Windows product key and key recovery

[Cuffy]

For anyone working with Windows and it's inevitable updates I would recommend that you keep a copy of Nir Soft's  "Produkey"
at hand. It saved me from buying a new copy of Win8.0 when the Windows Store update to Win8.1 trashed my install of Win8.0 because of a mix-up of product keys, replacement keys and semantics about "original" keys.
Produkey searched the trashed, unbootable, O\S when I slaved it to a Win7 install and returned with the actual keys that were used to activate the system. With those numbers I was able to reinstall Win8.0, including the Windows Media Center, download the upgrade ISO for Win8.1 and get up and running, without incident.
Produkey is included in Windows System Control Center, WSCC, which is a frontend for Nirsoft Utils, Sysinternal Utils, and Windows Utils.
Total of almost 300 essential utilities.
It's freeware!
It was discussed here months ago but I think it come up in the world since that discussion. For one thing it now supports 64 bit systems.
Just search DC for wscc or Google will find it for you with just those four letters. It updates often. With so many utilities something is always being updated so punch the buttons for All Items and keep it current. It will get you out of trouble!
If not today, soon!
 

P.S.
It will recover passwords too and password recovery utilities usually return as a virus in your AV program. You may have to whitelist them so they will be ignored on a virus scan.

[tomos]

Thanks for the heads up


This one worked for me on Windows 8:

I have a pre-installed (OEM) Windows 8. The serial number is no longer accessible anywhere. (It's in the bios, but apparently even there it's hidden.)
I came across this little app (*not* a 'tiles' app - the word app is being stolen from us...)
Windows 8 WDP Product Key Viewer´
http://forums.mydigi...P-Product-Key-Viewer
(My Digital Life forums)

-tomos (November 26, 2012, 12:27 PM)

[Cuffy]

MDL wouldn't let me in with that link. I'll check later and maybe subscribe?

I'm a firm believer in the little utilities that solve such big problems. I'll endeavor to snag the one you mentioned!

and..... to reiterate.. look at WSCC......http://www.kls-soft.com/wscc/index.php

What shocked me when I ran Produkey was it was running next door. Win8.0 was dead in the water and I never dreamed I could recover those keys, but I slaved it together with another O/S and it tripped on over and came back with the keys.
I'll run a little test on the one you use if I can get it.

And guard those numbers............ write them all on an index card and keep it some place safe and handy.
SIW or Belarc Advisor will get all your numbers for you too.  I know from experience they'll keep a grown man from crying.
The price is right with the stuff being freeware and when you see "Windows is activated" when you're having problems the relief is so satisfying you might wet your pants. It's worth it, just go change and come back and boot Windows!

 

[Cuffy]

tomas,

Digital River wouldn't let me in with that URL but I mentioned your name and got right in. Evidently nobody has ratted me out over there!

I DL the product key utility and it agrees with the numbers provided by Nir's Produkey.
The snag we hit originally was with the Windows Media Center, free with the original Win8.0 offer, available now for $10 ???,
and it has it's own key. Install WMC and it changes the key from COA to Win8.0 /with WMC. That's the key reflected by both these key utilities. If you don't install WMC your life will be a little simpler. I installed it and it warped my brain, apparently permanently, since that was a couple of years ago and I'm still having problems!
YMMV,
 

[tomos]

^I'll keep that advice in mind
Have downloaded the other (WSCC) but not installed yet - will try it out with the portable version.