Any PC with a genuine copy of Windows, built in the last decade or more ago will have a hologram sticker somewhere
Yep, I went all through this with my Asus laptop in Texas. Just the little square hologram. Finally, MS relented and sold me a pro 8.1 for 45 bucks. Not bad for a free and clear copy.
I had REALLY searched for the key over some days. Berrated Asus, and begged MS No one would give me the key at first and it seems Belarc pump out random keys that don't work. Ho hum.
Anyway, this was okay,
but realised I did a reinstall after trying to put an SSD in the front end of this Lenovo. The BIOS would not see it, and then I did something or another and the W10 (which had been upgraded from 8.1) had to be freshly installed. All went fine. So their supplied copy, but two things: I'm not totally sure it was authenticated after all that fluffing about on the second install. I'd have thought I would have done as it was certainly authenticated after the 'upgrade' to W10. But memory fails me how I reinstalled it. But it certainly didn't ask me for a key - because I simply didn't have one.
Left it for months, and updated windows. Then I'm locked out until I looked on't net for a way around. That got me in, but progressing without the key means it's now tied to my MS account - so it explained to me on a dedicated screen. I guess a purchaser of this tinny blob of a PC with no BIOS control* could also have a MS account, but it's already going to be hard to get me money back on the darn thing and I want it just to work simply for an ordinary user. It's like new with the plastic on and box. It should have fetched a few bob.
*A pal's given up on his Lenovo for exactly the same reason. He tried for ages to get the BIOS to see other drives. Nothing. Ever. No extra power supplies either. And the PSU is about one watt.
I bought it because another pal had been pleased with the brand for some years and it was a high spec for 199.
I'm going for a G-byte or Asus board with the on-MB SSD drives. Never seen that before. Two SSD's plus a RED drive for long term storage should see me out.
NB. When I got back to the UK I'd got my motherboard with me and installed a new SSD. The downloaded W10 needed a key. Mmmm. I tried this and that and then I just happened to have the key off the side of the original HP case, - too heavy to lug back home - and this old Vista or even XP key, worked. It must have married the board with the old OS. Or it was just chance it picked that moment. Anyway, that's history.