MS Works Key

[diddly]

How can i retrieve a MS Works key from a failed OS on a hard drive?
I can take the hard drive out of the faulty laptop and fit in my test desk top and read the files on it.

 

[RegEdit]

Same question regarding the Windows product key. I know that it's encrypted in the registry, but can it be retrieved with ERD Commander or Bart PE? I had a customer whose COA sticker was all worn down and the computer wouldn't boot. The motherboard was gone too so I never needed to think about recovering the product key, but it'd be nice to know for future reference. Do manufacturers like Dell provide you with the product key if you call them?

 

[diddly]

Same question regarding the Windows product key. I know that it's encrypted in the registry, but can it be retrieved with ERD Commander or Bart PE? I had a customer whose COA sticker was all worn down and the computer wouldn't boot. The motherboard was gone too so I never needed to think about recovering the product key, but it'd be nice to know for future reference. Do manufacturers like Dell provide you with the product key if you call them?

Did you try this and load hive from external hdd
magicaljellybean Key finder

 

[OldSchoolPC]

As for Dells, the product key is usually on the case itself. For laptops, it is on the bottom, perhaps under the battery depending on model. As for software to pull it from registry, use LICENSE CRAWLER. It's free, and i think it was a repair tool of the week here on technibble at one point.

 

[jccrcomputers]

Did you try this and load hive from external hdd
magicaljellybean Key finder

+1

Works every time

 

[diddly]

As for Dells, the product key is usually on the case itself. For laptops, it is on the bottom, perhaps under the battery depending on model. As for software to pull it from registry, use LICENSE CRAWLER. It's free, and i think it was a repair tool of the week here on technibble at one point.

Thanks LICENSE CRAWLER Worked a treat

 

[RegEdit]

Did you try this and load hive from external hdd
magicaljellybean Key finder

Holy moly! Never knew this program could pull a key off a slaved drive with its own separate OS installed. That's great. I will test it out tomorrow.
Tools > Load Hive

 

[StringTech]

Run as Administrator

Holy moly! Never knew this program could pull a key off a slaved drive with its own separate OS installed. That's great. I will test it out tomorrow.
Tools > Load Hive

Don't forget to run the keyfinder as an administrator.

 

[Xander]

Nirsoft's Produkey can do the same, incidentally.

 

[vdub12]

I would recommend just loading liber office but you can recover the key off line. I think you can even use the UBCD4WIN to load the registry.

The hive is located in sys32 under config.

 

[RegEdit]

The hive is located in sys32 under config.

I heard it was encrypted. Where would one look? I guess I could test searching for part of my product key on a drive when I get the time.

 

[vdub12]

I heard it was encrypted. Where would one look? I guess I could test searching for part of my product key on a drive when I get the time.

I don't think its encrypted. I normally copy the sys32/config directory to my thumb drive and use produkey to pull the keys from it from my bench computer.

 

[RegEdit]

I just searched for part of my product key in the registry. Nothing. It must be encrypted. This is consistent with what I've read. Keyfinder evidently uses an algorithm to read the key.

 

[Rafael]

Here is a way i thought of doing this:
1.Install the ms works program on your own(do not enter any key), make a image of the registry .
2. Now put a key in and make a image of the registry.
3. Use a program that will scan for differences in text(load up both backed up registry files).. now you found the key path.
4. Boot up your failed drive, since you cant access windows i suggest using Magic disc to load up "dos" and manually copy the registry key you found earlier to the working drive.

 

[vdub12]

I just searched for part of my product key in the registry. Nothing. It must be encrypted. This is consistent with what I've read. Keyfinder evidently uses an algorithm to read the key.

Why not just use produkey or another program like Keyfinder to open the hive. I don't think its necessarily important to find the key in regedit. I think produkey will get works keys to.

 

[RegEdit]

Why not just use produkey or another program like Keyfinder to open the hive.

I know about it now. It's the "I have to know all the ways" person in me that was hoping that there was a registry key that you could just view with Bart PE as see the product key.