Need help discovering my license to reinstall corrupted windows

[searle]

Hi All,

My windows 7 system is failing to boot so I'm looking at having to reformat my drive and reinstall.

As I can't boot up my system, most of the options for finding out my license key I have found on the internet are pretty much redundant, does anyone have any suggestions?

To clarify, I'd like the license/key that allows me to legally reinstall windows once I have wiped my drive, as I don't want to have to pay for a whole new license as I don't feel I should have to!

Is this something that is possible to do? If so can I do it without being able to boot my system? (I can access the command prompt as an option of the windows bootup repair, and can access files by booting Ubuntu from a USB stick)

Thanks

Edit: I can find no trace of the windows sticker which usually lists such information

 

[Britton30]

There is a sticker somewhere on the PC case with the needed key. If you bought the w7 disk, it's on the packaging.

 

[Ztruker]

See here: Windows 8 product key

Works with XP, Vista and Windows 7 as well.

 

[searle]

Hi guys,

thanks for your rapid responses,

it is a refurbished laptop and doesn't seem to have the sticker on the outside, not sure whether it used to and has somehow come off or whether it was never on it but that isn't an option.

As mentioned in my post Ztruker, I'm currently unable to boot in Windows, only in Linux, though I can access the command prompt.

Would your suggested fix work in Ubuntu? (I imagine not)

 

[Britton30]

Try using that .vbs script via command prompt at boot, as you said you can get that far.
Any idea why it won't boot?

Whoever sold it should have gave a key with the machine.

 

[searle]

Sorry by this do you mean type all the script into the windows command prompt that is meant to be saved as a .vbs in the guide?

I have a second thread running as to the actual problem but I don't hold too much hope, nothing I've tried has worked and I've been at it for a couple of weeks now (http://www.sevenforums.com/backup-r...ystem-32-files-preventing-laptop-booting.html)

So I'm now at the stage where I want to wipe and start again, which I'm not hugely bothered by as I've copied the files I want to keep to another harddrive but I'm struggling to organise a valid W7 installation to set up once I wipe. Obviously a fix would be preferable!

 

[Britton30]

Try this one:http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/3413-repair-install.html#post31238
See the Note box if you need to make a new install media.

I'm not sure if typing the text in a cmd window will work, I'm not well versed in scripts.

 

[Ztruker]

Just create the Showkey.vbs script and copy it to the root of your C: drive then run it from the Command Prompt. I don't think it will work as it has a graphical output but it's worth a try.

Also, try running sfc /scannow from the Command Prompt.

 

[gregrocker]

Why would you not even mention the make or model? If it's Dell the COA sticker with Product Key may be under the battery.

If it's refurbished Win7 it still should have a sticker proving you were sold Genuine Windows. If you'd mentioned the model we would already know what OS ships with it to know if it's Win7. If so it may have a Recovery partition. But to tell you how to run that we need to know the maker.

What I would do now is make the Win7 installation DVD for your licensed version from http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/219487-clean-reinstall-factory-oem-windows-7-a.html#post1839164 then boot it to run http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/681-startup-repair.html?ltr=S. If that fails after running it a few times, work through the steps in http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/219533-troubleshooting-windows-7-failure-boot.html. It may be preferable to fix Win7 so we can look at the http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=52012 report to know if it is even a Genuine copy of Windows, and if so help you audit the key for future reinstall.