Exporting registry file to search for product key

My laptop's harddrive has been corrupted/died so I have had to reinstall Windows Vista.

But the product key faded on the sticker(on bottom of laptop).

I know there are various free product key finders that find the keys in the registry files.

I've been able to access the registry files using Knoppix Live CD and I've tried exporting them to a USB and then my PC.

But each time the keyfinder(Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder) tells me it cannot find the path.

Anyone have any ideas as to how I can properly export the registry files that contain the Vista product key so I can then search and find the product key?

Thanks in advance

 

Same problem as one of my Dell laptops. With most brand name laptops, you can reinstall from a CD/DVD from the same maker without needing to enter a key, that was my workaround.

I'm pretty sure there's no way of importing the data into the registry editor, I'll scout around and see what I can come up with.

 

Ok, take a look at http://www.dagondesign.com/articles/windows-xp-product-key-recovery/ don't forget to scan any strange files you have to download - jotti.org and virustotal.com are good.

Good luck

 

Tried but get told the ntuser.dat files are not registry files.

 

I'm not trying to import it into the regedit.

I'm trying to export the registry file from my broken Windows Vista laptop onto my PC and then use one of the keyfinders(which read registry files and decrypt them?) to find my product key.

So far the keyfinders won't load the file claiming it is not a registry file(I wonder if it is because the registry file is from a Vista and my PC is an XP?)

Do you know where you got your dcd/cd to reinstall Vista with?

I had to download my official "windows rescue disk" and when I try to install Vista it demands a product key

 

Possibly some bad news, if you have never reloaded the computer yourself and entered the key off the bottom you may be out of luck.
*Most* of the time the manufacture loads the same image on all computers - so the key in the system doesn't match the key on the bottom. At least I have had several Dells like that. I just checked my Lenovo is the same way.
If you do manage to recover the OEM key you can finish the install but it will not activate & when you call MS they wll not activate it.

Check this tutorial out:
http://www.winhelponline.com/blog/recover-product-keys-unbootable-windows-pc/

You might be able to just pull a copy of the backup registry and load it with the ProduKey tool mentioned without going all the way to barts pe.

 

Download Produkey. Open Produkey, then press F9. Select Load the product keys from external Software Registry hive. Browse to the location of the registry files.

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