Windows 7 activation failing with OEM key

[David_J_W]

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@mdklassen wrote:

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@David_J_W wrote:

If HP do offer recovery media, I expect it will prompt you to enter the Product Key from the Windows 7 sticker

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The HP-modified software verifies that it is being installed on HP hardware, instead of prompting you for the product-key.  The product-key embedded with the software is the OEM key -- same for every unit of the same model of HP computer. You never need to "activate" this key -- Windows recognizes that it is an OEM key, and does not need to try to activate over the Internet. Microsoft "blocks" this key from being used to "activate". You need the product-key on the decal only if you try to install the "generic" version of Windows, where the media is supplied by Microsoft.

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@thank you for correcting my error. That's good news then - as the recovery media would offer a possible way out of this conundrum. I hope @sumit1483 can source the recovery media for their system.

If sourcing recovery media proves impossible, it might be Microsoft can help. If the key on the sticker was ever activated, maybe Microsoft can work with a photo of the damaged sticker, the system's Ethernet MAC address and other parameters that are part of the activation. That said, it sounds like the code on the sticker might never have been activated, in which case Microsoft might have nothing to work with.

The 'activation in the BIOS chip' system used for OEM licences of Windows 8 and above is not without its flaws, but at least it offers a simple way out of this conundrum; you simply install the generic OS which activates using the stored licence.

[mdklassen]

> The recovery media would offer a possible way out of this conundrum.

> I hope @sumit1483 can source the recovery media for their system.

I looked on the HP Support web-site, and HP does not currently offer to sell the Recovery Set for this model.

Instead,

see: Windows 7 64B Recovery Kit 671630-001 For HP Pavilion Select Edition Entertainment Notebook PC Model...  

for a source to purchase a copy of the original HP software, for $27 US.

> If sourcing recovery media proves impossible, it might be Microsoft can help.

I have my doubts.

> If the key on the sticker was ever activated,

Doubtful.  If the person is still using the factory-installed operating system, then the OEM key has been identified as an OEM key, and it does not need online activation.

> maybe Microsoft can work with a photo of the damaged sticker, the system's Ethernet MAC address and other parameters that are part of the activation.

Maybe.  Sigh.

> That said, it sounds like the code on the sticker might never have been activated, in which case Microsoft might have nothing to work with.

Agreed.  Indeed, there seems to be a "grey market" on eBay, with sellers listing those never-used product-keys for a few rubles.

[sumit1483 · Accepted solution]

Finally, I was able to recover sticker codes by applying some acrylic paint. The whole process took around 30 minutes with hit and trial.  Thanks, everyone for all your help and guidance. 

Recommendation for everyone - Dont rely on online softwares to retrieve windows key before reinstalling windows. Use below code to find out your current windows key:

Method 1: 

productkey.vbs

Set WshShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
MsgBox ConvertToKey(WshShell.RegRead("HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\DigitalProductId"))

Function ConvertToKey(Key)
Const KeyOffset = 52
i = 28
Chars = "BCDFGHJKMPQRTVWXY2346789"
Do
Cur = 0
x = 14
Do
Cur = Cur * 256
Cur = Key(x + KeyOffset) + Cur
Key(x + KeyOffset) = (Cur \ 24) And 255
Cur = Cur Mod 24
x = x -1
Loop While x >= 0
i = i -1
KeyOutput = Mid(Chars, Cur + 1, 1) & KeyOutput
If (((29 - i) Mod 6) = 0) And (i <> -1) Then
i = i -1
KeyOutput = "-" & KeyOutput
End If
Loop While i >= 0
ConvertToKey = KeyOutput
End Function

Method 2: Go to Registry

Navigate to the \"HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\" key in the registry. This holds several Windows settings for your machine.

[David_J_W]

It is great news that you managed to find a way of reading the key on the sticker and that it activated Windows correctly. Don't forget to make a note of the key in case the paint chips away and the sticker becomes illegible again.

It may well be that the key in question simply was never in the Windows Registry prior to your reinstallation. As has been indicated further up the thread, OEMs like HP were able to create Windows 7 installation kits that used generic keys on their hardware. Such a kit was used to install your system in the factory and was also used on the recovery media. You needed the unique key from the sticker because you were installing the generic version of Windows 7, as you were always perfectly entitled to do. For obvious reasons, Microsoft did not want generic OEM keys able to activate the generic version of Windows 7, otherwise people would have installed Windows for free.