I have a screwed up registry (it came off a different computer) and havent been able to figure out how to repair it from the microsoft forums so I will probably have to repair it from a copy of a Windows 2000 install disc I was using for SFCs on this system (which came with a recovery disc I no longer have) I have BartPE and want to get the product key out of the registry to put in when asked for it by the repair installation. Does anyone know where to find it in which file on Windows 2000 please?

It isn't in system or user.dat in WINNT or WINNT SYSTEM32 (which dont seem to exist in 2000). AFAIK you won't get it from a dead operating system.

Activation codes for NT and 2000 systems.Operation systems. Carvin V3 Midi Setup Diagram on this page. Recover Lost Product Keys for Windows 2000, XP, 2003 – CD-Key Recovery for Windows 2000. Quickly Retrieve Windows CD Key; Change the Serial in Windows XP.

You'll find them in%windir% system32 config the current_user hive is in%userprofile% ntuser.dat The last reg backup files in%windir% repair RegBack and the original as-installed files in%windir% repair -- Regards, Dave Patrick.Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup. Microsoft Certified Professional Microsoft MVP [Windows]: I have a screwed up registry (it came off a different computer) and havent been able to figure out how to repair it from the microsoft forums so I will probably have to repair it from a copy of a Windows 2000 install disc I was using for SFCs on this system (which came with a recovery disc I no longer have) I have BartPE and want to get the product key out of the registry to put in when asked for it by the repair installation. Does anyone know where to find it in which file on Windows 2000 please? It isn't in system or user.dat in WINNT or WINNT SYSTEM32 (which dont seem to exist in 2000) .

Click to expand.Actually that's your best option. Boot to your BartPE disk and just use a copy of the keyfinder (one below will work well hopefully) to recover the key. It should work like a champ I suspect but I've never actually tried it. I use ERD and that's generally been my solution for booting but I never lose my product key so that's not been a problem for me yet. ProduKey - Recover Office/Windows CD-Key: That one is pretty small and works as well as the other one that was listed. I use that one as my recommendation because the one mentioned in another post (this doesn't apply to you) has trouble getting the Office 2003 key in it's release version though it's beta version does just fine.

This one, from nirsoft.net, does a great job at it. Galen -- 'You know that a conjurer gets no credit when once he has explained his trick; and if I show you too much of my method of working, you will come to the conclusion that I am a very ordinary individual after all.' Sherlock Holmes. Click to expand.Yes, thank you for your posting, that did it: The other one gave me the error message that it can't run because it can't find some XP txt file. The switches are quite tricky: Just double-clicking on the file will give you the generic serial number of the platform you are using (BartPE?) which it calls a KEY. Thinking that this is the key is not really good enough. You have to use the /WINDIR switch and then it gives you everything, including even an IE key which I didn't know actually existed.

(I can't see any reason for a key on freeware, unless Microsoft think they are preparing us for licensing of IE someday??) Now I will have to do some experimentation with repairing my installation to ascertain whether I can actually use this key with my copy 2000 installation disc (I suppose the keys match the installations as they do in XP) or if I have to (or need to) use a generic one and then change the generic one in the registry for this genuine one after I have the system up and running. Yes, thank you for your posting, that did it: The other one gave me the error message that it can't run because it can't find some XP txt file. The switches are quite tricky: Just double-clicking on the file will give you the generic serial number of the platform you are using (BartPE?) which it calls a KEY. Thinking that this is the key is not really good enough.