The Search for the Windows XP Pro Product Key

I just have to start off by saying… what a stupid bunch of !#$%^&*! Who you ask? Well, the whole darn lot of support techs and Microsoft employees.

I recently got a new pc. It’s a decently powered machine, came with Windows Vista but customized with a downgrade to Windows XP Pro, my operating system of choice. Well, I personally miss the days of a boot to a C:\ prompt, but that’s another tale… So, my new pc comes with a Windows Vista sticker on it so I’ve got my Windows Vista Product Key in case I ever want to install it (Ha!). However, there is no Windows XP Pro Product Key sticker to be seen on the machine, in the machine (like they’d put it there!), or on any of the paperwork (not that there is much of that), CDs, or CD envelopes. So, my quest for a Windows XP Pro Product Key begins. Why? Because I know that eventually I’m going to have to reinstall it, it’s a fact of life when you run a Windows machine. You either reformat and reinstall to blow out the cobwebs or your machine slowly screeches to a halt and you buy a new one. I prefer to get the most out of my machines, so a good reformat happens eventually.

I called support and asked my simple Windows XP Pro Product Key question. Yes, I feel this is a simple question. However, it apparently is a political hot bed of finger pointing and as usual the customer is the one who pays the price. Whatever! I’m told that I can’t help you find your Windows XP Pro Product Key, I can, however, tell you to go to Google and search for “how to find your Windows XP Pro Product Key within the registry.” Huh? Why can’t you tell me where to look? Because it’s against Microsoft rules, I am not allowed to tell you how to hack your registry. What? I’ve been in my registry five million times, I’m not doing anything illegal, it’s my product key, I own the software, I’m not trying to steal anything. Sorry, but I cannot tell you how to edit or view your registry. Whatever, thank you very much.

Inspiration… Belarc! Doesn’t Belarc tell me everything about my pc? I installed Belarc, I know I did, oh where is that wonderfully simple, delicious little program. Tada! Windows XP Pro Product Key!!! AHA, I am victorious. Bite me Microsoft! Bite me Tech Support! I HAVE THE POWER…

Oh, and I did search Google just for the heck of it and after a few looks I determined that after Win 98, Microsoft decided to encrypt the windows key within the registry so to get it now, you’d have to download some program. Ha, don’t need to deal with that when I have the mighty Belarc!