windows 8.1 product key

[slixp09]

i have a product key they gave me with the original 32 and 64 versions of windows 8.1.          Two discs and only 1 key  !    trying to install my 64 version but key is no longer valid.               how do i activate or find new key !    I can get around this with all other operating systems    - why not 8 .1 ?                                                                                                                                                                                                        Anybody  help ?

[WAWood]

@slixp09 

The same product key used with both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows.  The product key varies  by Windows version (e.g., Home vs Pro) but not by bit-size.

With Win8 and newer, the product key was embedded into the BIOS on the chip on the motherboard; there was no card or printed version of the key.

HP does not provide extra keys -- but you can retrieve the key using this utility:  https://www.tenforums.com/software-apps/2577-showkeyplus.html

And ... you can follow the instructions below to create a bootable USB you can then use to run Windows, and if you add the utility to the USB stick, you can then run it and get your product key.

Macrium Reflect is a free tool that can be used to image and restore PCs, but it also has an option to create Rescue Media (in disk or USB form) that can then be used to boot and/or Repair your PC.

It is available from here: http://www.macrium.com/reflectfree.aspx

What I recommend is the following:
a) Download and install Macrium Reflect (MR)
b) Use the option to create a boot USB stick or CD
c) Boot your PC from the MR media -- it will take a while, so be patient!