In a previous entry, we posted information on reading the serial number and activation key from the registry. This only works if your PC will boot, of course. If the hard drive has crashed, you’ll need to read its registry on another PC. Windows XP and Vista both have the capability to do this.

First, install the failed hard drive as a slave drive in a Windows XP or Vista PC. Make sure you can read the drive in My Computer before continuing. If you can’t read the drive at all, there is no way to recover the license from it.

Next, backup the PC’s registry. This is a vital safety step when making changes.

While still in the Registry Editor, click on HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE to highlight it. From the File menu, select Load Hive. In the window that opens, browse to \Windows\System32\Config on the slave drive. Open SOFTWARE.SAV.

A message window will come up, asking you to name the key. There is already a key named “SOFTWARE,” so name the new key “CENSOFT.” When “CENSOFT” opens, extract the license according to our previous instructions.

Once you have your license written down, click on “CENSOFT” to highlight it. From the Registry Editor’s File menu, select Unload Hive. This removes the extra registry entries, restoring your system to its prior condition. You should not need the registry backup.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 29th, 2007 at 1:25 pm and is filed under License, Windows. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.