Installing Windows 10 on Multiple Devices?

derekimo said:

DRProcek said:

SIW2 said:

If your mum did an upgrade , you need the key from windows.old\windows\system32\config\Software hive

Okay, I followed that path, and I shouldn't have expected to just cleanly find the key lol.

In the software hive is just a document I opened with Notepad. Now I'm looking at the biggest wall of code I've ever seen, where most of the characters aren't even English. So lost.

Since you mention upgrade, I think this may work for you, worth a try anyway, it's had some success in the past,

tom982 said:

Hi thx1139,

I don't know how to do it in Jelly Bean, but I do with ProduKey:

Your Windows 7 product key is stored in the software registry hive, located here:

C:\Windows\system32\config\software

Please note, software is the file name, not a directory. It has no file extension. Your drive may have a different letter.

This is a little program that will tell you the product keys of the various software installed on your computer. What makes this different, is the ability to load keys from an external registry hive. Exactly what we want

So if you download and run ProduKey (by NirSoft):

http://www.nirsoft.n...key_viewer.html

Then press File > Select Source, you will be presented with a new menu. On this, select Load the product keys from an external Software Registry hive and you will be prompted to open a file. Navigate to the software hive on the external drive and open the hive. E.g. D:\Windows\system32\config\software. You should now have your product keys

Hope this helped.

Tom

Okay, my mom is here, so we were going to try the link you provided, but we don't know which one of these options we need to pick (in the attached image).

DRProcek said:

Update: Windows 10 has been installed onto my mom's computer, but it isn't activated and her product key is read as invalid (I used some code in a notepad to get the key, and I can paste the code here if needed).

You can't use a Windows 7 serial to install Windows 10. The only way to get free W10 is to do an inplace upgrade (from within Windows 7) on a genuine and activated SP1 W7. If using a usb/dvd etc W10 must be same edition ie Home > Home, Pro > Pro and same 32 or 64 bit. The W7 serial does not enter into the process, so is not needed.

Re : keyfinders - if the OP's computers are oem-slp (ie preinstalled Windows, store bought pc), a keyfinder (or code) will just find the generic serial that is the same for all pc's of that type/make. This will be different to the COA serial. The COA serial can be used for reinstall, the 'found/audited' key cannot.

When a W10 upgrade is sucessful it also has a generic serial. Microsoft sends hardware data to their servers to identify the machine, so any future clean W10 reinstall will activate.

If the OP originally installed Windows using a store bought OEM or retail Windows 7 disk, then any keyfinder will give the correct (and unique) serial, and it may be possible to fix his activation probs using those keys. However, the jury's still out re : rolling back to W7 - some say it's possible, others find they are no longer activated.