How to identify Windows version

[CBettencourt]

How do you identify the Windows version installed on a computer from,

A faded Windows product Key?

 

or

 

If the hard drive is broken and you need to replace it and reinstall Windows?

 

If it is x86, x64.

 

If it is EFI?

 

Can you get the information from the BIOS in newer computers if the hard drive is broken?

 

Thank you.

[Mehlstaub]

Just create a bootable usb drive with windows install files on it and delete ei.cfg file on the stick. Boot from it and enter the key. It will know wich version fits.

 

x64 x86 and efi have nothing to do with the keys.

 

Additional if the system is efi capable it will show this in the bios. Normally there will be a efi oder uefi label on the boot drive. 

[LienusLateTips]

17 minutes ago, Mehlstaub said:

Just create a bootable usb drive with windows install files on it and delete ei.cfg file on the stick. Boot from it and enter the key. It will know wich version fits.

 

x64 x86 and efi have nothing to do with the keys.

 

Additional if the system is efi capable it will show this in the bios. Normally there will be a efi oder uefi label on the boot drive. 

Be night theme friendly. Here is a quote for night theme users \/

18 minutes ago, Mehlstaub said:

Just create a bootable usb drive with windows install files on it and delete ei.cfg file on the stick. Boot from it and enter the key. It will know wich version fits.

 

x64 x86 and efi have nothing to do with the keys.

 

Additional if the system is efi capable it will show this in the bios. Normally there will be a efi oder uefi label on the boot drive. 

 

-Nightthemenotabot

[Mira Yurizaki]

If it's Windows 8 and this is a system builder computer, the key is embedded in the UEFI firmware. If you can boot into the system, you can also use ProduKey to obtain it.

[GoodBytes]

2 minutes ago, CBettencourt said:

How do you identify the Windows version installed on a computer from,

A faded Windows product Key?

Ignoring the fact that you can visibly look at the OS.

You can get the version of Windows by doing Win+R a box will open allowing your enter programs to run, and you type and click on OK after: winver

You'll get Windows version dialog box.

 

Another method is to open the System Information panel. In the start menu search box, simply type in "System Information", and pick it, it will open a program, where, once loaded, it will show the version of Windows. If the version of Windows is before Vista, manually look through the Start menu under "Windows Administration Tools" for "System Information"

 

 

2 minutes ago, CBettencourt said:

If the hard drive is broken and you need to replace it and reinstall Windows?

 

If it is x86, x64.

 

If it is EFI?

UEFI / EFI / Legacy mode is defined in the BIOS/UEFI menu.

 -> BIOS that doesn't have EFI mode will be BIOS

 

For the rest, plug the HDD/SSD to another computer and access its Properties.  On the Property panel go to Hardware tab, then click on "Properties" button, and then go on "Volumes" tab, and click on "Populate" (you'll need elevated credential, once given, the panel will restart to repeat: Go to Volume tab, and then click on Populate tab). In there, you'll see if it is MBR or GPT.

 

If it is MBR, then the system either uses BIOS or UEFI set to Legacy mode

If if it set to GPT, then the system is either a BIOS with EFI capabilities enabled, OR UEFI system.

 

Quote

Can you get the information from the BIOS in newer computers if the hard drive is broken?

No. But you can see the BIOS/UEFI settings. HOWEVER, this might not possible on some pre-build systems. Some OEMs locks this setting down, and it is locked by the default behavior that the OEM wants to set it to. You'll need to plug a new HDD in (or SSD), install your OS and now see what you get.

 

If the system is BIOS without EFI capabilities, then there is no options.

If the system is a BIOS with EFI capabilities, then you should have the option to switch between default/legacy/Auto/Disabled and EFI mode. (name will vary based on systems)

If the system is on UEFI, based on the setting if UEFI mode is set to Legacy it will be MBR or UEFI is set to Auto/Enable/UEFI mode (name varies), it will be on GPT.

