I would like to reformat the entire hard drive and since Windows was already preinstalled (Windows 10 Home).
I wanted to ask whether I can then download a Windows 10 iso from the official Microsoft website in order to install Windows (on the same laptop as before) or whether I still need a product key. Because it says here:
In some cases, the respective Windows version can then be activated on a new PC system with the OEM key. Please note, however, that the key is then no longer valid on the old PC.
https://praxistipps.chip.de/...aert_41916
And that would probably have been an OEM key.
You don't need… You have the recovery mode where you can format the hard drive and reinstall it without a key. Etc!
A clean reinstallation is better, however.
You must have registered with Microsoft and set in your Microsoft account that you now have a "new" PC.
Or even better, you can display your key and print it out.
Alternatively, you can simply buy an OEM Windows key on Ebay. They are legal and cost less than 10 euro.
Keys that are even cheaper are often volume licenses that can't be sold individually.
The key stands a lot. On the bottom of the device
with mine I find the one there.
Windows 10 should normally be reactivated automatically on the same device after a new installation. You therefore do not need a product key. And you don't have to be connected to a Microsoft account. The key is stored in the BIOS if Windows was preinstalled.
You can create an installation data carrier (DVD or USB stick) free of charge using Microsoft's Media Creation Tool: https://www.microsoft.com/.../windows10
Run the program and follow all the steps. With a DVD, it just downloads an ISO file that you have to burn. There's the option "Burn disk image" directly under Windows, if you do a right click on the downloaded ISO file.
If you opt for a USB stick instead, you just have to follow all the steps and at the end you have a usable stick for reinstallation.
Only the hard drive should be formatted or Windows should be reinstalled. It doesn't have to be stated anywhere that you are using a new PC.
If you want a clean Windows installation, the entire Windows will be deleted including the license key. If you want to continue using it, you either have to have the key or you have to manage it via the Microsoft account.
He can't even have the key if Windows 10 was pre-installed. He doesn't need it either, as Windows is automatically reactivated as I said. The key is stored in the BIOS. And a Microsoft account is also not necessary. This can be useful if you change something in the hardware or use a completely new computer, which neither applies. But it doesn't hurt to use a Microsoft account either.
What kind of humbug are you talking about? You can have the key displayed and on most PCs / laptops it is simply on a sticker, e.g. Under the laptop.
And not a single product key in the world is stored in the BIOS that is not stored on the hard drive in the BIOS.
Resetting a laptop to the factory settings is not the same as completely reinstalling it.
You're the one here talking humbug.
I'm of course aware that some devices have a sticker with a product key. Devices with pre-installed Windows 8 or 10 but not!
And of course keys are stored in the BIOS. Can you read the expert here again: https://www.heise.de/...30353.html
Through the practice of the digital license, the
Entering the product key for Windows 10 usually after the initial installation and activation
no longer necessary. The activation key is also fixed on new PCs or laptops with a pre-installed Windows 10
stored in the BIOS. If you reinstall the system later, the activation is fully automatic. The sticker with the product key, which was widespread up to Windows 8.1, is practically a thing of the past.
Perhaps you are now checking that you do not need to enter the key after a new installation.
Maybe first you check your tone of voice.
There's also something new pre-installed. That then probably excludes everything that is older or self-built. And you don't have the slightest idea whether that might be the case.
You only ousted the "no bio in the world".
Should I check my tone of voice? You started out by saying I was talking humbug. The questioner speaks of a laptop and says that Windows was already preinstalled. The situation is now clear: The key is stored in the BIOS and Windows can be reinstalled without entering the key. There's no need for further discussion. But believe what you want.
With the cmd command:
wmic path softwarelicensingservice get OA3xOriginalProductKey
the key is also simply displayed. I guess that's him. I'll see if I'll need him then, I probably don't think so.
I didn't need a Windows key. Thank you very much!
But I sometimes have a beep when updating (2 times, then after a short pause 23 times and then a longer beep). So if it says "System update is in progress" when you restart, the Lenovo logo and a white progress bar that slowly changes over it fills. But everything seems to work, so I guess I don't have to pay attention to that.
