Windows Product Key

[aal3]

Hi all,

I have an old 2010 HP Pavilion dv6 and during attempting system recovery it got stuck. Upon restart, the bootmgr is not loading, and the F11 key on the keyboard doesn't work.

I tried to download windows, but it requires a product key and since the computer is so old, the product key on the sticker has been erased due to wear. I contacted microsoft for the product key, and they said I should contact HP since the computer came with windows pre-installed. I cannot reach HP about that, only the virtual assistant.

Anyway, I could obtain the product key?

It's a very old rarely used computer, but it is in good working condition except for a few keys on the keyboard not working, F11 being one of which, for my luck.

Thanks in advance.

[WAWood]

@aal3 

First off, HP keeps no records of individual Windows product keys associated with individual PCs, so there is nothing we can send you.

Second, the reason you can't download Windows 7 from Microsoft is that they want a RETAIL product key -- and you do not have one because your PC had an HP OEM version of Windows preloaded to it.  The OEM product key can not be used to download a retail ISO from Microsoft.

Why is the DV6 doing a system recovery? 

[aal3]

If HP doesn't keep individual PC product keys, then they should've done a better job at protecting the sticker on the back of the PC.

Is there a way I can put the system recovery software on a bootable USB drive from another computer. The whole issue is just one key that doesn't work....it's so frustrating

[WAWood]

@aal3 

OK, so in ten YEARS, you could not have spent 5 minutes and copied off the product key from the sticker?  I created a file with this information within the first few days when I owned my DV6.  I also ran a utility that copied the key into a file and saved that off to another PC.  There are things you easily could have done -- but did not.  That is not HP's fault.

 As to the question, the recovery files are unique to each model, so what is present on another PC is not going to work with the DV6 laptop.

[aal3]

Thanks for your help. However, previously the windows product key, would be on the user manual that came with the laptop. The laptop I had before the said dv6, was a Fujitsu Siemens, bought in 2005, and until this very day 16 years later the windows product key is perfectly visible at the bottom of the computer, which I thought my then "new" HP would. But it faded away and I never needed it until in this situation.

However, I was able to resolve the issue, and genuine Windows was installed normally.

Thanks again for your help 🙂

[WAWood · Accepted solution]

@aal3 

Glad to hear it's OK now.  If you download and run this utility, it will find the Windows product key on each PC it is run on, and export that to a file that you can then print or copy to a USB stick:  https://www.tenforums.com/software-apps/2577-showkeyplus.html

[KawsU555]

Pavilion dv7