How do I find my Windows 8.1 product key in BIOS?
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Have you purchased a new Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 PC and want to reinstall the operating system now? Do you want to legally download Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 ISO from Microsoft but can’t find the product key on your PC? Those of you have purchased a PC pre-installed with Windows 8 or later version of Windows probably have noticed that OEMs have stopped pasting “Proof of license. Certificate of Authenticity” sticker at the back of the PC which usually includes Windows product key. OEMs are now embedding the product key into the BIOS/UEFI instead and isn’t easily visible.
 Even though this is a good way to combat piracy, and in most cases, Windows 8/8.1 setup automatically reads the product key while reinstalling the operating system, PC users who need the product key to download Windows ISO from Microsoft to reinstall the OS or for other reasons need to recover the product key from the firmware first. Luckily, there are a couple of free tools out there to help you recover Windows product key from the BIOS/UEFI. Windows 8 Product Key Viewer is a little tool developed to recover Windows 8/8.1 product key from BIOS/UEFI as well as hard drive. In short, you can use this tool to retrieve Windows product key on a PC preinstalled with Windows 8/8.1, and also, if you have installed Windows 8/8.1 on a newly assembled computer.
Method 1: View Windows 8/8.1 product key saved in BIOS/UEFIStep 1: Head over to this page and download Windows 8 Product Key Viewer. Step 2: Run the program and check the option labelled MSDM key to view your genuine program key. And if Windows 8/8.1 wasn’t bundled with your PC and you manually installed it later, you can view the product key by unchecking MSDM Key box. That’s it! Method 2: If Windows 8/8.1 was preinstalled on your PC, you can try out a free script named Get_Win8Key as well. It reads the product key from the device firmware and is easy to use as well. Step 1: Visit this page and download the script. Extract the zip file package to get the script file. Step 2: Double-click on the file to execute it and view the license key. Method 3: And if you want to recover the product key from Windows Registry, try out ProduKey from NirSoft. Just like Windows 8 Product Key Viewer, Nirsoft’s ProduKey is a portable tool designed to recover Windows product key. How to recover Windows 7/8 product key from unbootable PC and how to backup data from unbootable hard drive guides might also interest you. The OEM license model has changed since Windows 8. If you buy a Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 pre-installed computer, you will no longer see a sticker on the back or top of the machine with 5×5 product key printed on it. There is only an official Windows 8.1 / 10 logo sticker instead. That’s all. The main intention for this change by Microsoft is to limit the number of keys being compromised. But to most of the end users, it’s merely a piece of good news not needing to worry about the sticker fading or getting scratched. The downside is that they will have a little chance of seeing or saving a copy of it for future use, or as the physical approval for having a proper licensed Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 computer. The key is now embedded in BIOS and can be retrieved automatically during the activation process in Windows 8 / 10. Theoretically, you will never be asked for a key to activate your machine. But to have the process run smoothly, you will need the right Windows 8/10 installation media that matches the one stored in BIOS. Or, you will be prompted to type in the right product key. So is there a way of knowing what my Windows 8 or Windows 10 product key is? If you have Windows 8 or 10 installed and activatedNirSoft’s ProduKey is your friend. It’s a free portable tool that reveals the keys not only to your installed Windows operating system but also other installed software as well, such as MS Office. But if notFor example, how can I retrieve the key from a downgraded machine that runs Windows 7? That’s where RWEverything (Read, Write Everything) comes to the rescue. Let me quickly show you how: First of all, download the proper version from its Download page. There is also a portable version available that lets you run and forget it. Extract the program from the zipped file, and double-click the RW.exe executable file to launch the program. Then, click ACPI icon from the top toolbar, and MSDM table in ACPI table. And you will find your BIOS embedded key right in the Data row. I’ve tested it on several Windows 8 pre-installed machine and have confirmed that the information retrieved within the tool is accurate. /Update on Dec 19, 2018/There is an easy way that you can use to retrieve the embedded product key info right from a command line. Open a Command Prompt window and run the following command: wmic path softwarelicensingservice get OA3xOriginalProductKey It returns the product key if it finds one in BIOS, or returns nothing if not. /Update on June 28, 2018/Apparently, the ProductKey tool from NirSoft has a new version, v1.93, that pulls the product key from BIOS as well. Run the tool and look for the line called Windows (BIOS OEM Key). /Update on Feb. 2, 2015/ NirSoft released a new tool called FirmwareTableView that can also retrieve embedded Windows 8 product key from BIOS. Check it out. Is Windows 8.1 product key stored in the BIOS?Embedded in your PC's UEFI firmware: Many newer PCs that come with Windows 8 use a new method. The key for the version of Windows the PC comes with, is stored in the computer's UEFI firmware or BIOS.
Can you see Windows product key in BIOS?If you need to find the product key for your Windows 10 installation, you've got a few options. The key can be retrieved via the BIOS i.e. the bootloader of your system or the command window. You can also use external software to retrieve your Windows 10 key.
How can I recover my Windows 8.1 product key?Contact Microsoft to request a new product key.. Call 1 (800) 936-5700. ... . Follow the phone prompts to reach an agent who handles product key issues.. Tell the representative that you can't access your Windows 8 product key. ... . Write down the product key exactly as it is read to you by the agent.. How can I find the Windows 8 product key?Press "Windows + S" to open the search bar, type PowerShell in the search box. Step 2. Right-click PowerShell and click Run as administrator. Then the Powershell prompt window will show the Windows 8 product key.
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