Windows® 10 Tips for Intel® NUC Kits, Intel® Compute Sticks and Intel® Compute Cards
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Activating Windows After Installing It
If you're having problems activating Windows after installing it on an Intel® NUC, Intel® Compute Stick, or Intel® Compute Card, look for solutions on Microsoft's website.Find the Windows® 10 Product Key for Intel NUC Mini PCs
For Intel NUC Mini PCs that come with Windows* already installed, the Windows product key is embedded, but not displayed, in the BIOS. This allows the key to be automatically referenced for activation, if you need to reinstall the operating system.
| Note | If you installed Windows* yourself, the following steps won't display the product key. See Find your Windows Product Key for help. |
To find the Windows 10 product key on an Intel NUC Mini PC, follow the steps below.
- Click the Windows Start button, or press the Windows key on your keyboard. Type powershell, and click Windows PowerShell Desktop app.
- Type: (Get-WmiObject -query 'select * from SoftwareLicensingService').OA3xOriginalProductKey
Then, press Enter. The Windows product key is displayed.
Reinstall Windows 10
If there are problems with the Windows 10 image, you can always reinstall the Windows 10 Operating System.
| Note | Be sure to back up all the information on your computer before reinstalling. |
- Go to the Download Windows® 10 page.
- Click Download tool now.
- Once the download for the tool completes, click Using the tool to create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file) to install Windows 10 on a different PC (click to show more or less information). Then, follow the instructions.
How to upgrade to Windows 10 Pro
Some Intel® NUCs and Intel® Compute Sticks come with Windows® 10 Home pre-installed as the operating system. To upgrade to Windows® 10 Pro, follow these Download the Windows® 10 instructions.
| Note | A Windows® 10 Pro license is required. Refer to Microsoft's Windows 10 activation error article if you see activation error 0xC004F050. |
Back up and restore files
We recommend that you back up your important information in the event that something happens to the originals. Follow Microsoft's recommended procedure.
Transfer Windows license to a new Intel NUC or Intel Compute Stick
If you have received a replacement NUC or Compute Stick under warranty, you probably want to use your existing Windows license on the new one. See How to Transfer your Windows 10 License to a New Computer.
| Related topics |
| Windows® 10 Setup Guide for Intel® NUC |
| Installing Language Packs and Alternative Keyboards in Windows® 10 for Intel® NUC Kits |
