How to install a license key. How to activate Windows 7 so that activation never fails. Obtaining a license using Windows Loader

To activate Windows 7, a 25-digit special code is used - “product key”. Usually manufacturers indicate it on a special sticker on the computer case, but not always. Also, this inscription wears off over time, and it often happens that after just a year of using the laptop, the product key becomes unreadable.

If a user, for example, is faced with the need to reinstall Windows or the system simply crashes and loses its activation, then first of all you should find out the “Seven” key so as not to incur additional costs for purchasing a new licensed Windows. Below are the most effective methods that allow you to quickly view the key of the OS running on your computer.

The easiest way

If the user is wondering how to urgently find out the serial number of Windows 7 installed on his PC, then first of all it is necessary to examine the case of the laptop or desktop PC for the presence of a readable code on the sticker.

If it is missing, or due to severe wear it is impossible to identify the serial number, then software methods for solving this issue are presented below.

Using a tool included with Windows 7 itself

It should be immediately noted that specialists from Microsoft did not take care of the convenience of their clients, and Windows 7 is able to show only a few characters of the required number.

The following sequential steps must be taken:

Hold down "Win" and click on "R";
In the empty column of the window that appears, type “slmgr.vbs /dlv” and open the found application;
A menu with the last few characters of the key will be displayed on the computer monitor.

The instructions described below will help you find out the full number.

Using a written script

The required number is encrypted in the memory of the PC hard drive. Experts wrote a script for the eighth version of Windows, but it also works successfully for Windows 7. This script text needs to be pasted into Notepad and then saved with a special extension.

For the convenience of users using this instruction, all of the above operations have already been completed by the author of the manual, so you just need to click here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_w1_IySvxDlazNSWDNUY3E1OXc and download the file. After saving it anywhere on the computer, you need to quickly double-click on it with the mouse, and a window will appear containing the full system key.

If you click on “Ok” in the menu that appears, additional information about the licensed product will appear.

Since this “VBScrit” was created for Windows 8, in the bottom line the user will see the name of the eighth version of the OS, but the third line should be read - “Windows 7 Key”.

Via the ProduKey application

The utility is freely distributed on the global network and works perfectly without installation. You can always download it on the official resource of the program developer “NirSoft”. After saving the archive file to the PC, the user only needs to take the following few steps:

Extract the contents of the archive;
Open the “Application” file;
Ready! The utility menu will show the key and ID.

SIW program

The application will also help you quickly solve the problem in the following several steps:

Open the application and go to the “Programs” tab
Next, open the “Licenses” subsection;
All. The necessary information will appear on the display.

"ShowKeyPlus"

By opening this freely distributed application on the Internet on your PC, you will immediately have access to the Windows 7 key.

Also a free utility, which is located on the resource “vellisa.ru”. The main advantage of the program is the detail of the information it outputs.

"Free PC Audit"

To use the application's features, you must complete the following steps:

After downloading, you just need to run the application file and wait for the OS analysis procedure to complete;
Next, go to the “System” tab;
Ready. In the right field of the utility you can find the number of the installed “Seven”.

This is one of the applications that has particularly wide capabilities, including displaying the OS key, which is shown in the “Operating system” column.

Manufacturers of modern laptops and computers are actively abandoning disk drives, since any program or game can be downloaded from the Internet, and the presence of a drive only makes the PC more expensive for the end buyer. At the same time, users who are accustomed to receiving a disk with Windows and a license key included with their computer find it difficult to reinstall the operating system. While Windows itself can be installed from a flash drive, you will still need a license key for it. In this case, users have a question: how to find out the Windows product key that was preinstalled on a laptop (desktop computer), or was installed later from a disk that is not currently available? This can be done using both Windows and third-party programs.

When asking yourself the question of determining the license key of the operating system running on your computer, you should understand such concepts as Installed Key and OEM Key. Essentially, they are both Windows license keys, but there are some differences between them. The way they are determined also differs.

Installed Key is the installation key of the operating system running on the computer. It can be detected on those laptops and desktop computers on which Windows was installed by users themselves from a disk or as a digital copy purchased via the Internet and activated.

The OEM Key is the license key for the version of Windows that was originally installed on the computer. The OEM key information is hardwired into the motherboard of your laptop or desktop computer and cannot be changed.

Thus, if the computer was installed with the Windows 8 operating system at the time of purchase, which was later updated to Windows 10, the information about the OEM and Installed keys will be different. At the same time, if you want to install Windows 8 on a new computer, you will need to enter the OEM key - only it will work with this version of the operating system. Installed Key is suitable if you want to install Windows 10.

