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Here's a doozy
Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 12:55 pm
by Foo
Need to fix a windows XP installation for someone but the catch is the XP license key sticker is gone. When I built the machine for them I either fixed it to the case or kept it with the CD but it's just not there anymore.
The Current XP install on disk is fucked, and I tried running a repair, but it seems to need the XP key number again (even though it's just a repair, uh, what?).
So... yeah, any way to retrieve the key straight off the disk while not being able to boot into windows? I've got a utility for showing the key while windows is loaded... but I can't get into windows until I've supplied the key. Doh...
Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 4:20 pm
by Tormentius
Here's two:
http://www.petri.co.il/quickly_retrieve ... cd_key.htm
iirc Magic Jellybean Keyfinder works from DOS.
Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2006 6:41 pm
by Foo
No dice running MJB Keyfinder from command prompt or XP recovery console (It doesn't like .exe, it seems).
I solved the problem in the following manner:
1. Boot from a BartPE Boot CD with a USB Flash Drive connected to the PC
2. Run loadhive.exe from the Flash Drive and mount the registry from C:\Windows\System32\Config\Software
3. Run Regedit in BartPE and find the SOFTWARE_00\local_machine\software\microsoft\currentversion node in the tree
4. Explore the node to the Flash Drive. Edit the resulting reg file to only contain the 'DigitalProductID' key and value, and change the folder path to remove the \software_00\ bit.
6. Go to another machine running XP, export the DigitalProductID from that to a reg file.
7. Import the first reg file in its place.
8. Run MJB Keyfinder to find the key value. Write it down
9. Import the backed up reg file to restore the machine's key
10. Return to the busted PC, run a repair, input the product key
Fucking Score. I went through a fair bit of shit to figure all this out. Had a minor epiphany when I remembered I had a BartPE disk in my tool case.
Thanks all.
Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2006 7:22 pm
by Tormentius
Nicely done.
Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2006 10:00 pm
by Captain
ffs you're a genius Foo :icon14:
Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2006 10:59 pm
by Foo
I found the right reg key by googling loadhive DigitalProdictID, then pretty much found the rest of the method I was attempting all laid out.
Sucks that I had to know my method before I could find a documented example. Experts-Exchange can smd.
Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 7:47 pm
by AmIdYfReAk
Nice one foo,
BartPE has saved mea few times to say the least.