Product Key Tool: Unable to open MSDM table!

aqk

Member
Yep. That's the message I got when I tried to read my Windows 8.1 Product Key.
Any ideas?
Incidentally, I'm running Win 8.1 and Ubuntu 14.04 booted through GRUB.
As well I have an "older" Mainboard- Its AWARD BIOS does not have the newer EFI support.
 
Hi aqk,

Welcome to NeoSmart Technologies. That error means you don't have a product key embedded in your BIOS/EFI.
 
That's right. So am I resigned to getting it off the ISO \sources\pid.txt?
Wait a minute- that probably won't have it either, as I used the Windows STORE to upgrade my old win8 to 8.1...

Now I have to hunt down my old Win8 .iso files...
Further recollections! I upgraded Win-7 and Win-Vista to 8, by paying MS $39 each time, and they emailed me the product keys for Win 8.0 a few years ago.
Sorry for my rambling here... it's slowly coming back to me.. :wink:
 
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The product key won't be found on the ISO, unfortunately. If you have Windows running and activated you can always look up the key it was registered with with something like magic jellybean key finder? But hopefully you'll find your kind and it won't be necessary to go down that route.
 
The product key won't be found on the ISO, unfortunately. If you have Windows running and activated you can always look up the key it was registered with with something like magic jellybean key finder? But hopefully you'll find your kind and it won't be necessary to go down that route.
I have windows 7 home and upgraded to 10 about a few month ago and I tried your OemKey and it gives me, Unable to open MSDM table!
 
I have windows 7 home and upgraded to 10 about a few month ago and I tried your OemKey and it gives me, Unable to open MSDM table!

It does the same on my Windows 7 and 10, mind you, both were upgrades from a previous version of Windows. Try Belarc Advisor Belarc Advisor
I suspect, although not sure, that a recent Windows Update may have broken it. Let's see what the software maker says when he spots this.

Read this tutorial: Product Key - View in Windows 10 especially this bit:

If you upgraded to the free upgrade of Windows 10 from an activated Windows 7 or 8.1 PC, then you will not have a product key. Instead, the PC gets registered on Microsoft activation servers with a digital entitlement that will always be used to activate Windows 10 on that PC.

Starting in Windows 10 Insider Preview build 10565:

Device activation improvements: Microsoft has received a lot of feedback from Insiders on making it easier to activate Windows 10 on devices that take advantage of the free upgrade offer to genuine Windows by using existing Windows 7, Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 product keys. If you install this build of the Windows 10 Insider Preview on a PC and it doesn’t automatically activate, you can enter the product key from Windows 7, Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 used to activate the prior Windows version on the same device to activate Windows 10 by going to Settings > Update & security > Activation and selecting Change Product Key. If you do a clean install of Windows 10 by booting off the media, you can also enter the product key from prior Windows versions on qualifying devices during setup. Refer to the Insider Hub for more information on these activation improvements including requirements.


Can I reinstall Windows 10 on my computer after upgrading with free upgrade?

Once you’ve upgraded to Windows 10 using the free upgrade offer or Media Creation Tool on an activated Windows 7 or 8.1 PC, you will be able to reinstall, including a clean install, on the same device. You won’t need a product key for re-activations on the same hardware. If you make a meaningful change to your hardware, you may need to contact customer support to help with activation. You’ll also be able to create your own installation media like a USB drive or DVD, and use that to upgrade your device or reinstall after you’ve upgraded.
 
It does the same on my Windows 7 and 10, mind you, both were upgrades from a previous version of Windows. Try Belarc Advisor Belarc Advisor
I suspect, although not sure, that a recent Windows Update may have broken it. Let's see what the software maker says when he spots this.

Read this tutorial: Product Key - View in Windows 10 especially this bit:

Yes it should be interesting the only difference in my last post is I said I had windows 7 home but I had windows 7 home premium then I went to windows 10 and after trying the product I get Unable to open MSDM table! so I do have another computer that had 7 and upgraded to 10 a few weeks ago will have to give that one a try. But I would like to see what this company says. The only thing I have read is you have a windows 10 sticker on your computer?
 
@Jeff10 the answer is in my reply above - it means you don't have an embedded product key on your machine. It doesn't have anything to do with Windows 7 or Windows 10. No Windows 7 PC has an embedded product key, anyway.
 
@Jeff10 the answer is in my reply above - it means you don't have an embedded product key on your machine. It doesn't have anything to do with Windows 7 or Windows 10. No Windows 7 PC has an embedded product key, anyway.
OK I know windows 7 does not have it embedded on the machine but Microsoft said once you upgrade to windows 10 there will be a key embedded so after the one free year windows gives you to download passes and say your drive crashes and you need to reload 10 it will find the key embedded on the machine so you can again load 10 back on the machine for free unless of course your motherboard crashes then you are out of luck because whatever was embedded will be lost, so that is why I wanted to use your product key tool to get the key but you are saying it is not embedded which is the opposite of what windows is saying. So after the free year is up with windows and you have a problem with the computer and you have to reload 7 then upgrade to windows 10 what is windows 10 looking for to know that you have upgraded during the free year there has to be something embedded on the computer? Why do you have this product key tool for windows 10 if there is nothing to look for? And if you buy a machine with windows 10 already installed then there will be a sticker on the tower or laptop.
 
Jeff, new PC's don't have the sticker, that's why this tool exists. Windows 8 and Windows 10 PCs don't ship with the product key label/sticker anywhere on them.

You should read about the product first: Windows 10 Embedded Product Key Tool

Yes I got it, but why is your product key tool not working? feels like we are just going in circles. But anyway no big deal thanks for your help someone sent me another tool and I got the key.
 
The tool is working fine - it's telling you that your PC just didn't come with an embedded key and that there's nothing it can do! It's not a general product key finder tool, it's a tool to look up the embedded key in your machine only.
 
The tool is working fine - it's telling you that your PC just didn't come with an embedded key and that there's nothing it can do! It's not a general product key finder tool, it's a tool to look up the embedded key in your machine only.

Ok ... that is fine but I did get the embedded key using something else.. so I'm good Thanks
 
I think we are mixing up the meaning of the term embedded. The tool mentioned here refers to the key being embedded in a chip on the motherboard as is the case with new machines nowadays. With the advent of Windows 10 being installed on older machines, especially upgrades. Microsoft "embedded" it or rather stored it in the Cloud - their cloud. So the tool above wont detect it as that is not what it is intended for. Other general Product Key finders may find it however, as you've discovered and as I suggested early on. However a warning, most 10 upgrades, in the early stages at least, only were given a "digital entitlement" by Microsoft, so I discovered that the key found by various tools was actually the key belonging to the system I had upgraded from, in this case 7. In those cases Microsoft "remembers" the key for the same hardware should you need to wipe the drive and do a clean installation. If the installer doesn't find it then a call to Microsoft is usually all that is needed.
If you attempt to install that copy on new hardware, then it wont work.
 
Sorry, I made multiple amendments to the above after I posted it.

OK now that is making sense it may be stored on a cloud The amendment post was a good one thanks. I was wondering why the other product was finding a key and it is different than my 7 key.
 
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