Attention: You can use an existing OEM or Installed key only for the version of the operating system that is installed on the computer. You cannot enter the key for the Basic version of Windows 10 for the Professional build.

How to find out the Windows 10 key using the operating system?

On any computer, with administrator rights, you can find out the Windows 10 license key without third-party programs and applications. However, the procedures are different in the case of determining OEM and Installed keys.

Finding out the license key of the operating system that is “hardwired” into the computer’s motherboard is very simple if you know the command that is specifically provided for this in Windows 10. To determine the OEM key, do the following:

The OEM-issued key can be used to reinstall the version of the operating system that was originally installed on the computer.

Using one command, it is not possible to determine the Installed Key, and it is hidden a little deeper in the Windows operating system. But if you wish, you can get information about the Windows license key without installing third-party applications on your computer. To do this you need to do the following:

Launch an empty standard Windows Notepad, which can be found at the following path: “Start” - “All Applications” - “Windows Accessories” - “Notepad”.
Copy the following code into an open text editor program:

function Get-WindowsKey ( param ($targets = ".") $hklm = 2147483650 $regPath = "Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion" $regValue = "DigitalProductId" Foreach ($target in $targets) { $productKey = $null $win32os = $null $wmi = "\\$target\root\default:stdRegProv" $data = $wmi.GetBinaryValue($hklm,$regPath,$regValue) $binArray = ($data.uValue) $charsArray = "B","C","D","F","G","H","J","K","M","P","Q","R","T","V","W","X","Y","2","3","4","6","7","8","9" ## decrypt base24 encoded binary data For ($i = 24; $i -ge 0; $i--) { $k = 0 For ($j = 14; $j -ge 0; $j--) { $k = $k * 256 -bxor $binArray[$j] $binArray[$j] = ::truncate($k / 24) $k = $k % 24 } $productKey = $charsArray[$k] + $productKey If (($i % 5 -eq 0) -and ($i -ne 0)) { $productKey = "-" + $productKey } } $win32os = Get-WmiObject Win32_OperatingSystem -computer $target $obj = New-Object Object $obj | Add-Member Noteproperty Computer -value $target $obj | Add-Member Noteproperty Caption -value $win32os.Caption $obj | Add-Member Noteproperty CSDVersion -value $win32os.CSDVersion $obj | Add-Member Noteproperty OSArch -value $win32os.OSArchitecture $obj | Add-Member Noteproperty BuildNumber -value $win32os.BuildNumber $obj | Add-Member Noteproperty RegisteredTo -value $win32os.RegisteredUser $obj | Add-Member Noteproperty ProductID -value $win32os.SerialNumber $obj | Add-Member Noteproperty ProductKey -value $productkey $obj } } !}

Please note that the Installed Key is displayed in the “Product Key” item. Also, following the steps described above allows you to find out some details about the operating system used on the computer.

How to find out Windows keys using third-party programs?

From the instructions above you can see that finding out the OEM Key Windows is very simple, but “getting” to the Installed Key is much more difficult, and the procedure for detecting it using Windows tools takes a lot of time. If you don’t want to do this, you can install a third-party application that will independently detect information about the OEM Key and Installed Key on the computer, and then give it to the PC administrator.

ShowKeyPlus is considered one of the simplest and most convenient programs for determining the Windows key. It can be downloaded from the official website of the developers absolutely free. In this case, the program not only shows information about the license keys of the version of Windows used, but also allows users to save the received information in a txt document.

To activate the Windows operating system, a special product license key is used. The Windows product key used to activate the system differs depending on the operating system version (Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, etc.), OS edition (Home, Pro, etc.), distribution method (OEM, Retail etc).

To activate the Windows operating system, a product key is used, consisting of 25 characters in the form of numbers and capital (upper case) English letters, divided into 5 groups of 5 characters: “XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX”.

Laptops used to often have a Windows activation key stuck to it. Currently, laptop manufacturers with pre-installed operating systems embed the product key into the BIOS to automatically activate Windows.

If the system is reinstalled, or for some other reason (for example, activation failed after a hardware failure), the user may need a Windows product key. How to find out your Windows activation key?

You can find out the license key of installed Windows by running a special VBS script, as well as using five programs: ProduKey, ShowKeyPlus, Free PC Audit, Speccy, AIDA64, SIW. All listed programs are free, except AIDA64 and SIW.

