How do you determine a product key type?

R

Rob Nicholson

We've collected over the past few years a list of all our Windows XP
licenses which have come from a variety of places such as with the PC,
retail versions, upgrades and possibly some VLK in there.

How do you, given a key, determine what kind of key it is?

Thanks, Rob.
 
H

Homer J. Simpson

Rob Nicholson said:
We've collected over the past few years a list of all our Windows XP
licenses which have come from a variety of places such as with the PC,
retail versions, upgrades and possibly some VLK in there.

How do you, given a key, determine what kind of key it is?

Thanks, Rob.
Click to expand...

Looking at the other replies you got, I think what you're really after is
the table near the bottom of this page:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/941461
 
G

Guest

Rob said:
We've collected over the past few years a list of all our Windows XP
licenses which have come from a variety of places such as with the PC,
retail versions, upgrades and possibly some VLK in there.

How do you, given a key, determine what kind of key it is?

Thanks, Rob.
Click to expand...
I didn't see anything relevant in the answers posted so far.
Perhaps you meant 25-digit license code and not product key type???
I don't wanna put words into your mouth, so I'll ask the question
I want the answer to...

I have a piece of paper. On it is written a 25-digit license key.
It's the code that the install CD requires you to enter to proceed.
There is no system with a keycode to be detected. All I have is
a paper with the key written on it.

I have a stack of windows install CD's collected over the years.

How do I determine which CD will install using the license key I have
written here on this paper? Without trying them all...

Assume it's a VALID key and will activate if I can get the
OS to install using that key.

Just to be clear, please suppress the firestorm of legal musings.
The key is VALID and WILL activate. I OWN the license.
All I want to know is HOW to get the ones and zeros installed onto
my hard drive using a VALID license key that I OWN.
 
R

R. McCarty

They Validation key is itself not indicative on which XP version it will
work with. The key obviously decodes in a manner where it must be
a match with the version (CD) being used to install. You can't just
look/examine a Product Key and determine what it works with. If I'm
not mistaken the actual yellow sticker does contain the version of XP
it is intended for.
 
G

Guest

R. McCarty said:
They Validation key is itself not indicative on which XP version it will
work with. The key obviously decodes in a manner where it must be
a match with the version (CD) being used to install. You can't just
look/examine a Product Key and determine what it works with. If I'm
not mistaken the actual yellow sticker does contain the version of XP
it is intended for.
Click to expand...

I understand that. But...there IS an algorithm that takes the key
and some stuff from the CD to determine if it will continue with the
install.
That algorithm is KNOWN (just not by me) and a utility COULD exist to
exhaustively
test all dozen or so variants for key validity.

There exist key generators that appear to know this algorithm.
If there were one that would let you put in your own key for testing,
that would solve the problem. hmmmm, a new place to research...

And as for the yellow sticker...my key is written on white,
3-hole punched college ruled paper.

I like Dell computers, because no matter what,
you can always enter the service tag number at the Dell website and show
proof that that EXACT system shipped with the operating system and you
OWN it.
The only hard
part is getting the ones and zeros put back the way they were when it
shipped...which brings me back to my original need to match a key
to a disk that works.


They did seem to do better with vista. The DVD is the same.
Which version you get is determined by the key you use.
A valid key is always gonna give you something that works.
Greatly simplifies my world. I'm sure they'll figure out a way
to break that for future versions.
 
R

R. McCarty

The CD ( or Product SKU ) is controlled by a variable PID in the
Setupp.Ini file in the i386 folder. That numerical value identifies the
disk and controls what Key will be validated for it.
I think most Key Generators use brute force computations to get
a "Working" key. If the Algorithm was actually known then most
all Microsoft Product Key programs would be wide open to theft.
 
R

Rob Nicholson

Run "Keyfinder V-2.0" it detects and displays the OS version.

Does that have to be run on a PC?

Cheers, Rob.
 
R

Rob Nicholson

I didn't see anything relevant in the answers posted so far.

Thought I'd not made myself clear :)
I have a piece of paper. On it is written a 25-digit license key.
It's the code that the install CD requires you to enter to proceed.
There is no system with a keycode to be detected. All I have is
a paper with the key written on it.
Click to expand...

Yes, that's what we've got. Nearly 70 of them over the years.
I have a stack of windows install CD's collected over the years.
Click to expand...

Yup - coming from same place.
How do I determine which CD will install using the license key I have
written here on this paper? Without trying them all...
Assume it's a VALID key and will activate if I can get the
OS to install using that key.
Bingo!

Just to be clear, please suppress the firestorm of legal musings.
The key is VALID and WILL activate. I OWN the license.
All I want to know is HOW to get the ones and zeros installed onto
my hard drive using a VALID license key that I OWN.
Click to expand...

Yes, they are all legal licenses that we've usually obtained with PCs bought
from a variety of companies. Just we were a bit lax in saying "This was from
a Dell PC", this one was installed with retail license.

Cheers, Rob.
 
T

Tom [Pepper] Willett

You could probably run it in the microwave.

:> Run "Keyfinder V-2.0" it detects and displays the OS version.
:
: Does that have to be run on a PC?
:
: Cheers, Rob.
:
:
 
G

Guest

R. McCarty said:
The CD ( or Product SKU ) is controlled by a variable PID in the
Setupp.Ini file in the i386 folder. That numerical value identifies the
disk and controls what Key will be validated for it.
I think most Key Generators use brute force computations to get
a "Working" key.
Click to expand...

You appear to agree without understanding...

If the Algorithm was actually known then most


Yes, you generate a key and use the algorithm to determine if it's
valid. Keep trying until you get one that works.
That's exactly the process you'd use to validate a key.

The required algorithm IS known by those who write keygens.
Turns out that there ARE keygens that let you put in a key for validation.
I played with one and it only works sometimes. Gives a lot of
false negatives for known-good keys. Does not appear to check for
ALL types of keys, so that may be the problem
 

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