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- HP Community
- Notebooks
- Notebook Operating System and Recovery
- Can I get my windows 8.1 product key from HP?

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10-06-2021 10:14 PM
I have a dead HP Photo Smart Laptop. The computer and HDD no longer works. I am building a desktop but I don't want to buy another Win OS. Can I use the Win OS key from the dead laptop on my desktop build or do I need to purchase a new Win OS? I'm trying to save some money but not sure if this is legal.
Would HP have a record of the disk that came with the laptop? I neither have access to any of these items. I just need a legal copy of Win OS for my desktop build. Any advise is appreciate it.
Thanks,
m3chunga
10-07-2021 07:52 AM
Hi:
What you want to do is not legal according to the Microsoft's licensing rules, which I have attached below.
You cannot transfer an OEM license from the original PC it was installed on to another PC.
Also the W8.1 product key is in your notebook's BIOS, and if you installed a new hard drive, used the showkey plus app to get the product key, the key would not work on any other PC anyway.