

The one in the registry and key-viewer application is a red herring.

The actual key is on a certificate of authenticity (COA) sticker on your PC or its power supply. If your PC uses this, the product key on your PC - the one stored in the registry, and the one key-viewer applications display - will be different from the actual key your PC needs. Printed on a sticker: Some PCs use a technology called “System Locked Pre-installation,” or SLP.Crucially, you’ll need to grab it from your operating system before you begin reinstalling Windows or it could be deleted if you format your hard drive. You can extract this product key, and - often - enter it when reinstalling Windows on your PC. Stored in software on your PC: When you (or your PC manufacturer) installs Windows, Windows stores its product key in the registry.Where Is The Windows Product Key Located? Three Places You Might Find the Key: You can legally download Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 installation media directly from Microsoft. Reinstalling Windows often feels necessary, especially on new PCs that come packed with bloat ware. This is more confusing than it sounds – you may not be able to re-use the key your computer’s manufacturer used. Doing so would cause the error 0x803f7001.You will need a unique product key to reinstall Windows on your PC. Note that the above keys are for evaluation purposes and you can’t activate Windows using those keys. Windows 10 Edition Generic Keys Windows 10 Home YTMG3-N6DKC-DKB77-7M9GH-8HVX7 Windows 10 Home N 4CPRK-NM3K3-X6XXQ-RXX86-WXCHW Windows 10 Pro VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T Windows 10 Pro N 2B87N-8KFHP-DKV6R-Y2C8J-PKCKT Windows 10 Pro for Workstations DXG7C-N36C4-C4HTG-X4T3X-2YV77 Windows 10 Pro N for Workstations WYPNQ-8C467-V2W6J-TX4WX-WT2RQ Windows 10 Pro Education 8PTT6-RNW4C-6V7J2-C2D3X-MHBPB Windows 10 Pro Education N GJTYN-HDMQY-FRR76-HVGC7-QPF8P Windows 10 Education YNMGQ-8RYV3-4PGQ3-C8XTP-7CFBY Windows 10 Education N 84NGF-MHBT6-FXBX8-QWJK7-DRR8H Windows 10 Enterprise XGVPP-NMH47-7TTHJ-W3FW7-8HV2C Windows 10 Enterprise N WGGHN-J84D6-QYCPR-T7PJ7-X766F Windows 10 Enterprise S NK96Y-D9CD8-W44CQ-R8YTK-DYJWX Windows 10 S 3NF4D-GF9GY-63VKH-QRC3V-7QW8P Here is the list of generic keys for various Windows 10 Editions. When you use tools like ProduKey, MagicalJellyBean Keyfinder or a custom script to view the product key, only the generic key is shown and not the key from your previous (Windows 7/8) installation. If you have upgraded to Windows 10 from Windows 7 or 8 using the digital entitlement free upgrade scheme, your system is automatically assigned a generic key during upgrade. These generic keys work with any ISO or DVD/USB Windows setup media. In that situation, you can use the generic product keys for Windows 10 officially released by Microsoft. Windows 10 Setup – Can’t bypass Product Key input
