How to check Windows product key(BIOS injected and normal).

The laptops/branded PCs sold after 2010-11 started to not have the Windows product key sticker if it came pre-installed. This is because while manufacturing the product key was injected into the BIOS itself, so that people would not lose it and while installing the OS it would detect it automatically from BIOS and not ask the user. The contrary has happened.

This started to create problems for advanced users who keep installing different OS and replace the pre-installed one. If they did not note down the product key, then it would cause problems while re-installing the original OS if they did not have the DVD of the same Windows version as a different version of other build number does not accept that product key even if edition of Windows is same.

This recently happened to one of friends who lost her Windows Activation as she hadn't noted the key. We did some research and managed to bring it back.

Solution 1 : For BIOS injected product key.

Step 1: Go to rweverything.com and download their free software

Step 2: Install software by running the 'SetupRW.exe' file inside the zip folder. Start the application after installing.

Step 3: Click on 'ACPI Tables' and a dialog will be displayed within the app.

Step 4: Select 'MSDM' in this dialog and your bios data will be displayed with the injected product key written on the last line and beside the hex values as shown. I have blurred out my key for security reasons.

Solution 2 : If you are running pre-installed OS and just want to check keys

Step 1: Anywhere on the desktop or other drives right click and select 'New' and 'Text Document'. This will open up notepad.

Step 2: Paste the following in the notepad.

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

 Step 3: Save it and close. Change the extension from '.txt. to '.vbs'. If you double click this it will run as a Visual Basic Script file identified by Windows itself and you will see the product key from the Registry. This is the product key of your current OS and NOT your BIOS injected key.

If you are running the pre-installed version of Windows then the BIOS injected and VB Script product keys will be same.

However once you update to Windows 8.1 or 10 it will change as Microsoft gives a new product key for a different version of Windows.

As I have shown here the pre-installed Windows 8 product key in BIOS and updated Windows 10 key is different! Look at the starting and ending characters.