Look in the ../Windows/System32 folder for a file called "ntoskrnl.exe". If this file exists, it is at least an NT based system. (I assume you are not looking for Win95 or earlier.)
Now do a properties and examine the details for a product version.
4.x: NT 4.x
5.0: Windows 2000
5.1: Windows XP
5.2: Windows 2003 Server or Windows XP-64-bit
6.0: Windows Vista
6.1: Windows 7
6.2; Windows 8
6.3: Windows 8.1
This does not however tell you which flavor of those systems (Pro, Home, etc).
On one device, I see 6.2.9200 so I can assume this is a Windows 8 disk.
2:
Or, to make it even easier, you can open the file ../Windows/System32/license.rtf with Word pad. Guess what, it tells you EXACTLY what system is installed. On that same drive above, this file said "WINDOWS 8 PRO"
credits to https://www.quora.com/How-can-I-tell-what-version-of-Windows-is-installed-on-a-hard-drive-without-booting-it
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