Windows 8 Corrupted registration key? Invalid location ID?

[Xist]

I bought an HP Envy 15 May of 2013. I did not want Win8 or a touchscreen, but that was all that I could find. I hardly used it the first two weeks and then the screen cracked, so I sent it in under the extended warranty. As I recall, I needed to reactivate Windows afterwards, and ended up calling Microsoft, after a great deal of wasted time.

Then some screw holes stripped (?!) on the bottom and the hinges worked loose. The screen cracked again, apparently from flexing. I could send it in one more time using the extended warranty, but an older laptop was working, so I put away the HP, although I am trying to send it in now.

I think that ever since I upgraded to 8.1 it has been telling me to reactivate Windows, but I have not used it much in two and a half years, so I cannot say for sure.

Squaretrade requires the Windows activation key to repair my laptop. I have used various methods to access the key and they give me three different ones. My understanding is that until you activate, you have a generic one, another is embedded in the motherboard, and I do not have any idea where a third would originate. However, Windows said all them were invalid before I upgraded to 8.1, nor would it use them afterwards.

I can pull up all three with a Google search. One only shows up twice, on lists of other activation keys, which looks suspicious, so I fear that someone managed to steal it.

I have tried various methods of fixing the problem and activating Windows. It did not give me an option for phone activation, so I tracked down the number, and the automated system sent me to Microsoft Product Activation, which asked for my location ID. How do you find that, SLUI 4? That would have been a helpful step to include at some point.

It told me that my installation ID was invalid.

Microsoft told me to call HP, who said the key was corrupted, but reinstalling Windows would fix it.

Hours and hours, several restarts, and hundreds of updates later, I still do not have any idea how to fix an invalid location ID or how the registration key for preinstalled Windows is invalid. Then I installed it again with the official recovery image and a flash drive.

Windows says it is 64-bit and I made sure to download that version. Can anyone provide me help? At least tell me where to look now?

Thank you very much!

 

[kemical]

Hmm...don't forget your activation key was originally for Windows 8 so thats what you will have to install first and then upgrade to Windows 8.1.

I'm not sure what you mean about 3 activation keys. Your given one key and that's it.

 

[Xist]

Kemical! Thank you for responding!

When I reinstalled Windows, it told me to activate, and I tried, using all three keys that I found through various sources, and it did not accept any of them. Then I upgraded to 8.1 and it still would not accept any of the keys.

If someone managed to get a hold of my key and activate it on another computer, would Microsoft require me to purchase a new key?

For example, this utility says:
Link Removed

Yes. 8.1. The last time that I reinstalled Windows, I needed to upgrade from 8, but when I used the refresh feature, it installed 8.1, so I did a full reinstall, and it loaded 8.1. Right now I am reinstalling off of my flash drive, hoping that I actually get 8 this time, not 8.1, and I can show you the different keys given by various methods.

 

[kemical]

If someone managed to get a hold of my key and activate it on another computer, would Microsoft require me to purchase a new key?

I doubt that someone has your key but I guess anything is possible. What you need to do is get back to Windows 8 because thats the os your original activation key was for..yes? If this is the case and Windows will still not activate then you can phone Microsoft, tell them whats happened, inform them about the old activation key and they may issue you with a new one. I cannot say for certain but as long as your original win 8 licence was legit then you should be fine.

 

[ussnorway]

all three keys that I found through various sources

Older software like jellybeen has been made for W7 and can give false returns is used on w8 or above… this laptop should have two keys stored in the bios if it started life as a w8 then there will be one msdn key and that’s what you need.

A typical msdn key will be 25 alpha numeric symbols split into 5 groups of 5 and the key reader I use is pkeyui.exe (*1.47) but there are lots of others.

The only way to remove that key is if the motherboard was replaced?

* you can download 1.5.1 (for windows 10 systems) from Windows 9 Product Key Viewer Download

 

[Xist]

Thank you for both of your responses!

