Product Key on the CD

[Guest]

Hello,

Where can I find Windows XP Home product key on the installation CD?

I need to reinstall the OS and cannot find the product key! Of course I
cannot start Windows...

Thanks

 

[Jim Macklin]

The PK is not on the CD. If XP was installed from the
factory (OEM) there should be a sticker on the case with the
COA and PK. If you bought a retail upgrade the PK was on
the envelope.


--
The people think the Constitution protects their rights;
But government sees it as an obstacle to be overcome.


| Hello,
|
| Where can I find Windows XP Home product key on the
installation CD?
|
| I need to reinstall the OS and cannot find the product
key! Of course I
| cannot start Windows...
|
| Thanks

 

[Guest]

Thanks Jim,

I do not have the sticker on the box because I've changed it and forgot to
save the sticker...

I know it is possible with Win2k...

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

No Windows installation CDs have ever had the Product Key
located on the CD itself.

How to replace lost, broken, or missing Microsoft software or hardware
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;[ln];326246

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User
Microsoft Newsgroups

Be Smart! Protect Your PC!
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/protect/default.mspx

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

:

| Thanks Jim,
|
| I do not have the sticker on the box because I've changed it and forgot to
| save the sticker...
|
| I know it is possible with Win2k...

 

[Shenan Stanley]

Where can I find Windows XP Home product key on the
installation CD?

I need to reinstall the OS and cannot find the product
key! Of course I cannot start Windows...

The PK is not on the CD. If XP was installed from the
factory (OEM) there should be a sticker on the case with the
COA and PK. If you bought a retail upgrade the PK was on
the envelope.

I do not have the sticker on the box because I've changed it and
forgot to save the sticker...

I know it is possible with Win2k...

It is *not* possible with Windows (any version).
Microsoft has not put the CD Key on the CD.

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

How was it possible with W2K? I think it was only possible if Windows was
running. I didn't think there was any way to decode from the cd itself.

 

[Guest]

if u wan to find product key u should check in CD-Rom... there should be a
key in
cd rom..or find at back of ur's window's cd- cower.....

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Hello,

Where can I find Windows XP Home product key on the installation CD?

You can't. The Product Key is not stored on the installation CD in any
way, shape, or form. That would be rather like locking a door, but
leaving the key in the lock: doing so renders both the the lock and the
key completely useless.

I need to reinstall the OS and cannot find the product key! Of course I
cannot start Windows...

The Windows 25-character Product Key (required to perform the
installation) is stored on the CD packaging on a bright orange sticker
that says "Do not lose this number." It is not on the installation CD
in any way, shape, or form. If it was an OEM (factory installed)
license, it's stored on a label that the PC manufacturer affixed to
the exterior of the PC case, or on the bottom of a laptop.

To recover a lost Product Key:

If your system still runs, you should be able to use Belarc
Advisor from http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html to find the
Product Key. (If you have a factory-installed OEM license, and
haven't since reinstalled the OS, the revealed Product Key is probably
of the drive image used at the factory and not your specific Product
Key; therefore, it probably cannot be -- and definitely should not
be -- used for a re-installation.)

If it was a retail license and you have proof of purchase:

How to Replace Lost, Broken, or Missing Microsoft Software or Hardware
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;en-us;326246

If it was an OEM license, you should contact the computer's
manufacturer; although very few manufacturers/vendors keep records of
the Product Keys they've sold, it's worth a try before you have to buy
a new license.

--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on having
both at once. - RAH

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

Not in XP.

 

[Guest]

If your Windows XP is still working, then you can use Belarc Adviser or
MagicJellyBean Key finder to get the Product ID used for the installation of
XP on the PC.

Belarc provides a more detailled Audit on the whole Hardware / Software
makeup of the PC and can be printed out for safe keeping.

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

The OP notes that he cannot start Windows.