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How do I recover my windows license after a complete wipe of the SSD in the G771?

BeardNinja
Level 7
Being a noob to UEFI, I completely wiped my drives before installing the windows 10 preview some time ago.

Is there any way I can recover my Windows License?
12,687 Views
5 REPLIES 5

styling100
Level 7
BeardNinja wrote:
Being a noob to UEFI, I completely wiped my drives before installing the windows 10 preview some time ago.

Is there any way I can recover my Windows License?


If you install the right version of windows, the serial is not needed because it's taken by the UEFI bios.

styling100 wrote:
If you install the right version of windows, the serial is not needed because it's taken by the UEFI bios.

you're partially right... but one might think from your answer that @BeardNinja can use his builtin license just by installing win10 without any special efforts -> that is NOT correct.

If your laptop came with pre-installed win 8 -> upgrade to windows 8.1, as only win 8.1 is able to upgrade freely ( till 29.8.16 ) to windows 10.
ONLY if your laptop came with pre-installed win 10, you can format & install the same version ( i.e home edition with OEM channel ) to utilize the built-in product key.

so, probably cuz you got win 8.1 pre-installed, inorder to "upgrade" your built-in product key to be win 10 compatible, you MUST install win 8.1 ( HOME edition, OEM channel ), and you MUST connect to the internet inorder to "communicate" with MS server, so that your license will be registered in their servers ( you so that by right click on "computer" -> properties -> look at the bottom to check your license status -> if "activated" you're OK to move to the win10 upgrade step )

Then you can choose your "upgrade" route to get windows 10:
Either perform the "official" upgrade WITHOUT wiping all your data during the upgrade process ( I.E you must NOT choose "Clean" upgrade )
OR
you can perform my suggested method to "upgrade" your product key, without the need to go through th... ( I.E you perform a clean install with additional little action that upgrade your OS & product key from being 8.1->10 genuine.

P.S - have you picked a look at that sticky before posting this thread (Guide: How to install windows 8/8.1/10 The proper way (UEFI based installation))?
I mean - does something missing there, that you couldn't post your question there ?
Asus G751JT
Samsung EVO 850 120GB + 1TB HDD 7200RPM
Cleaned installed Win 10 HOME
My Guides:

  • [POST=538713]ROG LAPTOPS: COMPLETE DRIVER LIST ![/POST]
  • [POST=538713]How to install windows 8/8.1/10 on any UEFI supported laptop the PROPER way[/POST]
  • [POST=538711]HOW TO (EASILY!) UPGRADE FROM WIN7 SP1/8.1 WITHOUT GOING THROUGH THE UPGRADE PROCESS ITSELF ![/POST]
  • [POST=605307]HOW TO REMAP FN+KEY AND SPECIAL BUTTONS: "STEAM", "ROG" & "SHADOWPLAY"[/POST]
  • [POST=539663]Win 10 x64: SETUP USB @SUPERSPEED, NO HANG-UPS! | ACCELERATES USB 3.0/2.0 TRANSFER RATE SPEED TWICE![/POST]

I didn't realize the license is in the UEFI BIOS. (UEFI still puzzles me), I did take a quick scan through that post regarding installing windows the proper way, but disregarded it as I didn't understand the nature of windows licenses these days.

Thanks for the help, I'll get to work going through all that now. 🙂

Camill
Level 7
Don't you have your license number in BIOS?

Gps3dx
Level 12
UEFI = latest BIOS technology ~10 years old ( born out of EFI )= CSM disabled
BIOS = technology that was invented ~40 years ago! = CSM enabled ( in G751 bios menus )
they're are both do what the BIOS abbr. stands for: basic I/O system - a "basic" software that communicate with the different HW connected to form a PC.

About the "serial" been "in the bios"... it is more coplicated then this, as it has a lot with some special table that the OEM ( ASUS ) has installed inside the "bios" itself... it is called "SLIC", and this "tech" has been advanced since win 7, so it isn't possible anymore to just "flash" a mod bios with "SLIC" with the right info...
moreover, once your laptop ( once that came with pre-installed windows 8/8.1/10) connected to the net, MS servers got your unique "HW id", and from that moment on, you can transform any cleaned installed windows ( of the same version ) to be a genuine windows, just by connecting again to the internet ( the activation process being done automatically once you enter the "activation" screen by right click "computer"->properties ).
Moreover, once MS server got your "HW ID" & you're activated, you can activate your any future installation of same window version with a general "product key" - a number that is freely and officially published by MS ( if there is some "traffics" with the auto-activation ).
Please note: you MUST install the SAME OS version ( if you had win8.1 HOME install that one not PRO version!)
and you MUST install it with the "OEM" channel.
To actually know how to perform that installation - please refer to the sticky thread "How to install windows 8/8.1/10 The proper way (UEFI based installation)"
Asus G751JT
Samsung EVO 850 120GB + 1TB HDD 7200RPM
Cleaned installed Win 10 HOME
My Guides:

  • [POST=538713]ROG LAPTOPS: COMPLETE DRIVER LIST ![/POST]
  • [POST=538713]How to install windows 8/8.1/10 on any UEFI supported laptop the PROPER way[/POST]
  • [POST=538711]HOW TO (EASILY!) UPGRADE FROM WIN7 SP1/8.1 WITHOUT GOING THROUGH THE UPGRADE PROCESS ITSELF ![/POST]
  • [POST=605307]HOW TO REMAP FN+KEY AND SPECIAL BUTTONS: "STEAM", "ROG" & "SHADOWPLAY"[/POST]
  • [POST=539663]Win 10 x64: SETUP USB @SUPERSPEED, NO HANG-UPS! | ACCELERATES USB 3.0/2.0 TRANSFER RATE SPEED TWICE![/POST]