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Retrieve CD Key/Product Key From Windows Registry with Product Key Finder

You must keep CD Key/Product key of any software or application at handy place since you may not know when you will need that key again.
download - comments - 9.7.2009

Windows 7 Product Key Checker to Verify Windows 7 Product Key

Windows 7 official release is set on October 23 and soon you will be able buy your own copy of Windows 7.
download - comments - 9.9.2009

Vista License and Product Key Terminology Part 1

First part of mini serial of articles about Vista Licensing from Steve Jobs blog.
windows - comments - 4.6.2007

Vista License and Product Key Terminology Part 2

Second part of mini serial of articles about Vista Licensing from Steve Jobs blog.
windows - comments - 7.6.2007

Vista License and Product Key Terminology Part 3

Next part of mini serial of articles about Vista Licensing from Steve Jobs blog - Vista Certificate of Authenticity (COA).
common - comments -

Vista License and Product Key Terminology Part 4

Next article about Vista Licensing from Steve Jobs blog - this is about Microsoft Product Activation (MPA).
windows - comments - 16.6.2007

Rearming Vista SP1 to Live 120 Days with No Product Key

With Windows Vista, Microsoft brought to the table an entirely overhauled activation architecture compared to Windows XP.
windows - comments - 10.1.2008

Microsoft Product Key Finder 1.0

In past we have covered product key finder, produkey & winguggle to recover product key of windows and several other installed softwares.
download - comments - 6.8.2009

Activate Windows 7 Pre-Beta 6801 with Vista Beta or RC Product Key without Crack

Already download and install Windows 7 Pre-Beta build 6801? You probably have to leave the product key field blank during installation in order to complete the setup of Windows 7.
windows - comments - 1.11.2008

Get Genuine Kit and Windows Product Key Update Tool

The best and most cost-effective way for customers to acquire Windows software is preinstalled on a new PC.
download - comments - 15.8.2006

Change Office 2007 Product Key

When Office 2007 was RTM'ed and downloadable on MSDN I used Office Professional 2007. For my new course, SharePoint BI, which I'm writing at the moment I needed InfoPath as well.
microsoft - comments - 1.1.2007

Free Windows 7 with Product Key By Attending New Efficiency Launch Events

Looking for free copy of Windows 7? Now is your chance to take home a copy of genuine Windows 7 Professional edition, complete with genuine valid product key to activate the operating system permanently with crack or hack.
windows - comments - 15.8.2009

Microsoft PIDX Product Key Checker for Windows 7 Free Download

Most commercial software products from Microsoft, such as popular Windows operating system i.e. Windows 7, Windows Vista and more, requires a product key to install and activate. Without a product key, Windows will run as evaluation software, and once trial period expires, the operating system will become not genuine and illegitimate to use any longer. Product key, which is a series of 25 characters serial key code string, is used by Windows operating system for several purposes.
download - comments - 2.9.2009

The Product Key Is Not Valid Or 0xC004F061 Activation Error On Windows 7 Upgrade

When installing and upgrading to Windows 7 from previous version of operating system such as Windows XP and Windows Vista with an upgrade license, media (either Windows 7 ISO image or DVD disc) and product key, the following error message may be displayed when entering the serial key during setup.
windows - comments - 3.11.2009

XP: Get Updates No Matter What or Change your Product Key

If your windows installation has issues, or for some other unmentionable reason is unable to get updates from the windows server, this is what you need to do.
windows - comments - 27.3.2006

Windows 7 Beta ISO Download and Product Key Available for MSDN and Technet Subsribers

Although the public beta for Windows 7 beta will only available on January 9, 2009, the MSDN and Technet subscribers can now start downloading the DVD ISO media together with a genuine working product key to activate the Windows 7 installed.
download - comments - 8.1.2009

Hack to Activate Office 2010 RC (RTM Escrow) With Free Product Key

Microsoft does not invite many people to join the official MS Office 2010 RC (Release Candidate) beta testing program in Connect website. For people who downloads and installs Office Professional 2010 RC (RTM Escrow) build 14.0.4734.1000 for volume licensing distribution channel, its possible to install the Office 2010 without any product key. For user who wants to activate the installed Office 2010, which may become the final RTM version (the RTM version is now rumored to be build 14.0.4740.1000), heres the trick or hack on how to activate Office 2010 RC.
microsoft - comments - 9.2.2010

Microsoft Office 2010 Volume License Product Key (VLK) Requires KMS or MAK for Activation

Volume licensing customers for Microsoft Office 2010 suites and applications who install volume editions of Office client software will require activation, even with a volume license key (VLK).
microsoft - comments - 26.8.2009

A Software Compatibility List for Microsoft Windows Vista RC 1

Iexbeta has a nic Wiki page with a huge list of software and its compatibility with Windows Vista.
windows - comments - 29.9.2006

