Some people asked me how to find their Windows XP product keys codes so that they can reinstall their beloved OS (sorry Vista).
If you’re in the same boat, preparing to reinstall your authentic copy of Windows XP, you will need to locate your copy of the Windows XP product key. Normally tyou will find this on a sticker on your computer or on the manual/cd packaging that came with Windows XP. If you’ve lost your product key, it is located in the registry but unfortunately it is encrypted and not readable, making finding it difficult. Note that product keys were not encrypted in previous versions of Windows e.g. Windows 98.
1. Manually locating the Windows XP product key from the registry is nearly impossible due to the fact that it’s encrypted. The techniques used to locate the product key for operating systems like Windows 95 and Windows 98 only locate the product ID number, not the actually product key used for installation. Luckily, a number of free programs exist to help find product keys.
2. Choose a free product key finder program that supports Windows XP.
3. Download and run the key finder program such as Magical Jellybean. Follow any instructions provided by the software.
4. The numbers and letters displayed by the program represent the Windows XP product key. The product key should be formatted like xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx - five sets of five letters and numbers.
5. Write this key code down exactly as the program displays it to you for use when reinstalling Windows XP.Note: If even one character is written down incorrectly, the installation of Windows XP that you attempt with this product key will fail. Be sure to transcribe the key exactly.
