How to restore Win 8 from defective hard drive?

[Happy Hopping]

W/ win 7, we re-install win 7, and key in the licence. W/ win 8, there is no lic. code at the rear. Does microsoft expect everyone to have serial no. reader software?

And while I'm writing this, when you replace a defective hard drive, there is no way for you to keep or restore that Recovery partition, is there?

I know w/ professional series of HP PC, they c/w a recovery DVD. But most PC doesn't have recovery DVD

 

[Deleted member 126051]

This is why they suggest that you create a recovery disk when you first get the machine.

 

[Zepher]

Dell laptop bought weeks ago w/ win7 on it, included in box win 8.1 w/ no key required.

 

[FnordMan]

The license key should be baked into the BIOS/UEFI stuff. Just grab a 8.1 ISO or make a installer flash drive and it should be able to read what you've got.

 

[Tsumi]

As said, the 8.1 installation should be able to pull the key automatically from the bios. If not, use a generic VL key to install, then grab the key from the bios using one of the tools in this guide: http://www.nextofwindows.com/how-to-retrieve-windows-8-oem-product-key-from-bios/

 

[Ieyasu]

As said, the 8.1 installation should be able to pull the key automatically from the bios. If not, use a generic VL key to install, then grab the key from the bios using one of the tools in this guide: http://www.nextofwindows.com/how-to-retrieve-windows-8-oem-product-key-from-bios/

thanks for this. I knew the key was stored in the bios, but this could come in quite handy all the same.

 

[Happy Hopping]

thanks guys. I don't use win 8, never will. But someone is stuck w/ win 8.

what about any win 7 recovery partition? If you didn't create a recovery partition on day 1, & your drive is dead, you are finish?