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Windows won't start, can't find product key.

So my windows xp installation won't start, I have this old PII for the web.

The XP computer works fine, but when it gets to the point when it should show the login screen, it never shows up. Safe mode hangs at the equivalent point.

I can't remember the Administrator's password, I always log in as "Andrew" which is an admin. Is there a way to run Repair with an administrative user or am I really SOL and it must be the "Administrator" account?

I installed annother XP on the machine and everything seems fine.

I would go with a new installation except for one serious problem: I can't find the product key. I have the booklet and the product CD, but I put the little strip with the product key somewhere safe... when I bought the machine a couple years ago... before I moved last year.

I have seen the KB art about getting the product key from a running windows install, but I need to know:

Is it possible to extract the product key from an installation that won't run?
(If it is impossible, let me know and I will focus on finding the little strip of paper instead.)

Any suggestions for tools that will help me Repair the installation would also be appreciated.

 

 

6 Comments

  • I have a linux distro that you can boot from then logon to the NT partition and reset the Admin password.



    I had to use it in similar circumstances once to recover a DMZ server. I have it as an ISO image (1.5mb). Let me know via the contact form on my website if you'd like a copy.



    Alternatively, you could look at ERD Commander from Winternals.com which uses a modified WinXP PE to do the same job

  • Found the key.



    I tried a lot of things and always ended up in the same place, everything seemed fine but the windows login screen would never appear.



    Time for a clean install I suppose :)

  • The product key still seems to be in the registry files, but I got it from the .dat file, not and an exported .reg.



    I reinstalled with the good key and activated, so I've gone down the Reinstall road.





  • How to find Windows Product Key on Windows XP CD


    Find Windows XP Product Key from the Windows XP CD:

    1) Insert Windows XP cd into a working computer.
    2) Exit the Autorun introduction.
    3) Open "My Computer"
    4) Right Click on the Windows XP cd-rom drive and select explore.
    5) Open the USWXP32P_ZX folder.
    6) Open the sysprep folder.
    7) Open unattend.txt

    Your CD's product key is contained within the unattend.txt file.

    Note: On some system disks, USWXP32P_ZX is a hidden folder. If you cannot locate the folder, you may also search for unattend.txt and mark "Search Hidden Files".

    As best I am aware, this should work on Microsoft Windows XP Home, Windows XP Professional, and OEM versions of Windows XP from restore disks.



  • I've tried looking at the unattend file on a disk with the known product key, and the product key in the file does not match what is supplied with the disk. So, my impression is that what is in the unattend file is just an example.

  • The unattend file is for use on a network with an already valid key. The product key under the unattend folder WILL NOT work on a standalone machine.

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