Hello
On my Desktop Computer I moved from Win 7 to Win 10 at the time it was free ( more than 1 year ago )
When I use Speccy to get the information on my Operating system , I get Windows 10 Professional , and installation date , but the " Product Key is wrong " ( tested with many other tools )
Is there an explanation ?
Thanks for your help
Regards
double check the Product Key Speccy is showing with another program called Belarc.
I know Speccy was giving the wrong key years (or versions) ago.
also, if you upgraded from Win7, whatever software you end up using should show the original Win7 Product Key I believe.
how are you testing that the key is 'wrong'?
Thank you very much for your reply
1) No, if we upgrade from Win 7 to Win 10 , the product key is not anymore the key of Win7 , but a new product key Win 10
2) It seems there is a generic windows 10 and a product key ( attached to the machine on which was made the upgrade ? )
The litterature on this subject is very confusing
3) I checked the key product with :
- Belarc Advisor
- winAsKey
- Winfokey
- Advanced Token Manager
They all give the same Product Kei
4) Only Speccy gives a different value
I am not very confident anymore in Speccy ( unless somebody explain me what gives Speccy )
Best Regards
Hi,
The key displayed by Speccy is the Windows serial key, and not the license key that is used to activate Windows.
I hope this clears up any confusion
Thanks for your reply
What is the serial key compared to the licence key ( called Product key by everybody )
What is the use of the serial key ?
Nobody use this key ?
( all the softwares on the market talk of Product key ( what you call licence key ? )
Could you clarify this for everybody
Thank you for your help
Regards
The serial key is the unique identifier for that piece of software, where was the license/product key is just a code that unlocks the software to make us usable.
In other words, the serial key is like your address, but the product key is like the key to your front door.
I hope that helps
Ok
In case I will have to re-install Win 10 on my machine from scratch , the key that will be necessary is the " serial key " ?
Hi again,
To re-install Windows, you would need your license/product key
Have a look here for some explanations about keys.
If you are re-installing Windows 10 on the same machine you will not need to enter a key. Microsoft will already have it stored digitally (known as digital entitlement)
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/12440/windows-10-activation
OK , thanks to Tom Piriform and hazelnut for your patience
If for re-installation , only product key is useful , I still do not understand why " Speccy " gives a " serial number " and no " product key "
This makes everything very confusing
confusing??? hell yes.
the end user has never needed to know their 'serial key'.
another 'key' MS shows us is the Product ID shown in Control Panel, System, which is calculated from the Product Key.
MS only uses the Product Key (or activation key) found on the CoA (Certificate of Authenticity) sticker, either already stuck to the PC or on the Windows software packaging.
and it's that key that is used to install, activate, re-activate, or upgrade Windows.
also, this Serial Number Speccy shows, why is it in the format (xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx) of a Product Key if it's not the Product Key!
the Product ID is in a different format, usually with -OEM- in the ID but Win10 has changed that.
my suggestion, if the thing Speccy is showing isn't the Product Key, then it should be.
otherwise, don't show it.
I entirerly agree with mta .
Regards
The serial key is what some PC manufacturers need to know when you want a part or info on something about your machine.
As Speccy is essentially a hardware specs tool, it is natural I guess that it should include the serial key info.
Perhaps Speccy may add the product key info at some point in the future.. who knows.
The serial key is what some PC manufacturers need to know when you want a part or info on something about your machine.
you're not mixing the term serial key with serial number are you?
neither of which Windows has to my knowledge.
but today would be a good day to be corrected and learn something new...
you're not mixing the term serial key with serial number are you?
neither of which Windows has to my knowledge.
but today would be a good day to be corrected and learn something new...
As if I'd mix the two up mta !
I meant the serial number but my keyboard typed 'key' instead
The whole thing is confusing for people, and I need to go and lie down in a dark room now with a damp edition of the Speccy manual on my forehead
I think hazelnut and Tom Piriform , you are really of bad faith
You should take some time to re-think about the definitions of product keys , serial key , product id , serial number ...
You cannot be against all the rest of the world by only showing " serial key " in Speccy , which has a minor interest
Regards
JacquesG,
Although I am moderator I am just a volunteer here and not employed by Piriform, so I have no say in what they do.
I wish I did
I can't vouch for Speccy under Windows 10 and this serial key thingy, but definitely a year or two ago there was a post from a user claiming that Speccy's Product Key (yes, Product Key) didn't match another software's extraction of the key.
I think Piriform must have fixed it or released a new version, whatever, but there was a time in the past where the 'key' supplied by Speccy definitely matched my Windows 7 installation of the time.
Anyway, if it doesn't now, it doesn't - it is what it is.
Probably not what Speccy should be showing anyway. Stick to the hardware specs.
A good lie down does sound appropriate.
Have a look here for some explanations about keys.
If you are re-installing Windows 10 on the same machine you will not need to enter a key. Microsoft will already have it stored digitally (known as digital entitlement)
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/12440/windows-10-activation
I upgraded a laptop from win 8.1 to win 10 during the free giveaway period. It has win 10 on it now.
If I revert back to win 8.1 and run that for a while, then wish to reinstall win 10, which of these "keys" will I need?
It sounds like it will be the one stored by microsoft, aka the digital entitlement key. Right?
Microsoft already has it stored. . . where is it? I assume it on their servers, but wouldn't take anything for granted.
Will my computer automatically be recognized and activated during the reinstallation of win 10?
I shall now have a nice slice of key lime pie take a rest.
Microsoft have your Win 8.1/10 machine digital entitlement on their servers now. (They know everything )
Provided you don't change the hardware when you go back to 8.1 it should be auto recognised.
For everything else there is always Produkey from nirsoft