Go to https://account.microsoft.com/devices/recoverykey to find your recovery key. Tip: You can sign into your Microsoft account on any device with internet access, such as a smartphone. It should look something like this:

Windows 10 Windows 8.1 Windows 7. You can use installation media (a USB flash drive or DVD) to install a new copy of Windows, perform a clean installation, or reinstall Windows. To create installation media, go to the software download website, where you'll find step-by-step instructions.

At the command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER: sfc /scannow. The sfc /scannow command will scan all protected system files, and replace corrupted files with a cached copy that is located in a compressed folder at %WinDir% \System32\dllcache. The %WinDir% placeholder represents the Windows operating system folder.

Open the Surface app. In the Surface app, expand Help & support to check if the update status is "You're up to date" or something else. If needed, select the option to update the devices. Note: If you don't have the Surface app installed, you can download the Surface app from the Microsoft Store.

How to enable TPM. If you need to enable TPM, these settings are managed via the UEFI BIOS (PC firmware) and vary based on your device. You can access these settings by choosing: Settings > Update & Security > Recovery > Restart now. From the next screen, choose Troubleshoot > Advanced options > UEFI Firmware Settings > Restart to make the changes.

Use this app to try to recover lost files that have been deleted from your local storage device (including internal drives, external drives, and USB devices) and can’t be restored from the Recycle Bin. Recovery on cloud storage and network file shares is not supported.

Refunds for digital games include Microsoft Store digital game offers, Xbox apps (excluding movies and TV apps), digital gaming bundle offers, digital game durable content, and some digital game consumable content, whether made available through the Xbox console, on your PC, or on your mobile device.

How to open PC Health Check. In Windows, use Search on the taskbar to search for “PC Health Check,” then select it from the list of results. If a PC Health Check update is available, you can quickly install it for the latest version.

How to install programs from online sources on Windows 10. See how to install programs on Windows 10 from a CD or DVD, from the internet, or from Microsoft Store.

A digital license (called a digital entitlement in Windows 11) is a method of activation in Windows 11 that doesn't require you to enter a product key. A product key is a 25-character code used to activate Windows. What you'll see is PRODUCT KEY: XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX.