key and it should ask if you want a DVD disc or a USB drive, you may be able to install right then and there too, without making a USB stick.

Don't worry, everyone has questions!

>it asked for a windows 7 disc

MS Windows 7 Official .ISO download links:

http://www.w7forums.com/official-windows-7-sp1-iso-image-downloads-t12325.html

Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool:

http://www.microsoftstore.com/store?Action=html&amp;Locale=en_US&amp;SiteID=msusa&amp;pbPage=Help_Win7_usbdvd_dwnTool

>I found the product ID for Windows 7 in the System description,

You need a Windows Product Key, not a Product ID. There should be a sticker on the computer.

You can also extract the current product key with this app:

http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html

1. Use a program like Produkey to retrieve your current key.
2. Download the Windows 7 Disc from here.

You really need to reinstall Windows if you're taking a hard drive with Windows installed from one computer and putting it into another. Windows does not handle that situation well, not to mention it will not be activated anymore even if you can get it to boot.

Even if you can make it work, you often run into problems down the road. The only real solution is a fresh install of Windows while the drive is installed in the new computer. Make sure you still have your Windows product key first. If it's a retail version of Windows and you need to recover the product key, use ProduKey.

I've been using Produkey for these things. Not 100% sure it works with Office 2010 but give it a shot.

Note: Your antivirus software might think Produkey is something bad. It's not.

Link

Try using http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html

I used it yesterday at work.

Hopefully you can get the key of your current version and just use it on your new install (if it doesnt pre install for you).

As for seeing what is on the recovery partition, I'm not sure, are you able to explore the partition and see what files it is using? I am assuming it will be image-x files.

I would suggest you try installing the Office 2010 trial, then see if you can activate it with your product key (use Produkey to retrieve). If that works, yay. If not, now try copying over all the office stuff you can find from the old computer, with the trial already installed this may work, no promises on that.

Or, you could just grab yourself an 2010 oem torrent, burn a disk and use your current product key to activate.

If you really want to try doing a complete clone, while I have strong feelings that it will end badly, it may be worth a try. Here's how to do a minimal risk trial... download a hiren's iso, boot with it, partition your new computer allowing enough space at the end of the drive to do an image of the factory install. Image the drive to the new partition then image the old drive to the new computer. If imaging over causes an unstable system just restore the factory install oem and move on.

This last paragraph is about a four out of five on difficulty, but can be very educational.

So I can now apologize to you as I wasn't 100% sure the Product ID was your license, I now know it isn't.

So you have two avenues to follow to find your license key.

1. Open a command prompt (CMD) as Admin and type the following: wmic path SoftwareLicensingService get OA3xOriginalProductKey
2. If 1 didn't work, you're forced to use a program called ProduKey - Their website is a mess so I'll directly link their download here, be warned it will almost certainly be considered as a false positive by your antivirus. Download

ProduKey is literally a matter of running the program and writing down your license.

Use http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html#DownloadLinks which worked fine for me.

There is also a very good chance that Windows 10 installer will read the key stored in the BIOS. At one point the installer will ask you for the key. At the bottom of the screen there will be an option to continue without providing one which you have to click.

Before doing anything, download ProduKey and locate your Windows product key. You may need this to reactivate Windows after the swap. Obviously, you'll need this to be written or printed so you can access it while the computer is not fully functional.

After that, make the swap and see what happens when it boots up. If you're asked to reactivate, follow the prompts and do it. If it says you need to call Microsoft to reactivate, call and tell them that your motherboard is no longer manufactured and you had to replace it with a different brand/model of motherboard.

You can recover the product key with produkey

Just connect the drive to a working computer and run the program, then select the source in the File menu and select “Load the product keys from external Windows directory” and point it to the Windows folder in the drive

You can use a program like Magic Jelly Bean or Produkey.

Alternately, you could just install the same version of Win10, skip the part where you enter your key, and then let it validate itself online and it should recognize the motherboard.

If you want to get the Windows 10 Key off the Mobo you can use a tool like Produkey

http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html#DownloadLinks

If you want to get Windows 7 on here, you might need to do a lot of extra legwork, check my other post. This mobo doesn't behave very well during the installation process.

Although after doing it all, it does feel much faster with Windows 7

You can use a utility like ProduKey to retrieve the MS Office product key:

http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html

Download MS Office installation files here:

https://products.office.com/en-us/download-back-up-restore-microsoft-office-products

Windows will detect the new motherboard and become deactivated.

If you have a digital key attached to your Microsoft account, there is a troubleshooter that you can run through where you can click "I recently changed hardware in this machine" or something like that. It will reactivate itself and you'll be good to go.

If you purchased a separate have a product key, you'll need to punch that back in to reactivate windows on that machine.

If you had a license that was upgraded from an older version of Windows 7 or 8, you probably have a universal product key. If that's the case you may need to contact Microsoft support to get them to reactivate it.

