CD-key

[ryanmeyer]

I have a tricky dilemma I'm in.

I have a customer who has (so she claims) a valid copy of Windows XP on
her existing machine. However, it will not boot. She has lost the
sticker, packaging, etc and thus has no way of retrieving her cdkey. I
have a working harddrive, but no matching motherboard to boot it off
of. I can't do a repair without her key. I can't get into Windows to
get her key without a repair.

This being such, I'm looking for a bootable tool which retrieves CD
keys from Windows XP operating systems. I've had no luck experimenting
with Knoppix, or ERD commander. I've tried to run key-retrieval tools
from ERD, but it only returned information about ERD.

It would be very useful to have this tool in the future as well, as I
know this isn't the first time this has happened. (Staff promised
customer we could keep her existing copy of XP, realize we can't,
customer throws a fit.)

Please help! Anything is appreciated!

Thank you all in advance,

Ryan

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

If your customer lost the Windows XP CD, Product Key,
and Certificate of Authenticity, she no longer has a valid
Windows XP License. In that case, she'll have to purchase
a "Full Version" of Windows XP and perform a "Repair
Install".

Repair Install
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

P.S. If customer lost a $100 bill, would she have a fit
because the bank won't replace it?

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows Shell/User

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

:

| I have a tricky dilemma I'm in.
|
| I have a customer who has (so she claims) a valid copy of Windows XP on
| her existing machine. However, it will not boot. She has lost the
| sticker, packaging, etc and thus has no way of retrieving her cdkey. I
| have a working harddrive, but no matching motherboard to boot it off
| of. I can't do a repair without her key. I can't get into Windows to
| get her key without a repair.
|
| This being such, I'm looking for a bootable tool which retrieves CD
| keys from Windows XP operating systems. I've had no luck experimenting
| with Knoppix, or ERD commander. I've tried to run key-retrieval tools
| from ERD, but it only returned information about ERD.
|
| It would be very useful to have this tool in the future as well, as I
| know this isn't the first time this has happened. (Staff promised
| customer we could keep her existing copy of XP, realize we can't,
| customer throws a fit.)
|
| Please help! Anything is appreciated!
|
| Thank you all in advance,
|
| Ryan

 

[Talahasee]

If your customer lost the Windows XP CD, Product Key,
and Certificate of Authenticity, she no longer has a valid
Windows XP License. In that case, she'll have to purchase
a "Full Version" of Windows XP and perform a "Repair
Install".

Repair Install
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

P.S. If customer lost a $100 bill, would she have a fit
because the bank won't replace it?

Well put.

As a cartoon on the wall of my office once said,

"An emergency on YOUR part
does not constitute an emergency on MY part."

I had an issue with the cell phone company a year or so ago.
A VERY important voice mail from my son took some 10 DAYS to
get to me.

When I called the cell phone company on getting the message
(for some reason, my son didn't mention the voice message
when I saw him that day),

I got a song and dance about,

"1st of all, there is NO WAY you wouldn't get a voice
message for 10 days! That just doesn't happen."

[[[ I found out later she lied. With computer, cable, and
towers, not to mention satellites, ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN, AND
IT WILL!! ]]]

"2nd of all, our computers
a. have been down
b have been giving us fits
c the computer programmer is lost somewhere over Zimbabwe

etc.

I shortened the call with

"Don't make YOUR problems MY problems!"

I also changed carriers.


Good luck!


Tallahassee

 

[GreenieLeBrun]

I have a tricky dilemma I'm in.

I have a customer who has (so she claims) a valid copy of Windows XP on
her existing machine. However, it will not boot. She has lost the
sticker, packaging, etc and thus has no way of retrieving her cdkey. I
have a working harddrive, but no matching motherboard to boot it off
of. I can't do a repair without her key. I can't get into Windows to
get her key without a repair.

This being such, I'm looking for a bootable tool which retrieves CD
keys from Windows XP operating systems. I've had no luck experimenting
with Knoppix, or ERD commander. I've tried to run key-retrieval tools
from ERD, but it only returned information about ERD.

It would be very useful to have this tool in the future as well, as I
know this isn't the first time this has happened. (Staff promised
customer we could keep her existing copy of XP, realize we can't,
customer throws a fit.)

Please help! Anything is appreciated!

Thank you all in advance,

Ryan

Ultimate Boot CD for Windows
http://www.ubcd4win.com/

This CD has KeyfinderPE included. Boot her computer from the cd, run
KeyfinderPE, browse to her Windows directory and click search

 

[ryanmeyer]

I don't understand the $100 bill metaphor. She is angry because my
staff told her we could do something that we can't (until now,
hopefully).


Thank you very, very much Greenie.

 

[Guest]

Even if you find the Product Key, you won't be
able to determine which Windows XP CD is required
to reinstall. You'll be back at square one within
an hour, I can assure you.

 

[Steve N.]

Ultimate Boot CD for Windows
http://www.ubcd4win.com/

This CD has KeyfinderPE included. Boot her computer from the cd, run
KeyfinderPE, browse to her Windows directory and click search

Excellent advice.

Steve N.

 

[Steve N.]

Even if you find the Product Key, you won't be
able to determine which Windows XP CD is required
to reinstall. You'll be back at square one within
an hour, I can assure you.

How do you know? Got that good ol' crystal ball out again Carey? What if
the repair shop has a variety of XP CDs which they can try? Why be so
pesimistically presumptouous? You're supposed to be trying to help here,
not ridicule and try to make sales for Microsoft.

Steve N.

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

Q. "How do you know? Got that good ol' crystal ball out again Carey?"

A. Yep!

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows Shell/User

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

:

| How do you know? Got that good ol' crystal ball out again Carey? What if
| the repair shop has a variety of XP CDs which they can try? Why be so
| pesimistically presumptouous? You're supposed to be trying to help here,
| not ridicule and try to make sales for Microsoft.
|
| Steve N.