Open a Notepad and copy-paste the following: Set WshShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell") MsgBox ConvertToKey(WshShell.RegRead("HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\DigitalProductId")) ...

Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 both require a product key for activation, as detailed in another Microsoft support document. And what of Microsoft Office? If you have a subscription to Office 365, you ...

When you buy a copy of Windows 11/10, you get a product key. This key is used to activate Windows on your computer. It’s a 25-character product key, and it’s important that you keep it noted somewhere ...

If you've purchased a new PC with Windows pre-installed in the past few years, you might have noticed a few changes on the outside of the device. The biggest change is the absence of a product key, ...

Microsoft's Windows Genuine Advantage team have responded to this week's news that a Windows 7 Ultimate licensing hack had been identified. After a Lenovo OEM Windows 7 image leaked and was used to ...

Reader Chris needs to reinstall Windows 7 Home Basic on his laptop. Just one problem: he lost his recovery discs. A more common problem is when you need to reinstall Windows and you never had recovery ...

The Windows activation loophole has now been closed by Microsoft, so you’ll have to buy a legit Windows 11 key. The Windows activation loophole has now been closed by Microsoft, so you’ll have to buy ...

Microsoft warned us last month that our favorite Windows upgrade loophole was over, but now it’s official: The activation servers no longer let you use Windows 7 or 8 license keys to activate Windows ...

Microsoft might ask you to enter your Windows 7 key during the process in order to qualify for the $14.99 upgrade. Lance Whitney is a freelance technology writer and trainer and a former IT ...

The 32-bit link may need to be refreshed many times, about 15 for me until it worked. I gave it a try, and the same worked for me and several Lifehacker commenters. I'm guessing these servers are ...