I have a key from an upgraded version of Windows 8, and I've always had to call support to activate it, but they always get me set back up pretty quickly.

No matter what you do, you should first extract your current Windows product key using something like this
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html

That may be enough to reactivate Windows by just punching that back in.

ProduKey can both make a backup of your current product key and verify it's embedded in your motherboard (OEM / MSDM): http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html

Then you can use the Media Creation Tool for Windows 8 to do a clean install. You may also want to then take the clean install as an opportunity to upgrade to 10, which is still possible to do for free.

Super easy. Obviously you will lose anything on the stick, but all I did was use:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

The windows key should be stored in the UEFI, but just to be safe, you can grab the key with:

http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html

you don't need to uninstall windows on your old hardrive to use it as secondary storage. you just want to make sure you plug your sdd where you currently have your hdd and plug the hhd into a secondary sata port. you may also need to change bios settings to make sure your primary boot device is the ssd

• download your version of windows from microsoft
• create a dvd or bootable flash drive (if going bootable flash drive route make sure to download the .iso for windows install and just google search .iso to usb for a tool to make a bootable flashdrive)
• install windows on your new drive.
• get the product key from your old drive (using software like produkey ) and use that to active windows on the new ssd.

Any games you have installed on the old 1tb drive you will still be able to play as a secondary drive (usually will be assigned d:/ or e:/ depending if you had cd/dvd drive or not). you'll just need to navigate to the install and create a new shortcut to easily access it

It might give you a hard time, but if you disable the old machine it will activate the new one (there will be a list of PC's under your windows email) I had no issues going from 990fx to a z270 board, just had to fiddle with atcivation once or twice. Free version from 8.1 too. No issues.

Have your key on hand just in case. If you don't have it, you can extract it with a program found here

Hello, You should put the SSD Disk back to HTPC and download ProduKey App (http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html) to get Windows + Office licenses, copy Product Keys to txt file then put SSD from HTPC into your main PC and type keys that you have saved in the txt file before. Hope it will be useful for you.

There're some helpful comments, so I'll just post this: This will help you retrieve your product keys (assuming you still have the old system running if that is): http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html (scroll down for the download link)

You can run ProduKey to view the BIOS key, but you probably don't need it as the Windows 10 setup should see it.

The Acer site says that model originally came with Windows 8 64-bit so you can install Windows 10 64-bit instead of 32-bit.

Create USB/DVD media using the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool and then boot to that media. Once you get into Windows setup and given the option, select Custom install, delete ALL partitions on the HDD and select the unallocated space as the install location for Windows 10. You shouldn't get a key prompt as the install should see the BIOS key, but if you do, skip it and input the BIOS key from ProduKey once in Windows to activate.

I think you'd want something like a KVM Console extender

You can use ProduKey to get the windows key out of the real computer to use in the VM.

Can you download this app and run it?

http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html#DownloadLinks

It will show the product key of your Office and the version of it (2007, 2010 etc.)

Let me know if you got it (but don't post the key here)

Use this tool to create installation media and install Education on your new PC. If you don't have your Education key, use ProduKey on your current PC to find it.

After you install, activation may fail. If so, call the phone number and explain that you're transferring to another computer. Once your new PC is activated, use the installation media to reinstall Windows 10 using your original Windows 7 key on the old PC.

Edit: you may not need the Windows 7 key since you updated to Windows 10 you'll have hardware authentication, just make sure to reinstall the original version (Home, Pro) to match what's on Microsoft's servers.

I'm not a Win10 expert so others can correct me here, but here is my $0.02...

You spent a few hundred dollars on new hardware. To ensure it runs as well as possible you would want to format your hard drive and re-install Windows fresh. These are high level directions, if you need anything explained further please let me know.

1. Backup your Documents, Pictures, anything important. Backup to USB or use an online backup service that will give you several gigabytes for free. But USB is definitely preferable here.
2. Download drivers for your system (ethernet/wireless at a minimum) and put them on USB. Optional if you have a 2nd system to use later.
   
3. Either look on your system's COA sticker or use ProduKey to get your Windows serial #.
4. Use the Windows Media Creation Tool to create a Windows 10 installation USB or DVD (if you use USB, don't use the same one as step 1!).
5. Start to Install Windows 10. When it prompts for the serial # enter your Windows 7 one from step 3. Do an advanced install, delete existing partitions, install Windows onto your drive which should be one hunk of unallocated space.
6. When Windows 10 is done installing finish up by installing your drivers. Use a program like Ninite to ease installation of starter apps. Restore your backup files from USB or online backup.

Good luck.

technically , if you buy office 2013 , you can download it again , from your account : office.com/myaccount or if you wanna see all licence of your pc , including your OS , office x , and other programs , check this software : http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html

You can install win 10 with out a key but then will need to activate it later. But here is a way to check to see what your key is.

Open a new notepad and paste this in.

