Non-bootable Harddrive, Although It Can Be Read With Getdataback Pro

About 2 weeks ago, my desktop was happily running Windows 10, which had been installed as Windows 10 and activated with a Windows 7 key in early 2022. However, that all ended quickly.

I went to use it and found it "off", which is not how I left it. When I attempted to boot it up, it informed me that there was no bootable disk installed. Windows had been running on a T-Force TM8FP8001T 1 TB nvme SSD. There was also a 4 TB spinning drive installed, without an OS.

I don't recall if I created the boot drive with MBR or GPT, but it appears whichever it was, it was corrupted.

After several attempts to use Windows install disks to perform a repair, I found a reference or ad for GetDataBack Pro on MajorGeeks, downloaded the shareware, verified that files I tried to access were "intact", and purchased it. I encountered some read errors in using it to copy directory trees from the bad drive to a new boot drive (Samsung 870 EVO 1 TB) but it appears I have rescued a bunch of my data from the bad disk.

However, the Windows 10 that I have just installed is not activated and I have not figured out how to find my key to reactivate it. It "might" be in the registry on the bad drive, but I don't know how to access that registry to find the keys to my software. It appears MS does not activate Windows 10 using keys from older versions any more. Is there a way to use Regedit on a registry hive that is not the active registry?

Also, once I am convinced that I have every scrap of data that I can salvage from the bad drive, are there any tools that might be able to rebuild the MBR/GPT such that the drive might actually become bootable again, without formating and reinstalling onto it?

Thanks, in advance, to anyone who reads this and has suggestions on a path to proceed.

~Dan

System details:
System board: Gigabyte B560 HD3
Processor: Intel i5-11600K
RAM: 32 GB DDR4-3200 (2x16)
Other: Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-2250

 

If the hardware hasn't changed that much it should have re-activated the OS, have you changed more than that SSD since you activated?
Recover the key: here or here .
I'd test that SSD before I trust it with data again.

Boot Repair: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us...t-repair/d6bb23aa-2460-4fc0-b215-b1665016ac2d

 

One question is whether you first installed the Windows 10 with an MS account OR with a "local account." IF you registered it with a key from Win 7, and used a MS account, it should have a "digital license," (which records [especially] MoBo, drives, etc info) and not need re-activation. IF you used a "local account," then it may well need to be re-activated; I'd try just using the original Win 7 license key when it asks for it.

 

[QUOTE="LJR, post: ...I'd try just using the original Win 7 license key when it asks for it.[/QUOTE]

I did try that same Win7 key when prompted and it didn't work. A quick search revealed that Microsoft changed the rules since I originally activated it and no longer accepts Win7 keys to activate Win10. One of my goals of reading the registry from the "bad" drive is to recover the license key assigned to this copy of Win10, per an article I found (but I don't remember where at the moment). So that's where I think I am...

Thank you for your thoughts, though!

 

If you did not originally "register" with a Microsoft account, then your computer won't have a "digital license." You may have to actually talk to Microsoft and explain the problem, but given the holiday, that might not be possible until the coming Monday. I DO wish you luck; I'm not sure you would be able to find a single registry "key" that will solve the problem.

 

Well, I DID find the registry key with my license key, HOWEVER, it would still not activate. As it turned out, I DID activate with a Microsoft account, but Microsoft does not accept upgrade keys any more. None of the messages received were very clear as to the problem, so I was able to reach Microsoft Support this evening (they state that they are available 24/7). The problem was that I had changed some hardware and I needed to "acknowledge" the hardware change (even though the specific change is unclear. I was told that ANY change, including the addition of a harddrive could invalidate the activation and that the reactivation process has a 50/50 chance of success after ANY hardware change. The agent walked me though the settings screens, including several I think I was on before, and pointed out a "button" (link) that says something like... "I changed some hardware". It churned for a minute or two and completed the activation.

Since it has been 2.5 years since I build this rig, the exact timing of when I activated Windows is a bit foggy. I might have added a memory stick, but I definitely added and removed several HDDs and I believe I added the TV card after activation. I cannot imagine that I did much before I activated the OS, because working with an UN-activated OS is painful, since you cannot change any personalization until you have activated Windows.

Thanks for the links. They were invaluable. And the advice to "test" that drive is solid. I was hoping for the ability to fix the layout of the drive, clone it, and boot off the clone until I either was satisfied that the drive was solid and it was just a "software" issue or wipe and return the drive under warranty (assuming that is still valid). Another thing I have been too lax on is making sure I have a valid backup of my boot drive. I've used cloud backups for several years, but that's only the data, not the boot drive and all the configuration "stuff". New plan: install another same-size drive and clone boot drive to it "frequently" (scheduled), so I have a backup of all the config, licensing, etc.

Thanks for reading my circumstances and wishes for good luck. My Windows is activated again. Now on to the rest of the cleanup from this failure.