Retrieve your product key (wacky Windows 10 part 2)

ven07

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Jan 27, 2014
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So if you were to read the previous thread I did, you would know that I had an issue with upgrading my old windows 10 build to the latest and greatest windows 10 build..

When that whole debacle started, I decided that it would be handy to have my product key ready to go. So I had the issue of finding my product key.. The problem was that my laptop started on windows 7 home and I later went to pro, but (as I found out recently) while cleaning up my "tech junk" I threw out the wrong box :/

I didn't want to use the Home edition product key.. Grown used to being a Pro lol

Just in case: A product key is a 25-character code that's used to activate Windows.

The location of it depends on how you acquired your windows edition:

  • From an authorized retailer > The product key should be on a label inside the box it came in.
  • A new PC with Windows > is pre–installed on your PC and your PC will automatically be activated. The product key should be included with the packaging the PC came in, or included on the Certificate of Authenticity (COA) attached to the PC.
  • A digital copy from a Microsoft website > should be in the confirmation email you received after buying it. If you bought a digital copy of Windows 10 from a Microsoft website, the product key should be in the confirmation email you received after buying it or will be distributed digitally as an entitlement, in which case you won't receive a product key.
  • Free upgrade to Windows 10 from Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 > You'll get a digital entitlement for Windows instead of a product key.

Obviously my throwing out the wrong box wasn't the end of the world. There are other ways...

While there are a few, I will be sharing the method I worked with; a simple script that can be copied and pasted into notepad and saved on your pc or flashdrive for any emergency cases..

Script:

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

Copy everything from "SetWshShell" to "End Function" and paste it into Notepad. Save it and then proceed to rename the file by right-clicking on it and selecting the "rename" option. Give it any name you'd like, but be sure to change the default file extension from .txt to .vbs

So it should look sth like "get product key.vbs".

Don't worry, the .vbs won't do anything menacing to your device :) Look it up if you like.

YOUR DEVICE ISN'T SETUP TO SHOW FILE EXTENSIONS BY DEFAULT? well don't fret.. here's a link with a simple description: How to show or hide file extensions - How-To - PC Advisor

Again, this information is out there floating around, but since it worked for me, I decided to share :cool:
 

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