Harddisk crash. need my product key for dell laptop

[Richietl]

First off I purchased my Dell laptop second hand from a reailer several months back.

The hard disk crashed with multiple sector errors and can not even be read if i put on to my working pc to read from it. So it don't boot at all or read. The product key under the dell is only 75% visible so not al the key can be seen.

Im looking for a bootable software that can deep scan a crashed hd to get product key because windows 7 only allows one machine and with the installation i have to make up with it telling me my copy is not genuine when installing my official copy on to my dells new hard drive because I have it on my pc.

 

[Ketchup]

The only other place I know of is the registry. If the hard drive can't be booted into Windows, and you can't read the sticker, you may be able to contact Dell for a new key.

Keep in mind this info comes from Microsoft, not Dell.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/811224

 

[imagoon]

An OEM copy should install without a key and activate using the BIOS certificate. Use the disk that came with the laptop.

 

[Harvey]

An OEM copy should install without a key and activate using the BIOS certificate. Use the disk that came with the laptop.

^ This. :thumbsup:

You can probably use a generic copy of the same version of Win 7 that came on your machine. When you install it, if it asks for the key, look on the bottom of your machine. You should find the Windows authentication sticker with a valid key code.

Before you start, go to Dell's site, and download all of the current drivers for your model to your working machine, and copy them to a folder on a flash drive. When you've done your basic installation, copy that folder to the Downloads folder on your laptop, and install them from there.

If the above is more than you can handle, phone Dell's tech support. They may be able to sell you a recovery disk for $20 - $30, as long as your laptop is new enough that they still have inventory to support this replacement. The license came with the machine so they're not selling you a new copy of Windows, just recovery media to reinstall the copy you already own, which will also install the initial releases of all drivers for your machine.

Of course, you'll still have to do all your updates to both Windows and the drivers.

Good luck.