The script with the extension “.vbs” and portable free programs (ProduKey, ShowKeyPlus, Free PC Audit) can be downloaded from here. Download the rest of the programs to your computer from the official websites of the manufacturers.

Using these methods, you can find out the key for Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 10. After you have found out the Windows product key, the data obtained is for subsequent use, in case of reinstalling the operating system, to activate the operating system.

How to find out the Windows key in ProduKey

The free ProduKey program from the well-known manufacturer NirSoft does not require installation on your computer. The application shows keys for Windows OS, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Office.

Unpack the archive with the program, and then run the “Application” file from the folder. After launch, the ProduKey utility window will display the key for the installed operating system.

Select the entry with the key for Windows 10, or another operating system, and then select “Copy Product Key” from the context menu to copy the activation key to the clipboard.

We look at the license key in ShowKeyPlus

The free ShowKeyPlus program does not require installation on your computer. After launch, in the application window you will see the following information:

Product Name - the operating system currently installed on the computer
Product ID - product code
Installed Key - the key of the operating system currently installed on the computer
OEM Key - a key embedded in the BIOS of the laptop with the originally installed operating system

To save the data, click on the “Save” button, and then the received information in a text format file.

How to view the Windows key in Free PC Audit

The free program Free PC Audit will help you find out the key of your installed Windows. This program does not require installation on your computer. Run the utility file, after which the Free PC Audit program window will open, in which the system scan will begin.

After the scan is completed, in the “System” tab, opposite the “Windows product key” item, you will see the product key of the installed Windows operating system.

To copy the key, select the line with the license key, and then using the “Copy” context menu item, or using the “Ctrl” + “C” keys, copy the Windows product key from the utility window.

How to find out Windows 8 key using VBScrit

Activation keys for the Windows operating system are stored on the hard drive in encrypted form. Executing the VBScrit script will allow you to obtain the product key of the installed operating system in decrypted form. This script was developed for the Windows 8 operating system, but this code also works fine in the Windows 10, Windows 8.1, and Windows 7 operating systems.

To perform the operation, double-click on the “WindowsKey.vbs” file. In the window that opens, you will see the Windows activation code. Next, click on the “OK” button.

The next window will display information about the operating system version, product ID and product key number. Ignore the title of the entry "Windows 8 Key". The name of this OS will be displayed on any version of the Windows operating system.

Getting a Windows key in Speccy

Free Speccy program from the well-known company Piriform, manufacturer of CCleaner and other software. You can download the portable version of Speccy from the official website. There is a paid version of the program with advanced features.

The program provides the user with detailed information about the computer hardware, and using the application you can also find out the license key of the installed Windows.

Launch the Speccy program, in the “Operating System” section the version of the installed operating system and its serial number (activation key) will be displayed.

Finding out the product key in AIDA64

AIDA64 is a powerful program for obtaining all kinds of information about computer software and hardware.

After launching the AIDA64 program, license information, including the Windows product key, will be displayed in the “Menu” tab, in the “Operating System” section.

Select the product key, select “Copy” in the context menu, then paste the key into Notepad or another similar program to save.

Read the program overview.

Key information in SIW

SIW (System Information of Windows) is a program for obtaining information about the hardware and software status of a computer.

After launching SIW, go to the “Programs”, “Licenses” section. This will display information about the product key that is used in the Windows operating system installed on your computer.

Incorrect product key

When checking keys using the methods listed above, the Windows product key may appear as follows: “BBBBB-BBBBB-BBBBB-BBBBB-BBBBB”.

This means that your computer is activated with a corporate MAK or VLK key. The Windows operating system does not save such keys, so programs do not see them.

Windows 10 uses a new system authentication method (not available for all cases on Windows 10). The activation record is stored on servers and is not displayed on the computer. After reinstallation, Windows activates itself for some time.

Maintaining the license depends on changing the computer hardware configuration. If the motherboard is replaced, Microsoft activation servers will revoke the license for that computer. Windows will prompt you to purchase a new product key.

Conclusions of the article

If necessary, the user can find out the license code of the Windows operating system by running a VBS script, or using specialized programs: ProduKey, ShowKeyPlus, Free PC Audit, Speccy, AIDA64, SIW.

Many people are prompted to read this material by a very standard and common situation: you once bought a laptop with a licensed Windows 7 or 8 operating system installed. After a certain time, due to the need to reinstall Windows or for any other reason, you need the activation key that was indicated on the sticker , which is located on the bottom of the laptop, but over the months and years of use of the laptop, it has long been worn out or completely peeled off. What should I do?

