New installs of Wind 10 and PINK covered Product Keys

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I bought my wife a new desktop for Christmas and the Win 10 Home version came installed as part of the purchase.  The package for the CD for Windows 10 comes with a Pink area that I am supposed to scratch to reveal the product key.

Does anyone have any recent experience with this, because I don’t.  I don’t know how far to push the “scratching” of the “pink” area because I suspect that if I push it too far, I will not get to see the Product Key – I will inadvertently scratch it off.  I was advised at the computer store not to use a coin to scratch it down as that might destroy the key.  Better to use a finger nail.  I have never seen such a diabolically stupid approach to the distribution of a Product Key in my almost 40 years of working with PCs as this one.

I have no idea what to expect.  If I scratch the “pink stuff” down to the right level will I see a set of “black” characters that is the Product Key?  Will the Product Key show up as raised characters once the pink stuff is removed?

Is there another way to get the Product Key?

Any insight that anyone may care to provide will be greatly appreciated.

Ron M

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As I recall it’s not raised, it’s printed. So yes, don’t scratch too hard.

Susan Bradley Patch Lady

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Check if you Windows 10 is already activated so you won’t need the product key.

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Susan, thanks for the insight.  I will be very careful.

Do you know how many characters are in the Product Key?

Ron M

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S/B 25 characters – 5 groups of 5 numbers in each group.

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Alex5723, I will not be able to check until Christmas day as the computer, key board, etc. are all in boxes that will not be opened until Christmas.  Windows is installed on the computer in the box and I am hoping that there is a trial period once the the new system is connected and run for the first time.  Meanwhile, I will keep scraping to see if I can come up with the Product Key.

Ron M

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Ron M wrote:

I have never seen such a diabolically stupid approach to the distribution of a Product Key in my almost 40 years of working with PCs as this one.

I had the same experience when I got my current pc. Not only is the product key a stupidly fragile thing, but once you do get down to it, the font is the smallest possible size imaginable. I remember practically SCREAMING with frustration when I got to it, because I simply couldn’t make it out with any certainty, even with my reading glasses on

I got there in the end, and it’s stuck to the side of my pc now (where I STILL can’t read it) (although I’ve obviously written it down in BIG-READABLE and stored it elsewhere)

The morons who design such things deserve a good slapping

2 users thanked author for this post.

wavy, oldguy

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Actually, that pink area is where the “original” product key tag (with the standard grey scratch off area) was located.

The pink area is what you see once the tag has been removed and attached to the PC itself (remember, OEM Windows licenses are tied to that specific PC once it’s been activated.)

And just as @NaNoNyMouse pointed out, once you scratch off the grey area on the real license tag, the letters that make up your product key are extremely small (I had to dig out a magnifying glass to read them!)

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alejr, thanks for the information.  My biggest question now, is  how much of the “Pink stuff” do I have to scratch off before I see the Product Key.  I am almost down to white in some parts of the “Pink stuff” and have yet to see anything.

Ron M

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There is no product key under the pink stuff, it’s on the tag that was removed that “should” be somewhere on the actual PC itself.

The pink is simply a slippery coating that allowed the tag with the product key to be safely pealed off so it could be placed on the PC.

In fact, if you peal up the remaining part of the label (immediately above and to the right of the missing product key tag), you’ll find it has the same “pink stuff” under it.

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Thank you so much. I struggled with the pink sticker in frustration for an hour before looking up help and when I saw your reply I checked the side of my computer and saw that the key has been there the entire time.

 

Don’t know what kind of idiot invented this method, but I hope they go to a sticky pink hrll when they die.

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