Will I lose my verification key if I uninstall windows...

[RaisedFist]

Hi,

If I completely uninstall Windows 8 on my laptop *AND* replace it with another operating system, will my windows key be lost?

I could do this easy enough back when my windows key was printed on a sticker under the laptop or battery, but now that it's encrypted into the BIOS, I worry that by installing another OS, I could be losing the ability to reinstall my official version of Windows.

I know that I could dual boot, but that isn't what I'm looking to do.

Thanks for your time

 

[Superfly]

Your OEM key is embeddded in the bios permanently, and gets installed automatically with the correct edition of Windows 8.
To view and save your key(s) see : Showkey - Windows 10 Forums

 

[alphanumeric]

Installing another OS won't overwrite or erase your key. Even flashing the BIOS won't alter it. Current Windows 8.0 and 8.1 install media will read and use your OEM 8.0 key automatically. Showkey will show you your key and the exact version of Windows 8 its for. re-install that same version and the key will be used automatically. Also, the current release of Windows 10 will use it to. Even a Windows 8.0 or 8.1 embedded key. If you give 10 a try and don't like it, you can always go back to 8.0 or 8.1. You'll keep your digital entitlement for 10, even if you go back to 8. There are lots of options. You can get install media here, https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/software-download/home