How do we know when the machine was deployed for the first time?

Computers
1

Hi there,

The user bought this PC laptop a while ago, BUT the user forgot when and couldn’t find any trace of the receipt.

In Windows 10, how do we know when the machine was deployed for the first time? Is there any information kept somewhere in the registry? I think this is a good indication.

Thank you for the feedback!

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2

Hi @euuser

In Windows 10 and 11, you can check when the machine was first deployed or installed by looking at the system’s event logs. Here’s how you can find this information:

Using Event Viewer:

Press Win + X and select “Event Viewer” from the menu.

In the Event Viewer window, navigate to “Windows Logs” on the left-hand side.

Click on “System” in the list of logs. This will display system-related events.

In the “Actions” pane on the right, click on “Filter Current Log.”

In the “Filter Current Log” dialog, you can enter the following in the “Logged” drop-down menu:
“Last 7 days” or a custom date range that you suspect the deployment took place.

Click “OK” to apply the filter.

Look for events related to system setup, such as Event ID 6005 (The event log service was started) or Event ID 6009 (The event log service was stopped). These events can provide information about system startup and shutdown times, which can help you determine the initial deployment date.

Using PowerShell:

You can also use PowerShell to retrieve this information. Open PowerShell as an administrator and run the following command:

Powershell

Get-WinEvent -LogName System | Where-Object { $_.Id -eq 6005 -or $_.Id -eq 6009 } | Sort-Object TimeCreated | Select-Object -First 1

This command will filter the System log for Event IDs 6005 and 6009 and return the earliest event, which can help you determine the initial deployment date.

Remember that Windows event logs may not be retained indefinitely, and their retention policies can vary depending on your system’s configuration. If the logs have been cleared or rotated, you may not be able to find the exact date of the initial deployment. In that case, you might need to rely on other sources of information, such as documentation, purchase records, or hardware information, to estimate the installation date.

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