computer repair, obtain customer windows XP key questions

[Guest]

I am interested in staring my own computer repair company to help pay for
college. Nothing big but I know I will only be dealing with Windows XP. In
some cases, I will have to backup the data on the system and do a reinstall.
When this happens, I will need the XP key from the system.

Question 1: is there a program that can obtain the Windows XP key from a
running XP system.

Question 2: is it possible to obtain a XP key on a hard drive that has
failed to boot. In other word, I have a bad hard drive ( customer). It wont
let me boot to it. I then attach it as a slave to my work computer and remove
the files that need to be saved. I then need to re install the OS. How do I
get access to the customers XP key?

Question 3: I have a personal XP install with sp2. Can I use it but instead
of using my personal key, I use the customers? Will all keys work on my XP
CD?

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

I am interested in staring my own computer repair company to help pay
for college. Nothing big but I know I will only be dealing with
Windows XP. In some cases, I will have to backup the data on the
system and do a reinstall. When this happens, I will need the XP key
from the system.

Question 1: is there a program that can obtain the Windows XP key
from a running XP system.

There are several. You can find the Product key with any of these:

ViewKeyXP www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/ViewKeyXP.exe (for Retail versions only,
and for pre-SP2 versions only)

ProduKey http://nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html

AIDA32 http://www.aumha.org/freeware.htm

Everest http://www.lavalys.com/index.php?page=product&view=1

Magical Jellybean www.magicaljellybean.com/keyfinder.shtml

Belarc Advisor www.belarc.com/free_download.html

Question 2: is it possible to obtain a XP key on a hard drive that has
failed to boot. In other word, I have a bad hard drive ( customer).
It wont let me boot to it. I then attach it as a slave to my work
computer and remove the files that need to be saved. I then need to
re install the OS. How do I get access to the customers XP key?

If there's a way to do that, I don't know one.

Question 3: I have a personal XP install with sp2. Can I use it but
instead of using my personal key, I use the customers? Will all keys
work on my XP CD?

No. Keys have to match the CDs with respect to Professional vs. Home, Retail
vs. OEM, and Full vs. Upgrade.

 

[Ron Martell]

Question 3: I have a personal XP install with sp2. Can I use it but instead
of using my personal key, I use the customers? Will all keys work on my XP
CD?

Product keys must match with the installation CD being used with
respect to all of following items:
1. Edition (Home, Professional, Tablet PC, or Media Center)
2. Version (Retail Upgrade, Retail Full Install, OEM, Volume License,
etc.
3. Language (English, German, Chinese, Spanish, etc.)

Additionally, product keys used with almost any branded OEM version
(where the CD bears the name & logo of the computer
manufacturer/assembler, or where there is a System Recovery partition
instead of a CD) can only be used with CDs from that specific OEM. So
the Product Key for a Dell OEM version cannot be used with CD for a
Gateway or eMachines (or any other company's) OEM version.

Good luck

Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP (1997 - 2006)
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca
Syberfix Remote Computer Repair

"Anyone who thinks that they are too small to make a difference
has never been in bed with a mosquito."

 

[cquirke (MVP Windows shell/user)]

nobodyimportant wrote:

I wouldn't do it that way, because there are risks to both host and
guest HD when an at-risk or risky HD is dropped into the host.

Instead, I'd use a Bart PE CD with Nirsoft's Produkey utility plugged
into it. Google( Bart PE ) refers.

In fact, I would very seldom "have to" reinstall Windows - and would
do so with great reluctance, as a sign of failed elegance in
troubleshooting - as there are always side-effects to this.

See http://cquirke.mvps.org/reinst.htm

No. Keys have to match the CDs with respect to Professional vs. Home, Retail
vs. OEM, and Full vs. Upgrade.

Also, you don't want the wrong key in the wrong installation - though
what you can do is fix that later:
- cause activation check to fail
- when asked to activate, go "manual" (i.e. not Internet)
- click to change the product key
- enter the new product key when prompted

If you have to use a different "tribe" of XP so that the right key
won't take (e.g. you use your own MSDN CD to do a repair install
because the brain-deal big-brand OEM CD lacks that ability) then what
you can do is do a repair install using the correct type of XP.

Don't try back-versioning (e.g. SP1 over SP2) or changing the product
SKU (especially Home over Pro), and expect this to not be possible
with those big-brand OEM "recovery" CDs.

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Drugs are usually safe. Inject? (Y/n)

 

[Richard in AZ]

I would add another comment:
If noboyimportant did not know the answers to the questions, he should not be repairing computers
for a fee.
We have enough incompetent techs out there already.

 

[Kerry Brown]

I would add another comment:
If noboyimportant did not know the answers to the questions, he
should not be repairing computers for a fee.
We have enough incompetent techs out there already.

I agree. Learning by experimenting on paying customer's computers is a
recipe for disaster. It will give the OP a bad name and computer techs in
general a bad name.

nobodyimportant

Learn by experimenting on your own machine or get a job where you can learn
from an experienced tech. Repairing computers for a living is a very
competitive field. Bad word of mouth will kill your business very quickly.

 

[antioch]

Then we will probably be seeing a lot of you in these newsgroups ;-) ;-)
I hope you find enough time to study?
Rgds
Antioch

 

[cquirke (MVP Windows shell/user)]

If noboyimportant did not know the answers to the questions, he should
not be repairing computers for a fee. We have enough incompetent
techs out there already.

Yes, we do.

Some want to build skills, and if we help them do that, then we may
have less incompetent techs out there. I'm quite happy to help techs
who need and want help, even if they are my competitors.

Others are like that because they don't care, or are not allowed to
care on company time (like the Dell techs who told a user to "just"
wipe and reload, using thier crippleware "recovery" CD that can't
offer any other sort of maintenance "solution").

The only way we can get rid of those types of techs is to apply
selection pressure; increase the average tech standard so there's more
competition pressure, raise user support expectations, and name 'em
and shame 'em so that the vendors may feel pressure to improve.

There's no crime in not knowing.
Not caring is another story.

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Drugs are usually safe. Inject? (Y/n)