Get serial off dieing harddrive?

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zidion

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jun 20, 2002
Messages
427
My buddies comp wont boot up, and i figured out it is pretty much the hard drive dieing (wont post into windows).

Im trying to get the serial for windows off it before I install the new harddrive, but cant seem to get it. I got this program called windoskey, but when i run it in dos, it says its not a dos application :mad:

Does anyone know any programs I can use to get this done?
 
http://www.experts-exchange.com/Operating_Systems/WinXP/Q_21236913.html

Comment from DVation191
Date: 12/16/2004 12:38PM PST
Author Comment

holy crap it worked lol
this is how i did it....

1. Created a Bart PE iso, nothing extra added, just used defaults.
2. Booted dead system from PE CD.
3. Downloaded LoadHive from http://www.matcode.com/codes.htm and put it on a floppy.
4. Ran it from the floppy in PE, loaded C:\WINDOWS\System32\Config\software ... it mounted the hive as SOFTWARE_00.
5. Ran regedit, found the SOFTWARE_00 subkey and navigated to CurrentVerion, exported that subkey to the floppy.
6. I moved to a working XP machine, backed up my DigitalProductId key. I edited the reg file from the floppy to only contain the DigitalProductId key.
7. I merged the DigitalProductId key from the floppy, ran Keyfinder (Magic Jellybean Software) and it pulled the key !
8. I merged the backup I made and ran it again, and sure enough it had my original key.

very very cool...I did not think this was possible. Thanks for all the help!
Click to expand...

A few other solutions on that page. I haven't personally tried any, but this should give you some things to try out.
 
zidion said:
thats what i usually use, but right now I can only get into dos, it wont boot into windows.

Does that work in dos?
Click to expand...
No, sorry, I misread that part. I've used it in Safe Mode, and I also have it running on my ERD Commander disc.
 
zidion said:
My buddies comp wont boot up, and i figured out it is pretty much the hard drive dieing (wont post into windows).

Im trying to get the serial for windows off it before I install the new harddrive, but cant seem to get it. I got this program called windoskey, but when i run it in dos, it says its not a dos application :mad:

Does anyone know any programs I can use to get this done?
Click to expand...


What no COA sticker????
 
zidion said:
My buddies comp wont boot up, and i figured out it is pretty much the hard drive dieing (wont post into windows).

Im trying to get the serial for windows off it before I install the new harddrive, but cant seem to get it. I got this program called windoskey, but when i run it in dos, it says its not a dos application :mad:

Does anyone know any programs I can use to get this done?
Click to expand...

which Os are you try to retrieve serial key.? did you try XPCDKEY.exe?
 
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