Keyfinder for license tracking?

[mikeford]

Recovering from a MB failure I am motivated to get a good software tool to read and keep a record of all still in use and semi retired PCs we have around the house, but first swing downloading and trying out half a dozen programs did NOT satisfy. Critical issue maybe that main system I was working from is Win10 pro and it won't give me full read/write access to the C drive from the dead system, or maybe that I was using freeware or demoware with limited functions.

I want to recover all sorts of my old product keys, Win98 is the oldest system, but lowest priority. Highest is the recently dead Win7 pro system and I would like to get all my keys from Win install to Games if I can.

I am willing to buy a real product if a "known" good one exists, most promising seemed to be Produkey which is free, but to do interesting things needs to run in command mode.

Tomorrow I plan to pick up a 32 or 64GB flash USB OR SD and put Linux on it to avoid Win10 issues, so something that ran native on Unbuntu 18 would be great.

 

[mikeymikec]

https://www.magicaljellybean.com/keyfinder/

Is what I normally use, the free version has worked fine for me (it lists many more, but I normally only use it for MS products).

 

[daveybrat]

One of the best that will find far more than Produkey or many others is Belarc Advisor:

https://www.belarc.com/products_belarc_advisor

 

[mikeford]

Thanks for suggestions, both look good, but the free version it seems at least will not read the system drive from the dead motherboard system, only the boot drive of the main system.

Problem isn't urgent, so I will just poke at it from time to time, maybe see if the licensed version of MjellyB goes on sale.

 

[mikeymikec]

This one can (for Windows at least):
http://nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html

Just point it at the system hive on the failed system's drive.

 

[mikeford]

I think my issue may be that windows won't give me permission to fully access my old systems C: drive. I looked at the security options in properties and it would not let me change anything, no read or write to the windows folder. I'm still working on it, not the first time Windows blocks me from me.

Nirsoft is produkey btw.

 

[mikeymikec]

You should be running the tools with admin privileges.

But you absolutely can gain access to an unencrypted NTFS volume provided you have admin privileges in the OS you're currently running. Sometimes Windows will make you work for it (though admittedly I don't think I've ever had any issues with say pulling the product key off an offline installation of Windows), but it's definitely possible because as an admin you already have all the permissions you need.

When dealing with offline installations I prefer not to go messing with filesystem permissions (mainly in case I want to ever get that installation of Windows online again), but if I didn't care about permissions being secure I'd probably run amok with changing file system object ownership and file structure permission resets. The initial ownership change becomes necessary if admins aren't allowed any access to a given folder, then the permissions reset.