 

To know if it is x86 or x64. You can browse the files, and see if you see \Windows\SysWOW64 folder or not in the drive. If it is broken, then you can't know. You can only assume that if the CPU is a 64-bit capable, 64-bit version of Windows was installed, else 32-bit version. You can also go by RAM. If the system has more than 4GB, or not, with the assuming that the system was well installed the last time.

 

That said, someone, on absolute rare cases might need 32-bit version to run 16-bit programs, or hardware that doesn't have 64-bit version of the drivers, and cost too much to replace with someone more modern and the user it not willing to (the hardware can be a million dollar system).

[CBettencourt]

Hi I appreciate your feedback.

 

I am going to refrase my question!

 

The reason for my question is to determine which version of Windows do you reinstall in a computer that has suffered a physically broken hard drive and how you retrieve the Windows product Key when the hard drive is physically broken.

 

Your computer hard drive is physically broken!

You have a Windows product Key sticker and the key is visible but the Windows version name has faded.

Is there a way to find out the Windows version name from the Windows Product Key number?

 

Your hard drive is physically broken!

Based on your feedback you can retrieve the Windows product Key and the Windows version name from the BIOS by booting into Windows from a DVD OR USB.

Once in the BIOS you can determine if the system is a 32 bit system, a 64 bit system and if it is a UEFI system.

Is this correct?

 

Can you get the manufacturers product name, the product number and the serial number from the computer BIOS?

 

Thank you in advance your feedback.

[GoodBytes]

3 hours ago, CBettencourt said:

You have a Windows product Key sticker and the key is visible but the Windows version name has faded.

Is there a way to find out the Windows version name from the Windows Product Key number?

 

Compare how the label look with each OS version of Windows.

Or go with elimination: It is not Windows 8 or 10, as those OS don't have stickers anymore, unless the system was built by a small assembler, and not a big company like Dell, HP, etc.

 

You can check the OS sticker on the system, and hope that the OS was not upgraded. You can also see which version of Windows should have based on the hardware specs... for example, if it has a Core 2 Duo, it is probably running Windows XP or Vista. You can see on the OEM website which OS is supported.

 

If you want to be sure at 100%, you can send the HDD to a data recovery company, who will disassemble the HDD in a clean room, and place each plate in an calibrated fancy HDD reader machine where they have a several read head to adjust to different disc densities (might even be an adaptable machine), and read the data on it, and recover you any trace of data they find, including past delete files, if they were not overwritten.

This is obviously a very expensive service to look into, targeted at enterprises. But hey, you want to be sure! Based on the file recovered you go through the files, look at versions of files of Windows and based on that see what version of Windows the system was running

 

3 hours ago, CBettencourt said:

Based on your feedback you can retrieve the Windows product Key and the Windows version name from the BIOS by booting into Windows from a DVD OR USB.

No. Windows 7 and prior version doesn't have the product key stored in the BIOS. And even if you have the key, unless you install Windows 95, 98, Me, NT3, NT4, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, and 10, and see where the product key works or not.

 

3 hours ago, CBettencourt said:

Once in the BIOS you can determine if the system is a 32 bit system, a 64 bit system and if it is a UEFI system.

Is this correct?

No. You can ASSUME that if the system uses a UEFI, the system is modern enough for 64-bit Windows. But the user or OEM could have installed 32 or 64-bit version of Windows. Also, 1st and some 2nd gen Core i series CPU motherboard are BIOS based, and those are 64-bit CPUs, Core 2 Duos and Quad are 64-bit CPUs and UEFI didn't exists on the consumer market motherboard, still was BIOS based, and those where 64-bit CPUs. Heck my Athlon 64 X2 4400+ from 2004 was a 64-bit CPU and was running Vista 64-bit, not to mention the older single core CPU models.

 

3 hours ago, CBettencourt said:

Can you get the manufacturers product name, the product number and the serial number from the computer BIOS?

Maybe, depends on the motherboard.