If your PC is running Windows with an activated license key, then “getting” it from the operating system will not be difficult. If by icon My computer right click and open Properties, then below we will only see code of product, and 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, which is in the computer’s BIOS.

Screenshot of My Computer properties

For Win8 from BIOS using RWEverything

To extract the OEM license key Windows 8 From the BIOS of a laptop or desktop computer, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with it - in it we looked at how to use a program to get a key for Win8 from a new type of BIOS: UEFI. This method is also relevant for those who are trying to recover the key if another OS was installed instead of the 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 we are already familiar with to fully diagnose your PC - go ahead, get acquainted, download and install. Then run 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 the AIDA64 program

In AIDA64, as in RWEverything, you can see the key hardcoded into the BIOS. To do this, go to the tab Motherboard, then ACPI. In chapter Description of the table we'll find MSDM and in the field SLS Data The 25-character Windows activation code we need will be written.

AIDA64 screen

Finding an activation key via KeyFinder

A simple utility from Magical Jelly Bean. This small program does not take up much space and provides only the bare minimum of information, but that is exactly 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, launch. 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 required 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 believe that the set provided 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 them.

To activate the Windows operating system, a special product license key is used. The Windows product key intended to activate the system differs depending on the version of the operating system (Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, etc.), OS edition (Home, Pro, etc.), distribution method (OEM, Retail etc).

If the system is reinstalled, or for some other reason (for example, activation failed after a hardware failure), the user may need a Windows product key. How to find out your Windows activation key?

Using these methods, you can find out the key for Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 10. After you have found out the Windows product key, save the received data for later use, in case of reinstalling the operating system, to activate the operating system.

The free ProduKey program from the well-known manufacturer NirSoft does not require installation on your computer. The application shows keys for Windows OS, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Office.

Unpack the archive with the program, and then run the “Application” file from the folder. After launch, the ProduKey utility window will display the key for the installed operating system.

Select the entry with the key for Windows 10, or another operating system, and then select “Copy Product Key” from the context menu to copy the activation key to the clipboard.

The free ShowKeyPlus program does not require installation on your computer. After launch, in the application window you will see the following information:

Product Name - the operating system currently installed on the computer
Product ID - product code
Installed Key - the key of the operating system currently installed on the computer
OEM Key - a key embedded in the BIOS of the laptop with the originally installed operating system

To save the data, click on the “Save” button, and then save the received information in a text format file.

After the scan is completed, in the “System” tab, opposite the “Windows product key” item, you will see the product key of the installed Windows operating system.

To copy the key, select the line with the license key, and then using the “Copy” context menu item, or using the “Ctrl” + “C” keys, copy the Windows product key from the utility window.

How to find out Windows 8 key using VBScrit

To perform the operation, double-click on the “WindowsKey.vbs” file. In the window that opens, you will see the Windows activation code. Next, click on the “OK” button.

The program provides the user with detailed information about the computer hardware, and using the application you can also find out the license key of the installed Windows.

Launch the Speccy program, in the “Operating System” section the version of the installed operating system and its serial number (activation key) will be displayed.

AIDA64 is a powerful program for obtaining all kinds of information about computer software and hardware.

After launching the AIDA64 program, license information, including the Windows product key, will be displayed in the “Menu” tab, in the “Operating System” section.

Select the product key, select “Copy” in the context menu, then paste the key into Notepad or another similar program to save.

S.I.W.

SIW (System Information of Windows) is a program for obtaining information about the hardware and software status of a computer.

After launching SIW, go to the “Programs”, “Licenses” section. Information about the product key used in the Windows operating system installed on the computer will be displayed here.

Incorrect product key

When checking keys using the methods listed above, the Windows product key may appear as follows: “BBBBB-BBBBB-BBBBB-BBBBB-BBBBB”.

This means that your computer is activated with a corporate MAK or VLK key. The Windows operating system does not save such keys, so programs do not see them.

Windows 10 uses a new system authentication method (not available for all cases on Windows 10). The activation record is stored on Microsoft servers and is not visible on your computer. After reinstallation, Windows activates itself for some time.

Conclusion

If necessary, the user can find out the license code of the Windows operating system by running a VBS script, or using specialized programs: ProduKey, ShowKeyPlus, Free PC Audit, Speccy, AIDA64, SIW.