Solved Vista Home Premium Lost Product Key

G

GanderThePanda

Member
Hello, I was running a Vista x64 OS a week or 2 ago, when I decided it would be a good Idea to try out linux, but I forgot to write down my product key from the registry before formating to ext4. My sticker that was once on the side of my pc was ripped off at some point and so I cannot use that. The product code I was using is an OEM code that, (Aren't OEM's registered to the motherboard?), was shipped with my 32 bit system around 6 years ago, with a P5N-D motherboard.
I've already tried Hard Disk recovery programs but they say that "the file system is damaged" or something so I cannot get back anything that was stored on it.
Is there a way of recovering my product key?
If there is any addition information you need to prove that I'm a legitimate customer then please ask.

-GanderThePanda.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    MESH
    CPU
    Q9550
    Motherboard
    P5N-D
    Memory
    DDR2 800Mhz P6400 (i think)
    Graphics card(s)
    HD7870 XT Tahiti LE
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    PSU
    850W Corsair bronze
    Internet Speed
    15 Mbps
Hi & Welcome.

Do you have the original recovery disks for the PC. 32 or 64 bit?

As they are OEM they do not need the code & it will be regenerated.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    HP-Pavilion m9280.uk-a
    CPU
    2.30 gigahertz AMD Phenom 9600 Quad-Core
    Motherboard
    ASUSTek Computer INC. NARRA3 3.02
    Memory
    3582 Megabytes Usable Installed Memory (4 Gig)
    Graphics card(s)
    ASUS NVIDIA Geforce GTS450
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition 7.1 Audio (HP drivers)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP w2408 24.0" (Dual monitor)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 * 1200, 1920 * 1200
    Hard Drives
    3*500 Gigabytes Usable Hard Drive Capacity Plus 2x USB (160Gig each) external HDD BluRay & DVD Weiters HL-DT-ST BD-RE GGW-H20L SCSI CdRom (Bluray RW) Device AlViDrv BDDVDROM SCSI CdRom (Blueray) Device TSSTcorp CDDVDW TS-H653N SCSI CdRom
    Internet Speed
    40 Meg
Lottiemansion said:
Hi & Welcome.

Do you have the original recovery disks for the PC. 32 or 64 bit?

As they are OEM they do not need the code & it will be regenerated.
Click to expand...

I think i have the 32 bit disk somewhere!
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    MESH
    CPU
    Q9550
    Motherboard
    P5N-D
    Memory
    DDR2 800Mhz P6400 (i think)
    Graphics card(s)
    HD7870 XT Tahiti LE
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    PSU
    850W Corsair bronze
    Internet Speed
    15 Mbps
If you only have the 32bit, how did you get to 64 Bit from there, you must have a "Code" for the 64Bit on the DVD Disk too?
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    HP-Pavilion m9280.uk-a
    CPU
    2.30 gigahertz AMD Phenom 9600 Quad-Core
    Motherboard
    ASUSTek Computer INC. NARRA3 3.02
    Memory
    3582 Megabytes Usable Installed Memory (4 Gig)
    Graphics card(s)
    ASUS NVIDIA Geforce GTS450
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition 7.1 Audio (HP drivers)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP w2408 24.0" (Dual monitor)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 * 1200, 1920 * 1200
    Hard Drives
    3*500 Gigabytes Usable Hard Drive Capacity Plus 2x USB (160Gig each) external HDD BluRay & DVD Weiters HL-DT-ST BD-RE GGW-H20L SCSI CdRom (Bluray RW) Device AlViDrv BDDVDROM SCSI CdRom (Blueray) Device TSSTcorp CDDVDW TS-H653N SCSI CdRom
    Internet Speed
    40 Meg
Lottiemansion said:
If you only have the 32bit, how did you get to 64 Bit from there, you must have a "Code" for the 64Bit on the DVD Disk too?
Click to expand...

On vista the same code worked for both 32 and 64 bit for some reason but i only have a recovery disk for 32 bit
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    MESH
    CPU
    Q9550
    Motherboard
    P5N-D
    Memory
    DDR2 800Mhz P6400 (i think)
    Graphics card(s)
    HD7870 XT Tahiti LE
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    PSU
    850W Corsair bronze
    Internet Speed
    15 Mbps
GanderThePanda said:
On vista the same code worked for both 32 and 64 bit for some reason but i only have a recovery disk for 32 bit
Click to expand...
Ok I've booted from cd and it's asking for product key still?
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    MESH
    CPU
    Q9550
    Motherboard
    P5N-D
    Memory
    DDR2 800Mhz P6400 (i think)
    Graphics card(s)
    HD7870 XT Tahiti LE
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    PSU
    850W Corsair bronze
    Internet Speed
    15 Mbps
GanderThePanda said:
Ok I've booted from cd and it's asking for product key still?
Click to expand...

"Windows cannot install required files. The file may be corrupt or missing. Make sure all files required for installation are available, and restart the installation. Error code: 0x80070017"
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    MESH
    CPU
    Q9550
    Motherboard
    P5N-D
    Memory
    DDR2 800Mhz P6400 (i think)
    Graphics card(s)
    HD7870 XT Tahiti LE
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    PSU
    850W Corsair bronze
    Internet Speed
    15 Mbps
GanderThePanda said:
Ok I've booted from cd and it's asking for product key still?
Click to expand...

