Activation with old key?

deeaa said:

Ym. I thought the idea was to revealb your orig.key if you haven't kept it safe so you could use it for reinstalling anew.

It can't retrieve that product key if it isn't in your computer in bios or registry or from a registry hive contained in a backup file, it's not magical. Some manufacturers have special product keys that they use to activate factory loads of software that will be different from those keys printed on the COA labels. Those keys will only activate Windows when it is installed by the manufacturer or from manufacturer provided restore disks. Maybe that is where the product key in question came from. Since the manufacturer activated Windows 8 legitimately, Windows 10 upgrade would also activate - but only as an upgrade from the installed Windows 8 - not from the manufacturer's product key by itself.

Very interesting. In this case I'm the manufacturer of these machines.

Let me think about this....

Current machine is an all new self-built one that I activated using a retail 8.1 pro original code (blue twin disk package for w8.1 I bought separately off the shelf) that had been used in 1 machine before and updated to w10 in that said machine. Apparently that license is thus transferable and doesn't store info on the mobo or anywhere. So I can likely use that original serial for w10 installations forever as long as it's on one machine at a time only. BUT I have to keep the original key safe as there seems to be no way to see it from windows.

The 2nd machine had w7 pro OEM I had been using since the 7 came out, bought it along with the mobo I had back then, and it had had at least 3 different motherboards and such minimum, many 5-6 reinstallations over the years and I had to use phone activation with it once already. That was then updated to w10 and also that has no way of seeing the original code, but neither it seems to have embedded it onto the mobo. So I wonder if I change the mobo on that build, will it still activate and with what serial? Basically the info in ShowKey is the same as the other machine.

3rd machine is old core 2 originally win Xp OEM that has always been activated over the Internet first to 8, 8.1 and then w10 finally, but for w8 upgrade I bought a retail 8 v again and this machine shows original edition w8 retail as 'original' but the 'original key' it shows is clearly wrong, but NOT the same as on 2 other machines. Different from the actual key that came with the disks though. So I suppose I can also activate this machine anew with any motherboard without issues, but have to use the old key that I have on the case.

I have 3 more PC's here with w10 so I'll check them out as well...

Next one has an OEM sticker that came with w7 pro I bought separately probably along with an SSD drive for it (btw all these machines have been cloned to new disks at some point except the newest one on M.2...all the others, I have gotten rid of spinners as C drives.)
...this machine was originally a Packard Bell I bought used, not a self build...but show key info is the same as on machines 1 and 2 and shows a generic same installed key there, but doesn't show any original key info and oem key is not present in firmware. When I installed w7 on this I had to activate it over the phone, but w10 installation worked fine and actually later swapped the c drive and reinstalled from scratch and it didn't even ask for a serial to activate.

Last machine....well I have a few more but getting bored with this....a laptop Fujitsu....so not a scratch build...and OK this looks different...very different product ID, finally also different installed key NW6C2....Different original key D6RD9...'win next starter retail' and oem key KCC8N...win 8.1 professional OEM.

That might be the only machine I have on which Show Key seems it could actually show a usable serial.

Maybe ShowKey only works on factory built machines? Then it is of little use to me because I hardly ever buy factory assemblies.

I have another laptop here originally xp or Vista, got it empty, bought a w7 oem licence for it and now it runs 10, and a win8 tablet updated to w10, and another old core 2 with vista orig.but bought a new oem 7 for it and now w10 of course. I suspect all those will show same infos as machines 1 and 2 if I try.

Let's put it this way. Showkey does everything possible for any Windows OS product key finder to do, and does more than most.

Sorry if I seemed dismissive - I have no doubt it works as well as possible. If there is no way to decipher a working installation code from Windows, then there just is no way. Nothing wrong with that, I just didn't understand that it wasn't what the program is intended for. Honestly I still don't see what use is the info it gives then, though.

I'm puzzled...what is a normal windows installation then? Does it mean...installations before update to 10? After update to 10 it won't work but before going thru the update it it does? So if I had ran it prior to update to 10 it would have shown the code used, but it's not possible under 10 any more?

What am I missing...how are my installations not normal installations. I buy a DVD along with a motherboard or HD, (most have been 7, 1 retail a few OEM ones, but one an 8.1 retail, one from Windows store directly as download), install it, use the code and stick the sticker on the case (except if from store just print the code and stick that on the case). What's strange or different about them? Sometimes it's been a brand new parts build, sometimes a used mobo...What's the 'normal' windows installation then? I've done it the same way since Dos 6.11 and bought one or more of every Windows after that, even NT4.0.