Updated List of updates for Vista SP1

This guy Aaron Tiensivu keeps a VERY good list of non-critical Vista updates and this looks like it could be part of SP1.
windows - comments - 14.6.2007

Heres the list of fixes in those new Vista fix packs

I linked to an AeroXP post this morning listing hot fixes for Windows Vista provided in two new Knowledge Base postings. The AeroXP post is gone now. Poof!
windows - comments - 30.7.2007

Microsoft's List Of 800 Windows Vista-Compatible Apps Excludes IBM, Adobe

Microsoft has released a list of 800 applications that should run properly on its new Windows Vista operating system.
windows - comments - 25.2.2007

Vista upgrade invalidates your XP key

If you choose to purchase an upgrade version of Windows Vista to upgrade XP, you will no longer be able to use that version of XP.
windows - comments - 30.1.2007

Intel waiting for key update before going Vista

If it's not good enough for Intel, is it good enough for you? We're talking Microsoft's Windows Vista, which the chip giant's CEO, Paul Otellini, this week indicated has not won the backing of his technology experts.
windows - comments - 7.3.2007

Windows Vista product editions revealed

If you've been wondering why Windows Vista has taken a long time to reach Beta 1, we can now tell you why: there are seven separate editions of Vista headed your way. OK, that's not the reason for the delay, but how else do you introduce that many OS versions, without invoking Snow White & friends? Join me now as I romp through the various editions, many of which you'll see are just barely differentiated.
windows - comments -

Windows Vista Product Guide Preview Now Available!

The Windows Vista Product Guide provides a comprehensive overview of the innovative features and functions that make Microsoft Windows Vista the next-generation Windows client operating system and successor to Windows XP.
windows - comments - 11.4.2006

Windows Vista Product Keys Leaked

What is the first thing you should do after buying Windows Vista? Take high resolution pictures of the newly acquired product and post it on the Internet so that anyone could see. Right? Wrong! Or at least if you are going to take pictures of the Windows Vista box and what it contains make sure that you choose a neutral side.
windows - comments - 9.2.2007

Microsoft releases key Vista developer technologies

Microsoft on Wednesday gave developers access to a key piece of Windows Vista, months ahead of the operating system's release.

The company posted near-final versions of two software development technologies that are part of WinFX, the underlying programming model being introduced with Vista, which is slated to ship late this year.
microsoft - comments - 20.1.2006

Vista Hands On #4: Clean install with an upgrade key

I've been reading the breathless reports this week about the "Vista upgrade loophole." Most of it is typical echo-chamber stuff, and most of the reports I've read so far have gotten the basic facts wrong.
windows - comments - 19.2.2007

Microsoft Windows Vista Product Guide Preview Now Available!

The Windows Vista Product Guide provides a comprehensive overview of the innovative features and functions that make Microsoft Windows Vista the next-generation Windows client operating system and successor to Windows XP. This guide also provides information the benefits Windows Vista offers diverse users as well as information about the different editions (SKUs) available. It's about 300 pages, and contains a lot of really great information about Windows Vista.
windows - comments - 11.4.2006

Clearing up the confusion on Vista licensing and key management

Since Windows Vista has been released to the public, there has been a lot of confusion and hype surrounding some of the licensing decisions and restrictions with which Microsoft Corp. saddled the operating system and its many versions. Additionally, there's a new type of product key and a volume key management system that you might not know about. In this article, I'll take a look at five distinct points about Vista licensing and key management and give you the most current answers to what I've found are the most common questions about those topics.




winbeta.org - 02.11.2007

Official Way to Use Vista without Activation 120 Days

Official Way to Install and Use Windows Vista without Activation for Free for 120 Days

By default, Windows Vista can be installed, used and run without any license, product key or the need of activation for 30 days grace period, for purpose of trial or evaluation. Although Microsoft initially stressed that users should purchase a license with valid product key before the trial period expires, or else Windows Vista will lock into Reduced Functionality Mode. However, a "rearm" method has long since been discovered to be able to extend, or reset the remaining time for activation to another fresh 30 days, for up to 3 times.

Now Microsoft has confirmed that Windows Vista can be used and run for 120 days or 4 months ( 3 rearms ), and extending the activation grace period is not a violation of the Vista End User License Agreement (EULA). All versions of Vista include Windows Vista Ultimate allow a 30-day free period without activation, except the corporate-oriented Vista Enterprise, which supports only a three-day trial.


Read full story.....
neowin.net - 22.02.2007

Microsoft's Vista 'Family Discount' Troubles

In the past, early adopters of new Windows versions have had some small hurdles to overcome. Such hurdles may be software incompatibility, or lack of driver support. These sorts of things are almost expected with each new Windows launch. But what would you do if you bought Windows Vista and your product key didn't work. What if Microsoft had no solution and was unwilling to issue you a new key?



