Recover WinXP Product Code using DOS 1

[joesofg]

I have a laptop with a corrupt WinXP registry. It will not open Windows or Disaster Recovery. I need to recover the existing WinXP Product Key before I do a clean install.

Can anyone advise of a DOS program that will do this?

 

[mlichstein]

What about the original media you installed it with?

 

[joesofg]

The original WinXP CD is no longer available, after the owner's ex-husband cleared out with it

 

[bcastner]

It simply is not possible. There is no storage in plaintext of the CD key anywhere: not in the SAM database and not in the registry.

 

[mlichstein]

There is a tool out there (jellybean something) that can get the key, but it wont work unless you can boot into the OS.

And I'm pretty sure it only shows part of the key.

 

[Claudek]

If it is just the product key, I have seen AIDA show the key in its audit . Download it at

http://www.softpedia.com/public/cat/13/5/13-5-46.shtml

One of my fellow engineers has suggested this product as well which says it will recover the key (as well as activation code) -

http://www.snapfiles.com/get/rockxp.html

Claudius (What certifications??)

http://www.iteq.com.au

 

[mlichstein]

Both of those tools would be tough to use if the machine doesn't boot up fully.

 

[Claudek]

OK, my brain freeze here - totaly blanked on the dos part - still AIDA 16 can do audits and perhaps can get the key like aida32 can.



Claudius (What certifications??)

http://www.iteq.com.au

 

[gpalmer711]

I have not tested this, but you could try using BartsPE to boot

http://www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/

and then use either the RockXP

http://www.snapfiles.com/get/rockxp.html

or Magic Jelly Bean Key Finder

http://www.magicaljellybean.com/keyfinder.shtml,

both of which will recover your full installation code.

I'm guessing from your comments that you cannot get into the recovery console. If you can then take a look at the following :

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=307545

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=822705

Also just to let people know that Aida32/16 are no more

http://www.aida32.hu

for details. However you can still download from places like

http://www.majorgeeks.com/download181.html

Greg Palmer
Free Software for Adminstrators

http://www.palmersoft.co.uk

 

[joesofg]

Many thanks to all who posted, especially Greg Palmer who had the right idea.

I made a BartPE pre-environment CD - very simple to do. I added a KeyViewerPE whcih Bart supplied. It is a modified keyviewer program, which lets you look in any WINDOWS directory in any partition.

On the laptop that was corrupt and would not load Windows XP, I partitioned it with PM8 from DOS, then did a Ghost image of the corrupt system into the new D: partition, and then a clean install of WinXP from one of my CDs on C: drive.

I then uploaded the image file over my home network, and restored it to a spare partition on my HDD, ran Bart's keyviewerPE targetting Windows in this partition, and up came the original Product Key.

Many thanks to Bart - what a brilliant programmer !!

Then I could not activate XP because the key was already in use ( of course) , so a phone call to Microsoft sorted this out.

Thanks again for all your assistance and comments