Product key no data. We extract the OEM code from UEFI. How to find Windows keys using third-party programs

When working on a personal computer or laptop, a situation may arise when you need to find out the operating system (OS) code. You will also need to activate it. These are simple procedures that are easy to perform.
You may need an operating system activation code

What is a product key and why you need to know it. It consists of 25 numbers and letters of the Latin alphabet and is used to legalize a product. The activated system is valid and updated by Microsoft. When purchasing a licensed OS, a set of symbols is on the package. If a device is purchased with a pre-installed OS, then the code is printed on a sticker that is located on the back of the case for laptops.

Since a licensed OS is not cheap, many users purchase pirated copies on disk or download from the Internet, for the installation of which special programs are used. In some cases, you will need to find out 7. When using unlicensed copies, the user will face the following problems:

• Computer slows down
• The background of the screen turns black and warning notices appear on it

How to find out the Windows key (read below)

You can find out the Windows key of any version already installed on a personal computer in two ways. The first method involves the use of OS tools and requires writing a program. This method is complex, lengthy and suitable for experienced users, so it is more convenient to find out the win 7 key on a computer, ProdyKey. A small program allows you to find out the codes of the following products:

1. Windows
2. Microsoft Office
3. Exchange Server

It is very easy to work with this utility. After downloading it from the official website (important) and launching it with administrator rights, a window appears where the data of the installed products are indicated. They will be required when reinstalling the OS, and the information on the packaging has been erased or lost.

a window appears where the data of the installed products are indicated

After purchasing the OS and installing it on a personal device, it must be legalized.

The activation code for Windows 7 is on the package with the installation disc. It looks like this.

Activation code for windows

During installation, after creating a user account, the screen will ask you to enter the code indicated on the label. This sequence of characters must be written in the line "Product Key" carefully and without errors.

In the line "Product key" you need to write this sequence of characters carefully and without errors

Then the OS needs to be activated. To do this, follow these steps:

• "Start"
• "Control Panel"
• "System"

A window appears on the screen where there is a line "Change product key" and the existing code is entered into it, after which it is entered into the computer.

A window appears on the screen where there is a line "Change product key"

After the process is complete, you can find out if Windows 7 is activated. The bottom line displays the message "Windows activation completed" and the icon.

Legalization of the operating system Windows 8 and 8.1

You can use the activator for Windows 8. If you have the code, this process is carried out in the same way as when installing version 7, that is, in the "System" window through the control panel. If the OS is illegal, then you need to use a special program that will register the key itself and do the rest. There are a lot of such products and some of them can be noted:

• KMS auto
• KMS nano25
• KMS activator

The programs do not require any steps during installation, but the system will be valid for 180 days, after which the process is repeated. You can find out the Windows 8 key on a laptop using the Key Finder program, which reads data from the BIOS.

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It is especially dangerous to use pirated copies when working with large amounts of information and in financial transactions.
Now you know how to find out the key of Windows 8 and Windows 8.1

In this article, we will touch upon the question of how to find out the key in the installed Windows 8 operating system (in Windows 7, the procedure is practically the same). In Windows 8, the activation key is a set of 25 characters, divided into 5 parts with 5 characters in each part.

By the way, an important point! The key can only be used for the version of Windows for which it is intended. For example, the key for the Pro version cannot be used for the home version!

Windows key sticker

First, I must say that there are two versions of the key: OEM and Retail.

OEM - This key can be used to activate Windows 8 only on the computer on which it was previously activated. It is prohibited to use the same key on another computer!

Retail - this version of the key allows you to use it on any computer, but only on one at a time! If you want to install it on another computer, you will have to uninstall Windows from the one from which you "take" the key.

Usually, when buying a computer or laptop, it comes with Windows 7, 8 installed, and on the device's case you can find a sticker with a key to activate the OS. On laptops, by the way, this sticker is on the bottom.

Unfortunately, very often this sticker is erased over time, fades in the sun, gets dirty with dust, etc. - in general, it becomes unreadable. If this happened to you, and you want - do not despair, the key of the installed OS can be found quite easily. Below we will look at step by step how this is done ...

Find out the key using the script

To complete the procedure, you do not need to have any knowledge of scripting. Everything is quite simple and even a novice user can handle this procedure.

1) Create a text file on the desktop. See the picture below.

It is not necessary to know the license code that was used to activate the operating system in Windows 10. OS activation, in most cases, is done automatically. Despite this, for some reason, many users want to find out how to find out the product key of Windows 10. The actual task is for users who are lucky enough to purchase a new device based on the "dozen".

The proposed article is a guide that provides information gathered from the vastness of the global network, which will help you find out the license key used to activate Windows 10.

The instructions consider all options for achieving the goal: both through the tools integrated into the operating system (extended command line - PowerShell, a ready-made VBScrit script created to decrypt registry files in order to extract the key from there, with which Windows 10 was activated), and using utilities from third-party developers (ProduKey utility, developed by the creator of several dozen tiny information applications). A mention of such things as:

• the reason why seemingly similar applications display different data;
• way to visualize the OEM key in UEFI (applicable only for the originally installed Windows 10).

