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If you have the Windows CD-ROM, but Windows is not installed
on the PC or the Windows installation has been corrupted, there
is no way to recover the key because the key is not imbedded
in the CD. The CD only contains an algorithim to check the key
that is entered during installation to see if it is valid.
If Windows is installed and the system is usable, read on...
In older versions of Windows, the CD Key is stored visibly
in the registry.
Click Start | Run and then type regedit in the
run box and click OK.
For Windows 95 and Windows 98, browse to this key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ProductID
For Windows NT 4.0, browse to this key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProductID
For later versions of Windows, you need a utility program
that will find it, decode it, and display it. I recommend the
free Belarc Advisor, which does a complete analysis of your system,
and displays everything possible you would ever want to know.
One of the things it displays is the Windows CD Key.
Get it free here: http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html
29 August 2007
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