I did #1 and it came back OA3xOriginalProductKey like you said it might. Does that mean that the number is not on the computer at all? If that's the case I don't want to download anything from Belarc as it would be useless. Could the number be anywhere outside of Windows registry?
thank you for your help!
Nope, it just means that the Windows installation was -not- done by the computer maker (i.e. Windows was -not- "pre-installed"), but instead was installed after the computer was manufactured.
The Belarc Advisor will find the key, wherever it is, regardless of how Windows was installed. The reason for trying the commandline option first is it's quicker -- if it happens to give the answer. But in your case it didn't, so proceed to option #2. :-)