I had reinstalled my windows but i dont remember the product key

[eapenZ]

My hard disk crashed and repaired locally. The reinstalled windows 10 but the system is asking the product key. Where I can find my old  product key

[Paul_Tikkanen · Accepted solution]

Hi:

The Windows product key is encrypted in your PC's BIOS.

You don't need the key to reinstall W10.

You can download and install the free Showkey Plus app from the Microsoft Store and it will show you the Windows OEM product key in the BIOS and the version of W10 the key is good for.

ShowKeyPlus - Microsoft Apps

If Windows is asking for a product key, then you probably installed the wrong edition of W10.

Your notebook came with W10 single language.

You can use the HP cloud recovery tool and a 32 GB USB flash drive to create a bootable USB recovery drive that will reinstall Windows, the drivers and the software that originally came with your PC.

Here is an info link for how to use the utility.

HP Consumer PCs - Using the HP Cloud Recovery Tool in Windows 11 and 10 | HP® Customer Support

You can download the software from the Microsoft Store:

HP Cloud Recovery Tool - Microsoft Apps

If you have to use the utility on another PC, you will need to enter your PC's product number in the tool's search window in order to proceed to make the recovery media.

Your PC's product number is:  4QM23PA#ACJ

[eapenZ]

Dear @Paul_Tikkanen,

Thanks for giving me the correct solution. I had created a recovery tool and reinstalled it. During the installation It did not ask for key. After that when I checked with showkeyplus I could find both installed key as well as OEM are same. But after taking an update it is asking for update. Again I checked in showkeyplus, it shows  installed key as MAK key not available. What mistake I have done. Pl clarify

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome.

Unfortunately, I don't know what the problem could be.

No matter what, there should have been an OEM product key showing with the Showkey Plus app.

So, I don't know why an update would have cause the OEM key to disappear.

The only suggestion I can offer would be to use the Cloud recovery tool again and this time print out the Showkey plus report so you have the OEM key to reenter if whatever update caused that problem causes it again.

I've never had that happen to me before, so I can't understand why the OEM key disappeared.