How to backup product keys?

[d3v]

Hi all,

I have a customer who has photoshop CS4 on is laptop, which I'm currently working on.

Before I nuke and pave (he's selling it) he wants me to recover the CD key for his copy of Photoshop (he has lost the box).

Is there any software similiar to the excellent Fab's autobackup that can extract product keys from a non-primary harddrive (I have the 2.5" harddrive plugged into my external SATA caddy.

 

[iisjman07]

Have you tried Magic Jelly Bean Keyfinder? It's been a long time since I've used it but it claims to be able to 'Scan another or non-bootable Windows' and photoshop is pretty popular so I'm sure it'll have that in it's database


http://www.magicaljellybean.com/keyfinder/

 

[gazza]

I use recover keys, you will have to pay for it though.

http://recover-keys.com/

 

[d3v]

I just tried www.recover-keys.com trial and loaded the SOFTWARE registry hive from the customer's hard drive, but it failed to locate any Adobe keys even though I ran in admin mod and have permissions on his harddrive.

I will try that Jellybean one right now. Thanks!

EDIT: Just tried Magic Jellybean and same thing - only finds Windows product key and nothing else. Dammit.

 

[mm201]

The version of Photoshop I have installed (CS2) has the installation key under the Help -> About menu. Look in the lower left-hand corner of the popup screen under the user name.

You'll need to go to Adobe's site and unregister the license key before the software can be installed on another machine.

Edit: I just reread your post and realized that you were working with the drive slaved.

 

[16k_zx81]

recover-keys is the killer product in this category & will find more keys than anything else AFAIK. Unfortunately, the Tech's license is ridiculously expensive.

 

[gazza]

I just tried www.recover-keys.com trial and loaded the SOFTWARE registry hive from the customer's hard drive, but it failed to locate any Adobe keys even though I ran in admin mod and have permissions on his harddrive.

I will try that Jellybean one right now. Thanks!

EDIT: Just tried Magic Jellybean and same thing - only finds Windows product key and nothing else. Dammit.

Unfortunately I had one today that needed a key from a crashed drive but it could only get some keys but not the one the customer wanted, I assume that parts of the registry may be corrupted or missing. Don't feel like its your fault there the ones who should have backed up there product keys.

 

[gikstar]

Any possibility of putting the hard drive back in the machine?

If so, running Belarc (download here http://download.cnet.com/Belarc-Advisor/3000-2094_4-10007277.html will provide you with the Microsoft and the Adobe Keys.
Just finished running that program myself.

 

[Painless]

Have you tried Licence Crawler from Tool of the Week. I haven't used it yet ( I will try it later this morning ) but the blurb says it will recover / look for any product keys.

Remember you will need to contact Adobe to deactivate the old machine.

John

 

[d3v]

Hi all,

Well I'm alreeady well into the nuke and pave on his hard drive now, so I can't test BelracAdvisor and LicenceCrawler, but I did test them both of my PC and they do indeed find much more product keys that the other tools reccomended here, so I'll be keeping these two - thanks!

 

[RedFoxComp]

Try enchanted keyfinder. It's an offshoot of magic jellybean but it finds way more stuff.

http://sourceforge.net/projects/ekeyfinder/