Microsheits :(

[Tweak]

Hello,

Micro$oft is of no use to me. We have about 12 legitimate copies of Windoze XP Pro at my office as well as some copies of ME and Win 98 lul.

3 Of our computers were recently replaced with windows 7 operating systems.

But now I am looking to format one of our older pc's to help a lady whose pc is slow as hell.

But I don't have any of the cd keys because the other technician who worked here before me didn't mind keeping records. Some boxes don't have those stickers on their sides. Some lisences are OEM only, I am lost at trying to find out which operating system went where.

Microsoft is not willing to help me with this process. They said I should google for certain software coz its not allowed for them to tell me what to use.. GAH

What software can I try to help me determine which CD was installed on our pc? I don't want to use a duplicate license code on the pc I want to format.

Thanks for any help

P.S. I tried LAVASOFT EVEREST but it wasn't too accurate on a lot of known serials (Such as office, Antivirus etc).


IT SUX HAVING LAZY PEOPLE AT WORK WHO DONT DO REQUIRED ADMIN :RAGE:

 

[kilobits]

Here is a good place to start.... also google magic jelly bean.... amongst others...

 

[Tweak]

ty kbpy <3

I heard about that program before but didn't have the courage to use it in case it might fail. I suppose I just have to try..

 

[warchylde]

You can use either belarc or everest - both of them report all the keys.

 

[HavocXphere]

help me determine which CD was installed on our pc?

The CDs themselves contain no digital ID (XP at least), so they are interchangable.

If the above fails, use SIW (System info for windows)...that can extract a pile of CD Keys.

 

[Lycanthrope]

The CDs themselves contain no digital ID (XP at least), so they are interchangable.

If the above fails, use SIW (System info for windows)...that can extract a pile of CD Keys.

*grin* I was going to suggest Everest Ultimate (which I see now is discontinued) but Havoc-san introduced me to a great little program earlier today--Speccy. You'll find the product key used for the OS under the Operating System tab

 

[LazyLion]

Preparing for a re-format and re-installation by backing up your drivers and keys!

Prepare for the process by first using LookInMyPC to get a complete X-Ray of your machine.
http://lifehacker.com/5468742/

Then....

A) Back up your Old Registry

1) Click on the Start Button and choose run
2) type regedit.exe and press enter to run the Registry Editor
3) When it is open scroll all the way to the top of the tree and select "My Computer"
4) Now click on the File Menu and choose "export"
5) Export the entire registry twice, once as a TXT file and once as a REG file.
6) Give it name like regbackup.reg and regbackup.txt
7) Move those files to a backup drive or burn to a CD (Can be up to 100 MB depending on how many programs you have installed).

NOTE: You can actually browse through your Registry looking for program keys by browsing these two folders... You might find a lot of installation keys by looking in each folder for all the software you have installed. Do NOT change anything you see there!!!! Just copy and paste the keys or back up the REG files.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER / SOFTWARE or...
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / SOFTWARE

B) Back up your Software Keys and Windows Activation Files...
(You can use one of these FREE programs or ALL of these programs)
NOTE: Some of these programs might be flagged as malware or spyware by your Anti-Virus because they reveal system passwords and keys. Don't worry they are safe to use for your personal use and you can safely add them to your anti-virus "exception list". Obviously you should guard the password and key information in a safe place.
Some of these programs do more than others. They all have their benefits. Read more about them here... and find links to download them!
http://pcsupport.about.com/od/productkeysactivation/tp/topkeyfinder.htm

1) Magic Jellybean Key Finder...
2) WinKeyFinder...
3) RockXP
4) KeyFinder Pro
5) KeyFinder Thing
6) WinGuggle

C) Backup Your System Drivers
These FREE programs will list and back-up (and restore) system drivers. Useful to do, even if you plan on installing FRESH drivers. It is good to have a record of all the drivers you had installed before for the off-chance that you cannot locate a driver again after re-installing! You can use one or both of these programs!

1) Double Driver...
http://boozet.org/dd.htm
2) DriverMax
http://www.innovative-sol.com/drivermax/

D) Don't forget to back-up your User Files as well. Check this list to make sure you have not missed anything...

1) My Documents Folder (including Docs, Pics, Vids etc.)
2) Shared Documents Folder
3) Your e-mail (Outlook or Outlook Express... etc.)
4) Your program User Files (eg. TurboCash, Quicken, AutoCAD, etc.)
5) Your Downloads folder or wherever you keep your Archives.
6) Your Firefox Profile...
C:/Documents and Settings/{User Name}/Application Data/Mozilla/Firefox/Profiles/...
Your Profile name will look something like "k13xy5k6.default" and that folder contains all your extensions, passwords, bookmarks, etc.

Good Luck!