Find Windows 7 product key

[TwoDogsTwoCats2]

Good morning,
I bought this laptop with Vista, and the original offer was that I would get the Windows 7 upgrade. I upgraded a few years ago, then, but now I'm wanting to get the Windows 10 upgrade, but it keeps hanging around 35%. This is both from the direct download, as well as from an ISO on a thumb drive. I am thinking that I should wipe the drive, and then do a clean W 10 install. I have the Vista sticker on the bottom of the laptop, still, but am not sure if that would be the same Product Key, as the W 7 upgrade. I will be asked for a key for W 10 if I do the clean install, so I want to be sure I have the right one.
Thanks!

 

[Dunlop0078]

No you cannot do a clean install of windows 10 without first upgrading to get the windows 10 key. The vista product key will not work for win 10. What laptop is it?

 

[Jester Maroc]

Even doing a clean install should work. I upgraded 3x work machines last week, all were running Windows 7 Pro. I did a clean install and everything works fine. Microsoft will access the license from your MB. I did not select upgrade while booted in the Win 7 OS, I also did not select upgrade while in the Win 10 setup. I simply deleted the HDD partitions, reformatted, and did a clean install. When Win 10 asked me for a key, I selected "do not have key". Once Win 10 was selected, I opened control panel > > > activation and Microsoft activated the machines to Win 10 Pro.

Are you still running the Windows 7 on the laptop, since the upgrade failed? If so, you can download http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html and it will give you your current product key which you can then insert when upgrading to Win 10.

 

[SkyNetRising]

You have to do all windows updates before upgrading to win10.
If you have not done them, upgrade process checks for updates and tries to install them.
Some issue is probably preventing it.

And Vista key will not work for win10 upgrade. You can extract win7 key with produkey:
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html

 

[Dunlop0078]

Even doing a clean install should work. I upgraded 3x work machines last week, all were running Windows 7 Pro. I did a clean install and everything works fine. Microsoft will access the license from your MB.

Are you still running the Windows 7 on the laptop, since the upgrade failed? If so, you can download http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html and it will give you your current product key which you can then insert when upgrading to Win 10.

A windows 7 key that you extract with that program will not activate windows 10, the OP needs to first upgrade from 7 to 10 which will get them a win 10 product key, the key is then saved to the motherboard and they can wipe the drive and clean install win 10 as many times as they want

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

https://www.piriform.com/speccy
Will also show product key , but you need Windows 7 SP1 , instaaed to upgrade to 10.

 

[Jester Maroc]

Even doing a clean install should work. I upgraded 3x work machines last week, all were running Windows 7 Pro. I did a clean install and everything works fine. Microsoft will access the license from your MB.

Are you still running the Windows 7 on the laptop, since the upgrade failed? If so, you can download http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html and it will give you your current product key which you can then insert when upgrading to Win 10.

A windows 7 key that you extract with that program will not activate windows 10, the OP needs to first upgrade from 7 to 10 which will get them a win 10 product key, the key is then saved to the motherboard and they can wipe the drive and clean install win 10 as many times as they want

That is not entirely true. I also installed Win 10 on a old HP workstation of mine running Win Vista. I reformatted the HDD, booted Win 10 setup from USB (latest ISO downloaded from Microsoft), went through setup, and inserted a Win 7 license key from an old laptop of mine that died. It activated just fine once connected to the internet. I am guessing Microsoft is providing some leeway during this upgrading phase. Or maybe I got lucky! It is all legal though, as the license does belong to me.

EDIT: Just to be clear, Win 7 was never installed on this HP machine, it was actually running on Ubuntu. The ease with which all my other machines upgraded was what convinced me to try to get it to upgrade to Win 10 as well.

 

[Dunlop0078]

Really? I have always been told you need to upgrade first to get the win 10 key before you can do a clean install. Maybe they changed it.

 

[Jester Maroc]

Yes, the latest ISO has changed that. 4 weeks ago this was not possible. I had to go the slower and more cumbersome route with a few other machines.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

Or the key might be blacklisted in a month or two , like happens to some people.

 

[SkyNetRising]

Yes you can install win10 using win7 key.
But you still can't use vista key for that.

 

[TwoDogsTwoCats2]

No you cannot do a clean install of windows 10 without first upgrading to get the windows 10 key. The vista product key will not work for win 10. What laptop is it?

It's a Sony Vaio VGN-FW465J

 

[TwoDogsTwoCats2]

Even doing a clean install should work. I upgraded 3x work machines last week, all were running Windows 7 Pro. I did a clean install and everything works fine. Microsoft will access the license from your MB. I did not select upgrade while booted in the Win 7 OS, I also did not select upgrade while in the Win 10 setup. I simply deleted the HDD partitions, reformatted, and did a clean install. When Win 10 asked me for a key, I selected "do not have key". Once Win 10 was selected, I opened control panel > > > activation and Microsoft activated the machines to Win 10 Pro.

Are you still running the Windows 7 on the laptop, since the upgrade failed? If so, you can download http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html and it will give you your current product key which you can then insert when upgrading to Win 10.

Yes, I'm still running Windows 7. I will try the nirsoft viewer to get my key. I have a legitimate copy of W7, as it was one of the "buy now with Vista and get free Windows 7 upgrade" offers. I want to wipe drive and install W 10 from iso on thumb drive, as it is hung up at 32% ( the last couple tries was 35%). I've run Windows Update, with some failures, but the last time was all successful, so I thought I was good there.

 

[TwoDogsTwoCats2]

You have to do all windows updates before upgrading to win10.
If you have not done them, upgrade process checks for updates and tries to install them.
Some issue is probably preventing it.

And Vista key will not work for win10 upgrade. You can extract win7 key with produkey:
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html

I wasn't sure if the key went with the machine, or the OS. Having bought the machine with Vista, I have that sticker, but I didn't worry about the Windows 7 key, as I haven't needed to since installing it. I have run Windows Update, and believe I'm updated. I'm hung at 32%, though, so I really just want to wipe drive and install from iso

 

[TwoDogsTwoCats2]

https://www.piriform.com/speccy
Will also show product key , but you need Windows 7 SP1 , instaaed to upgrade to 10.

I just forced a shutdown and will look for Windows 7 key. Then I will wipe drive and try iso. I have a backup, as well as a Windows created image on an external drive, if I need to recover. Worst case, I'm going to install Debian on the darn thing.

 

[TwoDogsTwoCats2]

Thank you all for your help! I got the key, so I am going to wipe the drive and see if I can get W 10 on the machine. I gave Jester Maroc the win, as that was the first reference to the nirsoft viewer. Sorry, I can only give one win 🙂