Reinstalling windows (& HP software) from scratch

[maxdehond]

Two years ago when I bought my notebook, there were a lot of issues that seemed to be caused by the windows version on the laptop (blue screens). A tech-savvy friend of me offered to fix the laptop and reinstalled windows. Since then the issues have been gone, until now.

The windows license expired (because it's cracked I think) and I don't have a key. Now I would like to go back to a fully legal copy of windows again anyway, because I want to avoid downloading shady things onto my notebook.

The problem I have is that I don't know how to get this key. When I bought the laptop, I paid for windows... but I never got the license key (cd / usb). Also, when I install windows from an external usb the way I'd normally do with any pc, that would not come with the HP software and most of the drivers (it's a laptop after all).

What can I do? I would like to restore the laptop to the original state software-wise. All my data is in the cloud so losing data would not be an issue. Thank you!

[WAWood]

@maxdehond

If there is no Windows sticker on the laptop, then most likely, it came with Win8 or Win10 and in those cases, the product key is encoded into the UEFI firmware of the motherboard.

What generally happens, is that when you install Win10, the information gets stored on the MS Activation Servers so that, if you reinstall Win10 anytime in the future, when you reconnect to the Internet, your PC queries the MS Activation Servers, and since it then sees your PC has already been registered, it reactivates Win10.

Since you say it was "cracked", then most likely, this will not work if you had an invalid key that some hack overrode.

If you use something known as HP Recovery Media to reinstall the original OS, you can STILL upgrade to Win10 for free -- you just can't do it through Windows Update, anymore.  To do that Update, you use this link to create Win10 install media, insert that into your PC (do NOT boot from it), find the folder containing the Windows installer, right-click setup.exe and run it.

MS Windows download link: Windows 10 download 

---------- Information on  HP Recovery Media ----------

HP Recovery Media is a set of DVDs and a CD, or USB stick, that will erase the hard drive (removing all data, settings, and applications, reinstall the original OS, drivers, and some HP Utilities. In some cases, you may be able to order a USB stick instead of disks. You have to order these from HP; they can not be downloaded.
You can look online for Recovery Media starting with the linked paged: http://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers
Once there, input your Product name or number. On your Software and Drivers Download page, select your Operating System and and Version. Click "Update". If HP Recovery Media is available for your machine, down near the bottom of the page, you will see an entry for Order Recovery Media-CD/DVD/USB. Click the "+" symbol to expand that entry and click on Order Media for details.
Or, if you prefer, you can do the same by contacting HP Customer Service:
If you live in the US or Canada, contact information is on this page: http://www8.hp.com/us/en/contact-hp/phone-assist.html#section1
If you live elsewhere, contact information is on this page: http://www8.hp.com/us/en/contact-hp/ww-contact-us.html
NOTE: After you get through, stay on the line until you are finally able to talk to some one -- it can take a while!
If you have trouble finding a phone number, then try: 1 (800) 474-6836
If HP no longer provides Recovery Media for your model, another site you can check is: http://www.computersurgeons.com
When you get the media, if it is a USB stick, insert it into your PC, pressing F9 to get a Boot menu, then select the External USB Hard Drive to boot from it.