Users who have acquired Windows 10 by upgrading from a licensed "seven" or "eight" do not need to know the licensed operating system - it is activated on its own at the first start, if there is an Internet connection, or immediately after the connection to the global information network appears. In the case of a clean installation of the OS from bootable media, at the stage of entering the license code, click "I do not have a product key", about which Microsoft writes in a text block.

Activation is automatically and irrevocably linked to the user's computer based on a unique identifier based on the hardware configuration of the hardware and linked to a Microsoft account. A mandatory password entry form is only for people who have decided to purchase the Retail edition of the operating system. Owners of licensed versions of "7" and "8" should refer to the key that was used to activate these editions of Windows.

We look at the key through PowerShell

Let's start with a solution to the problem without downloading any third-party software. It consists of using a tool that is integrated into the Windows 10 environment called PowerShell. There is no special command for extracting the activation code from the registry files in encrypted form, but one of the enthusiasts wrote a script to solve this problem, executed in the Vbasic environment.

1. Download the finished script.

2. Using the search bar, call PowerShell with administrator privileges.

In the text box of the extended command line, execute "Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned".

We confirm the launch of the command by clicking on the "Y" and "Enter" buttons.
We import the downloaded file by executing the line “Import-Module prodect_key.ps1”.
prodect_key.ps1 - here, before the name of the file, write the full path to it.

We call the command "Get-WindowsKey" to export the key with its subsequent visualization, if you are not prompted to save the key in a text file.

The required information appears on the last line of the command line.

View keys in the ShowKeyPlus application window

The utility is notable for the fact that it displays the key of the operating system currently used on the PC, separately shows the UEFI key and can extract information about the license of any previous version of Windows, even if its files are in the Windows.old folder. The program functions without being installed into the system, it is loaded from the resource at: github.com/Superfly-Inc/ShowKeyPlus/releases.

It is a pleasure to use ShowKeyPlus: we launch the executable file and get all the necessary information.

1. Installed Key - a license key for a running Windows 10.
2. OEM Key - shows the preinstalled Windows key, if there was one, or a message that the OEM key was not presented.

This information can be exported to one of the supported text formats for archiving purposes. This is done using the Save button.

Here lies the secret of the fact that different programs display different information about the Windows 10 key: some read it from the registry (the key of the currently functioning operating system, while others export from UEFI.

ProduKey app

Produkey is a similar program to the previous program, the only task of which is to export and display the Product Key of the current Windows. You can download it from www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html. The utility works without installation, you can run it directly from the archive. After launch, the window shows the product ID, its key and name. The program is applicable not only to operating systems from Microsoft, but also to office suites and other software products of the same corporation.

Extracting OEM code from UEFI

Regardless of which OS now controls the operation of your computer, if at the time of purchasing the device Windows 10 was installed on it, the OEM key for it was sewn into the UEFI of the laptop or motherboard. To extract it, you need to call the command line and execute the line: "wmic path softwarelicensingservice get OA3xOriginalProductKey".

If there is no such code in UEFI, an empty line will appear on the screen, and if it is present, the OEM character sequence may differ from the activation key used in the current Windows 10. The OEM key can also be used to return the originally installed version of the operating system.

To solve the problem, there are several more common (for example, Speccy) and no less specialized programs, but the methods considered will be enough for any user.

To read this material, many are prompted by a very standard and widespread situation: once bought a laptop with a licensed operating system Windows 7 or 8. After a certain time, due to the need to reinstall Windows or for any other reason, an activation key is needed, which was indicated on the sticker , which is located on the bottom of the laptop, however, over the months and years of laptop operation, it has long been worn out or completely unstuck. How to be?

If your PC is running Windows with an activated license key, then "getting" it from the operating system will not be difficult. If the icon My computer right click and open Properties, then below we will see only code of product, not the activation key itself. It is also important to distinguish between what you need to get - just the code that was indicated on a special sticker or the code for Windows 8 that is in the BIOS of the computer.

Screenshot of "My Computer" properties

For Win8 from BIOS using RWEverything

To retrieve the OEM license key Windows 8 from the BIOS of a laptop or desktop computer, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with - in it we looked at how to use the program to get the key from Win8 from the BIOS of a new type: UEFI. This method is also relevant for those who are trying to recover the key if another OS was installed instead of licensed Windows 8 "from the store".

Screenshot of the RWEverything program

Windows activation key in AIDA64

If you need an activation key for an installed and working system, you can use the program already familiar to us for a complete PC diagnostics - - we go, get acquainted, download and install. Then we launch the program and open the tab operating system... In chapter License information in field Product key and the required Windows activation code will be indicated.

Screenshot of AIDA64 program

In AIDA64, as well as in RWEverything, you can see the key hard-wired into the BIOS. To do this, go to the tab Motherboardthen ACPI... In chapter Description of the table find MSDM and in the field SLS Data the 25-character Windows activation code we need will be registered.

