How do i find my cd key win 8 laptop

[Hitman2000]

Ok I got a new zenbook ux31a recently

I decided to do a fresh install of windows 8 and to delete the recovery partition.

however once I did that I realise there is no sticker with the cd key like in the past.

how do I activate my windows 8?

edit

*title should be win 8...

[droidkid]

The key is "injected" into the Computers UEFI. All you have to do in get a copy of a windows 8/pro DVD and re-install it. Windows will detect the key upon installation and will activate upon having a network connection.

Source: I dealt with this issue a handful of times and on my own notebook as well.

[Hitman2000]

The key is "injected" into the Computers UEFI. All you have to do in get a copy of a windows 8/pro DVD and re-install it. Windows will detect the key upon installation and will activate upon having a network connection.

Source: I dealt with this issue a handful of times and on my own notebook as well.

hmm but when I installed windows 8

it asked me to put in a key and even when I connect to the internet it didn't activate anything.

[dafin0]

The key is "injected" into the Computers UEFI. All you have to do in get a copy of a windows 8/pro DVD and re-install it. Windows will detect the key upon installation and will activate upon having a network connection.

Source: I dealt with this issue a handful of times and on my own notebook as well.

I dont have anything to add other than this is true.

[Hitman2000]

btw I should mention I used this method :

http://superuser.com/questions/507111/if-usb-is-not-listed-in-bios-as-a-boot-option-does-that-mean-the-machine-cant

I think I must of accidently turned of the UEFI

because now when I renable the security features and CSM

its just boots back into the bio and my ssd is not detected...

[dafin0]

try resetting the BIOS back to defaults

i had this problem once before on a clients computer... cant remember how i fixed it sorry

[HawkMan]

Firstly, why would you delete the recovery partition.

Secondly, why would you delete the recovery partition without burning the recovery disks.

Thirdly call Asus

[Kelxin]

I've worked on a couple of these machines.

A) No, there is no CoA under the battery, under the motherboard, on the bottom, etc etc etc.

B) No, many of these machines don't have the serial number built into the UEFI, I've tried UEFI installs, and legacy installs to no avail of retrieving the serial number.

C) He probably wiped the recovery partition because it has a small (120GB or so) SSD in it, and the recovery partition is sucking down 20+ GB.

D) The only 2 ways that I've found to get the serial number is to grab it with something PRIOR to wiping the machine (I use Produkey x64) or by calling the OEM directly if you've already wiped.

E) There was ONE machine that had the CoA on the power plug (wierdest place in the world to have on IMO)

[jumbochilli]

Have you looked at your adapter, I have ux31e ultrabook and it's windows product key was on the adapter block?

Cheers

J.C

[Japlabot]

I set up a Zenbook running Windows 7 a little while ago, and the product key was located on the Power Brick.

[Kelxin]

Have you looked at your adapter, I have ux31e ultrabook and it's windows product key was on the adapter block?

Cheers

J.C

That was my E) recommendation from above.

[HawkMan]

I set up a Zenbook running Windows 7 a little while ago, and the product key was located on the Power Brick.

Yeah, but windows 8 in general doesn't have keys on the OEM laptops. just the RFID Windows 8 sticker under the laptop.

[Hitman2000]

I looked on the power adapter, nothing there.

@ the others

the laptop has 128gb SSD after the recovery partitions and everything it was down to about 70 gigs of useable space

so I thought I could get some more free hdd space

not to mention I like doing a clean install because notebooks come with a lot of crap.

Ive done this countless times with my other laptops, but obviously im not up to date with the whole uefi, maybe I should get the electric chair?

everyone has done something stupid with computers without thinking it through 100%, this was one of those times..

[+Gary7 Subscriber²]

Call the manufacturer or Microsoft. One of them will help you.

[YouWhat]

Try a program called SIW (The home edition), it will give you the license keys of both office and windows.

http://www.gtopala.com/siw-download.php

I have used this myself several times to retrieve keys off machines.

[HawkMan]

Try a program called SIW (The home edition), it will give you the license keys of both office and windows.

http://www.gtopala.c...iw-download.php

I have used this myself several times to retrieve keys off machines.

To late, he's already formatted. he has to call Asus.

[Japlabot]

Yeah, but windows 8 in general doesn't have keys on the OEM laptops. just the RFID Windows 8 sticker under the laptop.

I have seen the new Windows 8 OEM stickers, they are very small, less than the size of a thumb, I recall that the Windows 7 sticker I saw on a powerbrick for a Zenbook was about the same size as the new Windows 8 ones. Pity he can't find one on this power brick, I thought that Product key stickers were mandatory for OEM systems, and I doubt he was sold a retail license. I would go back to place of purchase/ASUS and advise that a product key was not provided as it should have been.

[HawkMan]

It is provided just not in a clearly readable manner, it's embedded in the BIOS, and I'm not sure what's in the RFID on the win8 sticker.

Remember that on windows 8 you're not supposed to re-install, you're supposed to refresh or use the other built recovery functions.

[JaredFrost]

I don't know about yours, but my laptop that came with Windows 8 says the Windows version registered in the BIOS setup, maybe check to see if yours does.

When installing Windows, some things to try is make sure UEFI is enabled, not some hybred mode and install the 64bit version of Windows 8.

I was able to wipe out all the partitions on mine and install Windows 8 without issue(using technet ISO), it never asked for any key(but I still saved it beforeband) and activated without issue.

Windows 7 on the other hand, nothing but issues trying to install that with full UEFI on, I had to switch it to some hybred mode, I still dislike Windows 8, but the installation

process is much improved.

[PNWDweller]

Have you looked at your adapter, I have ux31e ultrabook and it's windows product key was on the adapter block?

Cheers

J.C

As hot as those bricks get from charging, I could only imagine a black sticker after a while from thermal transfer. :)

I called Toshiba on mine and was told it was in the UEFI Bios so no need to have it printed anywhere. I did do a re-install a month ago but used the built in recovery so no problems. If you got the Laptop w/o a OEM sticker, documentation or whatnot and it won't recover w/o a key then you might have to go the route of calling Asus or Microsoft like others have said.

Or, if you have return privileges (Within your product return window), exchange it for a new one and tell them it won't reinstall Windows 8. Most stores will chalk it up to hardware and send it back to factory. Who knows? You might have had a bad build in the first place that quality control missed when that worker responsible for loading the key into the machines was sick that day. ;)

[Hitman2000]

Ok I have managed to fix it.

I made a new windows 8 pro bootable usb

I disabled secure boot and enabled csm

which allowed the usb to be detected, but the difference was this time the usb was detected as UEFI: USB HDD, which wasn't happening for my other usb

anyway installed and windows is activated, yay

also I have more of my 128gb ssd and no crappy asus recovery partitions.