Set WshShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell") MsgBox ConvertToKey(WshShell.RegRead("HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\DigitalProductId"))

Function ConvertToKey(Key) Const KeyOffset = 52 i = 28 Chars = "BCDFGHJKMPQRTVWXY2346789" Do Cur = 0 x = 14 Do Cur = Cur * 256 Cur = Key(x + KeyOffset) + Cur Key(x + KeyOffset) = (Cur \ 24) And 255 Cur = Cur Mod 24 x = x -1 Loop While x >= 0 i = i -1 KeyOutput = Mid(Chars, Cur + 1, 1) & KeyOutput If (((29 - i) Mod 6) = 0) And (i <> -1) Then i = i -1 KeyOutput = "-" & KeyOutput End If Loop While i >= 0 ConvertToKey = KeyOutput End Function

Save it as Name.vbs on your desktop. Now open it and it should show you your win 10 serial key.

Or you can use this and it works with wins 10 pro http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html

Glad it came in handy! Not sure how long Microsoft will allow this since the free upgrades have expired, but I have done this on dozens of systems. Use ProduKey to easily get a key off a running system :)

Verify you have a key before you start downloading Windows 7. Is the product key sticker (bottom of laptop) readable? If not, you might try using ProduKey in Windows 10 to see if the Windows 7 key is recoverable.

This ISO is for 64-bit Home Premium OEM (note that you may need to visit the Dell Support website for additional drivers after reinstallation).

I can't either. I believe the code to trigger it is still in there, but the delay to listen for the key was removed. So it is only listening for the key for a millisecond or so, which isn't long enough.

If you can't find the product key: you can install without entering it. If you are using a microsoft account to login now, and use the same account when you finish setup, you might not even need to enter it later. Microsoft links installs to Microsoft accounts now. But if you make sure to keep the contents of the folder C:/windows/system32/config, you can use Nirsoft's produkey to extract it from the old registry. Run it as administrator, and use File|Source (iirc) to point it at your saved folder.

Get the product key using ProduKey.

Create Windows 8.1 media using this tool to reinstall.

After reinstall, visit your laptop manufacturer support page for driver downloads.

you don't necessarily need to do that.

first off, to get your pc key use this program:

http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html

i recently installed a couple of motherboards and reused the same windows installation. on the first boot to windows 10 it automatically installed what i assume to be the chipset drivers and then restarted. i had no windows 10 usb or installation dvd, so maybe you'll be as lucky as i was.

You say you had to replace your hard drive - is the existing drive even partially readable? If you can retrieve %WINDIR%/system32/config/SOFTWARE, (I think....), you can get the old cd key from it using, for instance, Nirsoft's ProduKey

Use Nirsoft ProduKey (part of my sysadmin toolkit) to explicitly read your Windows key and save it in a safe place.

Don't trust the BIOS if you don't have to. Know what your key is.

Factory OEM installs of Windows 7 from like Dell or HP will use a generic key for activation and they look for brand info in the bios.

If you installed yourself and typed in a key you can use Produkey to look it up.

Or just upgrade to Windows 10 on your old HDD. Once the upgrade is activated to your hardware ID, you can do a fresh install of Windows 10 from USB (using the Media Creation Tool) to the SSD and it will auto activate.

Now I understand what you are trying to do. You will be able to install all MS applications on the new computer. You just need to have all the product keys with you. If you do not have them with you, run Produkey or Magical Jelly Bean on the current system. This will give you the product keys for all your MS applications currently installed on the computer. You can then use these keys to install it on your new computer.

Note: If you do not have the installers for the MS-Office products, they can be downloaded from the net.

Try pointing ProduKey at the old drive, and plugging the Windows Product Key from that in. If windows allows it but then claims it's no longer valid try using the telephone activation and tell the computer that it's the first computer to be registered with that key. That should fix it up.

If ProduKey can't find it though (unlikely if the old hard drive is a proper windows installation) then I'm not sure without doing anything... "illegal"

I'm going to prioritize getting your product key, so at worst you'll be able to reinstall Windows 7.

In hiren's boot CD, see if the following file exists on the volume with Windows installed: \Windows\System32\config\SOFTWARE

If it does, copy it onto a flash drive. Then on another computer, download ProduKey (no install required). Run the program and goto File -> Select Source. Then check Load the product keys from external Software Registry hive, click browse, and select the SOFTWARE file on your flash drive.

If it doesn't exist, that means your registry is broken - not good. Try \Windows\System32\config\RegBack\SOFTWARE instead.

If you create an installation CD or Flash drive, it will not have any product key associated with it, so it will prompt you to input an installation key when you install. You can re-use the same installation key from your existing copy of windows. I've used http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html in the past to extract my windows key. Just punch in the same key. It will be completely legitimate; it's still your legally owned copy of windows.

Sometimes after re-installing windows, it will require you to call a phone number and punch in a code to active the new copy. It's totally automated and pretty simple.