I've e-mailed my computer manufacturer to see if they can help. Please post anything that could additionally help.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    MESH
    CPU
    Q9550
    Motherboard
    P5N-D
    Memory
    DDR2 800Mhz P6400 (i think)
    Graphics card(s)
    HD7870 XT Tahiti LE
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    PSU
    850W Corsair bronze
    Internet Speed
    15 Mbps
Welcome
Make and model of computer, please. If you did not format the restoration partition, we can help.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS420
    Memory
    6 gig
    Graphics card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD3650 256 MB
    Sound Card
    Intergrated 7.1 Channel Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell SP2009W 20 inch Flat Panel w Webcam
    Hard Drives
    640 gb
    Cooling
    Fan
    Mouse
    Dell USB 4 button optical
    Keyboard
    Dell USB
    Other Info
    DSL provided by ATT
richc46 said:
Welcome
Make and model of computer, please. If you did not format the restoration partition, we can help.
Click to expand...

I formatted the whole drive, but heres my info anyway, my computer was custom built so I can only really tell you the specifications: P5N-D Motherboard, 500GB Primary HDD @ 7200, 1TB Logical HDD @ 5400, Q9550 CPU, HD 7870 XT GPU, Made by MESH. That's all I can really give to you based on what's inside my pc, plus I've been upgrading it over the last 5 years.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    MESH
    CPU
    Q9550
    Motherboard
    P5N-D
    Memory
    DDR2 800Mhz P6400 (i think)
    Graphics card(s)
    HD7870 XT Tahiti LE
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    PSU
    850W Corsair bronze
    Internet Speed
    15 Mbps
If you formatted the entire hard drive, the restoration partition is gone, too, very sorry.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS420
    Memory
    6 gig
    Graphics card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD3650 256 MB
    Sound Card
    Intergrated 7.1 Channel Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell SP2009W 20 inch Flat Panel w Webcam
    Hard Drives
    640 gb
    Cooling
    Fan
    Mouse
    Dell USB 4 button optical
    Keyboard
    Dell USB
    Other Info
    DSL provided by ATT
The only record of your Key was on that COA sticker.
The only way you'll be able to install and activate Windows now (apart from buying a new license) is to reinstall using the manufacturer's Recovery media - which contain the relevant buts to match with the BIOS SLIC table that should be present in the motherboard.
If you don't have the manufacturer's Recvery media available, you'll have to contact them and order a set for your machine.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire 8930G
NoelDP said:
The only record of your Key was on that COA sticker.
The only way you'll be able to install and activate Windows now (apart from buying a new license) is to reinstall using the manufacturer's Recovery media - which contain the relevant buts to match with the BIOS SLIC table that should be present in the motherboard.
If you don't have the manufacturer's Recvery media available, you'll have to contact them and order a set for your machine.
Click to expand...

I have my manufacturers external recovery cd but it still asks for a key?
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    MESH
    CPU
    Q9550
    Motherboard
    P5N-D
    Memory
    DDR2 800Mhz P6400 (i think)
    Graphics card(s)
    HD7870 XT Tahiti LE
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    PSU
    850W Corsair bronze
    Internet Speed
    15 Mbps
also, when i try to install windows from that cd I get a "Windows cannot install required files. The file may be corrupt or missing. Make sure all files required for installation are available, and restart the installation. Error code: 0x80070017"
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    MESH
    CPU
    Q9550
    Motherboard
    P5N-D
    Memory
    DDR2 800Mhz P6400 (i think)
    Graphics card(s)
    HD7870 XT Tahiti LE
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    PSU
    850W Corsair bronze
    Internet Speed
    15 Mbps
Its going to be difficult to get help for Vista. I think the best bet is to bite the bullet and buy a Seven CD, should not be too expensive or a Windows 8. You will get a CD and a new Key.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS420
    Memory
    6 gig
    Graphics card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD3650 256 MB
    Sound Card
    Intergrated 7.1 Channel Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell SP2009W 20 inch Flat Panel w Webcam
    Hard Drives
    640 gb
    Cooling
    Fan
    Mouse
    Dell USB 4 button optical
    Keyboard
    Dell USB
    Other Info
    DSL provided by ATT
The manufacturer's Recovery set will still be cheaper than either - even Acer are only charging £50 for my Vista set.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire 8930G
Vista is on the way out. Soon no more support. I would go for Seven. I have it and like it much more than Vista.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS420
    Memory
    6 gig
    Graphics card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD3650 256 MB
    Sound Card
    Intergrated 7.1 Channel Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell SP2009W 20 inch Flat Panel w Webcam
    Hard Drives
    640 gb
    Cooling
    Fan
    Mouse
    Dell USB 4 button optical
    Keyboard
    Dell USB
    Other Info
    DSL provided by ATT
^ I agree with Richard. If your recovery disks are faulty, you are out of luck. Your system is custom built, but you still had an OEM Operating System install? That's unusual. Unless they included it as a special bundle. But in any case, with it not being one of the big computer manufacturers like HP, Dell, Sony, etc., I doubt you'd get any help for something you bought 5 years ago.

In the future, always transcribe your product codes into an electronic document that is backed up. I did that on my laptop and it saved me, as one day I went to re-install the OS and found the label on the bottom had worn away.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavillion dv5t
    CPU
    Intel Core Duo 2.53GHz
    Memory
    4Gb
    Graphics card(s)
    NVidia GeForce 9600M GT 512Mb
    Screen Resolution
    1280x800 32bit
    Hard Drives
    Seagate Momentus XT 500Gb Hitachi Travelstar HTS543225L9A300 250Gb
    Mouse
    Microsoft 4000
Microsoft will not help with validation problems unless you bought a CD to install. If it came preinstalled you must go to the Manufacturer of the computer.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS420
    Memory
    6 gig
    Graphics card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD3650 256 MB
    Sound Card
    Intergrated 7.1 Channel Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell SP2009W 20 inch Flat Panel w Webcam
    Hard Drives
    640 gb
    Cooling
    Fan
    Mouse
    Dell USB 4 button optical
    Keyboard
    Dell USB
    Other Info
    DSL provided by ATT
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