Changing the product key that you used to install Windows with might be necessary if you find out that your current product key is.. well, illegal, and you've purchased a new copy of Windows to solve the problem.
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While it's probably less common these days, many people still use product key generators or other illegal tools to get product keys that work to install Windows only to find out later, when they try to activate Windows, that their original plan isn't going to work out.
You could completely reinstall Windows using your new, valid key code, but changing the product key without reinstalling is considerably easier. You can change the product key manually by making certain registry changes or by using a wizard available in Control Panel.
The steps involved in changing your product key differ considerably depending on which Windows operating system you're using. See our article What Version of Windows Do I Have? if you're not sure.
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How to Change the Product Key in Windows 10, 8, 7, and Vista
Since some versions of Windows use slightly different names for some menus and windows pay close attention to the differences that are called out in those steps.
- Open Control Panel.
- In Windows 10 or Windows 8, the quickest way to do that is with the Power User Menu via the WIN+X keyboard shortcut.
- In Windows 7 or Windows Vista, go to Start and then Control Panel.
- Click or tap on the System and Security link (10/8/7) or System and Maintenance link (Vista).If you're viewing the Small icons or Large icons view (10/8/7) or Classic View (Vista) of Control Panel, you won't see this link. Simply open the System icon and proceed to Step 4.
- In the Windows activation area of the System window (10/8/7) or View basic information about your computer window (Vista), you'll see the status of your Windows activation and your Product ID number.The Product ID is not the same as your product key. To display your product key, see How to Find Microsoft Windows Product Keys.
- Next to the Product ID, you should see an Activate Windows (Windows 10) link or Change product key (8/7/Vista) link. Click or tap on this link to start the process of changing your Windows product key.If you're using Windows 10, an extra step is required here. In the Settings window that opens next, choose Change product key.
- In Windows 10 and Windows 8, enter the product key into the Enter a product key window.In Windows 7 and Windows Vista, the key should be entered into a screen called Windows Activation.If you're using Windows 10 or Windows 8, the key will be submitted once all the characters have been entered. In Windows 7 and Vista, press Next to continue.
- Wait on the Activating Windows.. message until the progress bar is complete. Windows is communicating with Microsoft to make sure that your product key is valid and to reactivate Windows.
- The Activation was successful message will appear after your product key has been validated and Windows has been activated.
- That's all there is to it! Your Windows product key has been changed.
Tap or click Close to close this window. You can now also close any other windows you opened in the above steps.
How to Change the Windows XP Product Key
A completely different process is required to change the Windows XP product key code because you have to make changes to the Windows Registry. It's important to take great care in making only the changes described below!
It's highly recommended that you back up the registry keys you're changing in these steps as an extra precaution.
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If you're uncomfortable making registry changes in order to change your Windows XP product key, using the popular free product key finder program called Winkeyfinder is another option. It's an excellent alternative solution to changing the Windows XP product key code manually.
Prefer screenshots? Try our Step by Step Guide to Changing the Windows XP Product Key for an easy walkthrough!
- Open Registry Editor via Start > Run. From there, type regedit and click OK.
- Locate the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE folder under My Computer and click on the plus sign (+) next the folder name to expand the folder.
- Continue to expand folders until you reach the following registry key:
- In the results that appear in the window on the right, locate OOBETimer.
- Right-click on the OOBETimer entry and choose Modify from the resulting menu.
- Change at least one digit in the Value data text box and click OK. This will deactivate Windows XP.
- In the text box in the Run window, type the following command and click OK.
- When the Let's activate Windows window appears, choose Yes, I want to telephone a customer service representative to activate Windows and then click Next.
- Click the Change Product Key button at the bottom of the window.Don't worry about filling anything out on this screen. It's not necessary.
- Type your new, valid Windows XP product key in the New key: text boxes and then click the Update button.
- Now reactivate Windows XP by following the instructions on the Activate Windows by phone window, which you should now be seeing, or via the internet by clicking the Back button and following the instructions on that screen.If you'd rather postpone activating Windows XP until a later date, you can click the Remind me later button.
- After activating Windows XP, you can verify that activation was successful by repeating steps 9 and 10 above.
The Windows Product Activation window that appears should say 'Windows is already activated. Click OK to exit.'
Click OK and you're done!
Active6 years, 6 months ago
I'm currently doing my first custom unattended Windows Seven DVD creation.I used WAIK with a retail Windows Seven DVD and created a 'AutoUnattend.xml' file thanks to WSIM.
Aiming to have a zero-interaction install, I wish to skip serial input, getting the OEM serial contained into the computer.
My project manager says this serial is contained in a chip in the computer and Windows install wouldn't bug me asking for a serial. But it keeps asking me for it.
I tried several ways, using 'Microsoft-Windows-SetupUserDataProductKey' and/or 'Microsoft-Windows-Shell-SetupProductKey', removing one of them, leaving them blank, editing 'ei.cfg' file to change 'Channel' from 'Retail' to 'OEM'. Nothing worked and I'm not sure doing this is legit.
Did you encounter this kind of problem? How did you get rid of it? Is it doable using an unattend file? Does the problem come from using a retail DVD to get an OEM key?
RifuRifu
2 Answers
Windows 7 OEM installations can be activated automatically using OEM System Locked Preactivation. This requires a BIOS with SLIC 2.1, with the proper cryotographic information from the manufacturer. It's been a while since I did this, and I don't remember the exact details, but you should be able to back up the SLIC files from an existing pre-activated install and include them in your deployment image.
SLIC activation only works if the BIOS and activation files in Windows agree, but they are typically the same for different computers from the same manufacturer. If all of your computers are from the same OEM, you should be able to back up the activation files once and add the restore process to the DVD.
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I found some info that might help, but unfortunately couldn't find any full details. Of course, you could just rebuild your unattended DVD using a Dell (or HP or whatever your OEM is) DVD as the source, and then it will have all of the activation files preinstalled.
You might find this tool useful; apparently it can back up some activation files.
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Does the problem come from using a retail DVD to get an OEM key?
YES. The only real way to get a true 'Zero Touch' windows install is with MDT and/or SCCM with Windows 7 / 8 Enterprise KMS, or to use a MAK Key.
What can work is using the original preinstalled OEM in the image the OEM sent out, while that won't work for activation, you can use it to at least automate the builds and then put the Key in later after the deployment is finished when you go to activate windows later. Put that key in your xml file.
If you used MDT and a KMS server you could use
in your customsettings.ini file, and the task sequence simply skips the process
If you had a MAK key you would use:
Next you would create a custom mandatory application in the deployment share that runs this
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