How to know the license number in windows xp, windows 7 and windows 8

This technique of saving the serial number in the BIOS has been used by the main manufacturers of computers, laptops, ultrabooks and PC's. And one of the great advantages of this new method is the difficulty of illegally spreading this license, making it much more difficult for this serial number to be shared on several computers.

However, there are some applications capable of finding out the serial number of your Windows 8 easily and without complications, such as ProduKey.

Windows 8, as well as most operating systems and other software, require the input of unique product keys, sometimes called serial numbers, during installation. Halfway through the reinstallation of Windows 8, you will need to have your product key to continue the installation.

Also, if you want to download Windows 8 installation resources from Microsoft, you must also have the operating system license.

What is a Windows license

The Windows Activation Key (Product Key) is a 25-character code used to identify your Windows license. This code is supplied together with the equipment: when it is sold with Windows pre-installed, together with the installation disc or via e-mail, or when the license is acquired through download from the Microsoft website.

When installing Windows it is necessary to have this code at hand or it will not be possible to continue with the installation. But, in case you need to reinstall Windows and don't remember where you saved your respective license, what to do? How to find out the Windows activation key? This is possible with the use of software.

How to know the license number using ProduKey

ProduKey software, developed by NirSoft, analyzes your Windows installation to discover the license used in it. Not only Windows licenses are revealed, but also Office licenses and other products.

Start by downloading ProduKey. Download the 32 or 64 bit version. The software does not require installation. You just need to unzip it into any folder and then run it.

When you run it, a list of the licenses of the Microsoft software installed on your computer will appear.

The program offers you several ways to save these licenses. By right-clicking you can copy the selected keys to the Clipboard or save them to a Notepad file. It is also possible to generate a report in HTML format. It is also a good idea to print this report to keep it in a safe place for when you need the Windows 8 license number.

The Select Source option, represented by the first icon on the left of the toolbar, offers you the possibility of obtaining the product keys stored on another hard disk or on another computer on the network. It can be useful when you want to reinstall the system and you cannot initialize it locally, in order to run ProduKey.

How to find the key with Belarc Advisor

- Download Belarc Advisor, a free PC audit program with full support for Windows 8 that also works as a key search tool. Unfortunately, it is not possible to manually locate the Windows 8 product key in the registry, so you will have to use a program like this.

Any product license finder that advertises support for Windows 8 will work in either edition: Windows 8 or Windows 8 Pro, as well as in any edition of Windows 8.1.

Install Belarc Advisor, following the instructions given during installation.

If you choose a different keyfinder, you should know that some of these programs offer additional installations of other programs, so be sure to uncheck those options during program installation if you don't want them.

Launch Belarc Advisor (initial analysis may take a while) and note the Windows 8 product key shown in the “Software Licenses” section.

The Windows 8 product key is a series of 25 letters and numbers, and it should look like this: xxxxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxxxx-xxxxxxx-xxxxx.

Write down the Windows 8 key exactly as shown to use it when reinstalling Windows 8.

Make sure each and every letter and number is written exactly as shown. If it is not transcribed correctly, the license will not work to reinstall Windows 8.

Other options to know the license number

If Belarc Advisor didn't find the Windows 8 product key, you can try other key search utilities like LicenseCrawler or Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder.

However, if you need to install Windows 8 but have not successfully found the Windows 8 product key with a product key search program, you have two more options:

You can request a replacement license or purchase a new copy of Windows 8 from a retailer like Amazon, which will, of course, come with a new and valid product key. Applying for a replacement Windows product license is going to be much more cost-effective than buying an entirely new copy of Windows 8, but you may have to if the replacement doesn't work.

Obtain the license from the UEFI firmware

Computers shipped with Windows 8 have an encrypted product key embedded in UEFI (successor to BIOS) firmware. When you reinstall the same version of Windows 8 on a PC that comes with this license, it will be applied and activated automatically. You will not see any notice for you to type this license, since everything will happen automatically.

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This only applies if you are installing the same copy of Windows. This does not apply if you install an update copy, a system creator copy, or a different edition of Windows 8. This will also not work if you try to install Windows 8.1 on a PC that comes with Windows 8, as Windows 8.1 and Windows 8 have Different product licenses for some reason, so you will need to install the original version of Windows 8 and then upgrade to Windows 8.1 through the Windows Store.

Look it up in a purchase confirmation email

If you purchased Windows 8 online, you will find the Windows 8 product license included in an email that Microsoft sent you at the time of purchase. The product key in this email can be used when reinstalling Windows 8.

Find the license in the Windows Registry

The last method is by entering the Registry of the operating system. To do this, you just have to follow a few simple steps.

Press Win + R. Type in the "regedit" box, without quotes. Go to the following path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion. Once there, locate the value "Productld". Right click with the mouse and select "Modify". A window will open. The license is located in “Value data”. Copy it and salt without making modifications.