[How-To] Retrieve your Windows 8 OEM key with Linux

[Deleted member 178]

hi,

As you surely know, modern computers/laptop are embedded with Windows 8. In case of failure, you have to Reset/Refresh your system from the recovery partition, but you have various reasons this recovery features won't be used:

- you refuse to reinstall all the vendor crap utilities but rather a clean Win8.
- you deleted the recovery partitions...
- the Reset/Refresh just don't works or is broken/corrupted.
- you can't boot into Windows and need to reinstall it from a CD


so your only way is to install windows 8.xx from a CD/DVD

but "voila" you need your license key hardcoded into the UEFI... and of course the computer's vendor didn't gave it to you.

so there the trick to get it back:

1- Download and create a Linux Live CD, Linux Mint or Ubuntu for example
2 - launch it
3- open the console called Terminal
4- type: ls /sys/firmware/acpi/tables , it will shows you if you have a MSDM table
5- then type: sudo hd /sys/firmware/acpi/tables/MSDM

the license will shows up on the right of the output.

Then now you can use it to install Win8.xx

"Linux? Because i worth it"

 

[PrMi]

Sorry for bumping, but it's really helpful! Thanks m8.

 

[d3athl3lad3]

hi,

4- type: ls /sys/firmware/acpi/tables , it will shows you if you have a MSDM table
5- then type: sudo hd /sys/firmware/acpi/tables/MSDM

the license will shows up on the right of the output.

Then now you can use it to install Win8.xx

"Linux? Because i worth it"

wow thanks man , was looking for this everywhere .
also bump
PS need windows again just to play my favourite game

 

[dhpn]

Thank you. Tested with Ubuntu 16.04 after uninstalling Windows 10 completely. Got the license key.

 

[Mark808]

I signed up just so I could express my appreciation. Thanks a million for the easy to follow, step-by-step instructions. Some, such as myself who are very new to using a Linux OS, did not even know where to begin, as I had no clue that I had to "open the console called Terminal" in order to type in the code.