Windows 7: windows 7 key

I've done a clean installation of win 7 home for a mate on his laptop and want to use the product key that is underneath the laptop to complete the installation but the key has faded completely, I've emailed toshiba about it as its a toshiba model but ive had no response and its been 2 days. Is there any way to retrave it any quicker?

No, theres no way. I dont think Toshiba will respond either but good luck, have your original purchase documentation ready.

Hello romdut, welcome to Seven Forums!


For future reference, edit the Windows activation key out first, before you do the new install using this great little free app linked below, it'll even run from a USB stick and doesn't have to be "installed" to Windows for it to run; sorry it's no help now.

SIW - System Information for Windows

If you have any UV lamp try to read it with that, you should have written it down somewhere, microsoft should have made a sticker that is not so crap.

@ speedgamer01, I don't believe this is Microsoft's fault

You're right I don't know who made it

You may be able to audit the currently-installed Product Key as suggested but I am not sure it will work if the factory OEM-SLP activation method was used to activate the current OS.

Using the Product Key on the COA sticker requires a different OEM-COA activation method for which only the COA key can work.

In the past I have been able to have MS phone activation parse the key read from the HD by a program like Belarc Advisor, however others report that it won't work.

For this reason your best course is to pursue replacing the key with the manufacturer, or ordering the manufacturers Recovery Disks which will self-activate. Of course you can do this while concurrently trying a clean install with SLP key read from HD, but no promises.

Bill2 will correct me if I've gotten any of this wrong.

How to use Toshiba Recovery.
How to use the Toshiba HDD Recovery Utility

You can order Toshiba Recovery disks from here:
https://www.csd.toshiba.com/cgi-bin/...rification.jsp

If you go onto the Toshiba laptop and go to Control Panel >> System and then you can get the licence key from there!

The Toshiba Product Key is on the COA sticker on base, not in Control Panel.