Strange. The image that I uploaded only shows an X unless I edit my second post. I uploaded it directly, but it said it was too spam-like to accept.

I figured out how to download an 8 ISO to install off of my flash drive, but read:

"If you have an OEM Windows 8 or 8.1 PC, then you will also be able to use this ISO to install and activate Windows 8.1 if you are installing the same edition of Windows the key is for. The Windows 8 or 8.1 product key embedded in the UEFI firmware of the OEM PC will be automatically detected and used during installation to activate Windows 8.1."Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 ISO - Download or Create

Can you create a text box in these forums?

I will try again anyway.

I called Microsoft, but they told me to call HP, who said the key was corrupted, but reinstalling Windows would fix it. They wanted me to pay $35 and $15 a month for out-of-warranty support, while SquareTrade does not cover software.

It sounds like locating my actual key will not help until I install 8 again, so I will get to work on that. Thank you again for your help!

Ussnorway, that utility shows a generic product key listed at
System Locked Pre-installation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia and many other places. You can upgrade to 8.1 with it, but you cannot activate anything, and I cannot download an 8 ISO with it.

 

[kemical]

Toshiba should be able to send you a disk with Windows 8 on it. Sometimes manufacturers will do this if the user asks but check anyway.

 

[Xist]

I was trying to track down how to order a recovery flash drive when a friend asked me to help with something and said he would help me with Windows. However, it turned out that I knew much more than he did, but only from this process.

He thought that I could purchase a "new" computer for less than a Windows license.

It was annoying to try to track down the recovery drive because the PC Info page does not even say this is an HP and it took a few tries to download HP Support Assistant.

I finally found it.

They want $48!

When I try Upgrade Windows with only a product key - Windows Help, it says "This key didn't work, please check it and try again, or try a different key." for everything that different utilities show me.

When I try OSGS14-WindowsSetupBox-32bitand64bit-English-4141408 (which apparently is an .EXE, but will not run unless I manually add the extension), I need to put in the activation key that Wikipedia says is the generic Win8 key, but when I try to install, it says that it cannot connect.

Apparently, when it checks the key, it does not check on-line, but if the key is blocked, instead of saying so, it says that it cannot connect.

By the way, my friend tried installing Ten, but as I told him, it would not install without some version of Windows that was already activated.

 

[kemical]

It was annoying to try to track down the recovery drive because the PC Info page does not even say this is an HP and it took a few tries to download HP Support Assistant

I hear you... I've yet to come across a support page which isn't annoying to use, manaufacturers seem to want to make it as hard as possible to navigate their sites.

Anyhow:

When I try Upgrade Windows with only a product key - Windows Help, it says "This key didn't work, please check it and try again, or try a different key." for everything that different utilities show me.

The trouble is with this download and probably why it won't work for you is because it's for a 'retail copy' of Windows 8/8.1. The version I suspect you originally had was an OEM copy which basically means it can only be installed on the one machine. Retail copies can be transferred from machine to machine (as long as it's only registered to one machine at a time).

 

[ussnorway]

you can download a 8.1 iso from microsoft without any key but they have removed the windows 8 option... some time back in fact.
$48 is an option but I'd look for a school/ computer shop first that has an windows 8 iso file... you don't need their key or any thing just a copy of the install files.

 

[Xist]

Kemical, the added insult is that if you try to call and talk to a human, the automated system will repeatedly ask you to go on-line, which is awesome when you are trying to get your Internet provider make your connection work.

I keep searching for "OEM," but just like I also keep searching for "8, not 8.1," I keep receiving false positives.

Not everything is identified completely.

Ussnorway, what about Computer Surgeons - Windows 8 64-bit (USB) Recovery Kit 733051-006 For HP ENVY TouchSmart Notebook PC Model Number 15-j053cl

$27 plus five to ship.

 

[ussnorway]

As long as you have a 15-j053cl that sounds fine... basicly that will be w8 + the HP spamware but you can just uninstall what you don't like and as the plan is still to upgrade to 8.1