Screen AIDA64

Finding an activation key through KeyFinder

Simple utility from Magical Jelly Bean. This small program does not take up much space and gives out only the very minimum of information, but this is what we need. You can download KeyFinder from here (the official website of the developers), it is available in two versions - the free one is enough for us. Download, install, run. In the left window, select the software for which you need to find out the activation key - in this case, we are interested in Windows 7 Home Premium. CD Key and there is the desired code.

Screenshot of KeyFinder

Instead of a conclusion

This list could be continued endlessly, since there are at least a dozen more popular utilities for solving the same problem, but I think that the provided set will be enough for you. There are also various scripts on the Internet that use VBScript or PowerShell to extract keys without installing unnecessary programs. Everyone chooses the method that is more convenient for him.

After activating Windows 10 installed on your PC, you can view all the data about this process: whether it was activated or not, whether you received a license key to activate the system, the id of the computer for which the activation was performed. All this data can be found and checked using built-in Windows tools, as well as through third-party programs.

How to find the license key of the installed Windows 10

Windows status is information about whether the system is activated by entering a license key and confirming it, as well as the number of an individual activation key. You can find out this data in several ways: through system settings, command execution, computer settings, third-party programs and scripts. Remember that the license key consists of 25 numbers and letters, divided into 5 blocks of 5 numbers or letters.

Through command execution

In this way, you can find out only information about whether Windows is activated, but the product key will not be indicated:

How to check activation through computer settings

Through system settings

Through a third party program

Another way to find out the activation key is to use a third-party program:

Through scripts

The script that should be in the file:

Set WshShell \u003d CreateObject ("WScript.Shell")

regKey \u003d "HKLM \\ SOFTWARE \\ Microsoft \\ Windows NT \\ CurrentVersion \\"

DigitalProductId \u003d WshShell.RegRead (regKey & "DigitalProductId")

Win8ProductName \u003d "Windows Product Name:" & WshShell.RegRead (regKey & "ProductName") & vbNewLine

Win8ProductID \u003d "Windows Product ID:" & WshShell.RegRead (regKey & "ProductID") & vbNewLine

Win8ProductKey \u003d ConvertToKey (DigitalProductId)

strProductKey \u003d "Windows Key:" & Win8ProductKey

Win8ProductID \u003d Win8ProductName & Win8ProductID & strProductKey

MsgBox (Win8ProductKey)

MsgBox (Win8ProductID)

Function ConvertToKey (regKey)

Const KeyOffset \u003d 52

isWin8 \u003d (regKey (66) \\ 6) And 1

regKey (66) \u003d (regKey (66) And & HF7) Or ((isWin8 And 2) * 4)

Chars \u003d "BCDFGHJKMPQRTVWXY2346789"

Cur \u003d regKey (y + KeyOffset) + Cur

regKey (y + KeyOffset) \u003d (Cur \\ 24)

Cur \u003d Cur Mod 24

Loop While y\u003e \u003d 0

winKeyOutput \u003d Mid (Chars, Cur + 1, 1) & winKeyOutput

Loop While j\u003e \u003d 0

If (isWin8 \u003d 1) Then

keypart1 \u003d Mid (winKeyOutput, 2, Last)

winKeyOutput \u003d Replace (winKeyOutput, keypart1, keypart1 & insert, 2, 1, 0)

If Last \u003d 0 Then winKeyOutput \u003d insert & winKeyOutput

a \u003d Mid (winKeyOutput, 1, 5)

b \u003d Mid (winKeyOutput, 6, 5)

c \u003d Mid (winKeyOutput, 11, 5)

d \u003d Mid (winKeyOutput, 16, 5)

e \u003d Mid (winKeyOutput, 21, 5)

ConvertToKey \u003d a & "-" & b & "-" & c & "-" & d & "-" & e

Video: Checking Operating System Activation

How to check the expiration date of Windows 10 activation

If you entered a license key, then the activation period will be infinite, since Windows is activated once and for all. But if you installed a trial version of the system, issued to you for a certain number of days, on your computer, then you can see when the trial period will end by following these steps:

Video tutorial: how to find out when activation ends

How to find your Windows 10 computer ID

The computer ID is the same as the ID of the network card installed in it, since with the help of this card the computer makes all connections to the Internet. You can view the unique computer code without third-party programs by following these steps:

1. Right-click on the Start icon at the bottom left of the screen.
2. Select "Device Manager".
3. Expand the Network Adapters tree.
4. Right-click on your network card and open its properties. The name of the network card is different for everyone, you should not be guided by it.
5. Go to the Details tab.
6. Expand the "Properties" section and select the line "Equipment ID or ID".
7. The "Values" block will contain all the IDs related to your PC.

This completes the search for information about the state of Windows and the computer ID. You can always view the activation key through the computer settings, if the old one is no longer valid or was entered incorrectly. Remember that you only need to activate Windows 10, that is, pay for a license key. So if your key is no longer accepted by the system, contact the official Microsoft support service.