Many (if not all) users who took advantage of Microsoft's Vista Family Discount have been issued invalid installation keys and cannot install Windows Vista Home Premium. Microsoft confirms that the keys are indeed valid, but not for Windows Vista. The CSR I spoke with was unable to tell what the key was for, but it did appear to be a valid key, for something.



Microsoft says, This is a known issue and has been escalated to the program manager. When asked what could be done I was told, I can take your name and number and call you back when there is a solution. If that is not acceptable, I can cancel your order and issue you a refund. I was also told, There is no expected time period for a fix at this time.




jcxp.net - 01.02.2007

Microsoft Endorses Product That Turns Off Vista UAC Nags

The latest version of a well-reviewed third-party security policy enhancement system for Windows Vista claims to solve what its manufacturer characterizes as "not a secure solution" to a critical problem Windows historically had with administrator privileges on programs. But in the announcement of the upgrade earlier this week, a key Microsoft product manager is quoted as having acknowledged Vista's own take on the solution was not quite enough, effectively reversing his company's stand on User Account Control.



The product is BeyondTrust Privilege Manager 3.5, and its key new feature is the ability to run Vista's UAC transparently without prompting the user for privilege elevation. In Monday's press release, Microsoft director of client security product management Austin Wilson is quoted as not only endorsing the product, but appearing to agree with BeyondTrust's key contention: that the UAC prompts were not only a nag but an insecure solution in itself.




winbeta.org - 24.08.2007

Windows Vista Application Compatibility Downloadable List for IT Professionals

The Application Compatibility List for IT Professionals is a Microsoft Office Excel-based spreadsheet containing software applications which have earned the status of Certified for Windows Vista or Works with Windows Vista.



Additionally, this list contains applications with a status of Compatible. "Compatible means that the application has been reported by the publisher as compatible with, or supported on, Windows Vista. These applications have not gone through the Microsoft Windows Vista Logo Program.



The Application Compatibility List for IT Professionals is current as of July 31,2008 and published as of the Date Published, noted in Quick Details, above.




winbeta.org - 09.10.2008

Windows Anytime Upgrade: Digital Distribution To End

Microsoft had this to say on its website: "In an effort to streamline the Windows Anytime Upgrade experience for our customers and open the program to additional markets worldwide, Microsoft and its partners have decided to end digital product key distribution on February 20, 2008."

With Windows Anytime Upgrade, customers could upgrade to another version of Vista by purchasing a digital product key. Microsoft has now decided to stop distributing product keys online. Those who now want to upgrade, will have to buy a Windows Anytime Upgrade Kit from a local retailer or from Microsoft.


Read full story.....
neowin.net - 11.02.2008

Windows Vista SP1 Product Guide

A comprehensive feature-by-feature guide to Windows Vista with Service Pack 1. With contributions from people who actually worked on the product, this is the definitive resource to learn about Windows Vista. The Windows Vista Product Guide is available in XPS and PDF formats.




winbeta.org - 22.03.2008

Windows Vista Grace Period Extended to 120 Days

Every Vista DVD includes the ability to install any edition of Vista without a product key. When you install without a product key, you get an automatic 30 day evaluation period. This probably isn't news to anyone.



What may be news to you, however, is that you can easily extend the 30-day Windows Vista grace period to 120 days. No hacks required. This is an official, supported operation directly from Microsoft.



To extend the grace period another 30 days, simply start a command prompt as Administrator, and issue this command:



slmgr -rearm



Reboot for the change to take effect, and voila, you have 30 more days. You can only extend three times, so the total grace period for a Vista evaluation is 120 days.




jcxp.net - 01.02.2007

Vista 'Family Discount' Bites Back

In the past, early adopters of new Windows versions have had some small hurdles to overcome. Such hurdles may be software incompatibility, or lack of driver support. These sorts of things are almost expected with each new Windows launch. But what would you do if you bought Windows Vista and your product key didn't work? What if Microsoft had no solution and was unwilling to issue you a new key?

Many (if not all) users who took advantage of Microsoft's Vista Family Discount have been issued invalid installation keys and cannot install Windows Vista Home Premium. Microsoft confirms that the keys are indeed valid, but not for Windows Vista. The CSR I spoke with was unable to tell what the key was for, but it did appear to be a valid key, for something.

Microsoft says, "This is a known issue and has been escalated to the program manager." When asked what could be done I was told, "I can take your name and number and call you back when there is a solution. If that is not acceptable, I can cancel your order and issue you a refund." I was also told, "There is no expected time period for a fix at this time."

If Microsoft does not have this issue fixed very soon, they are going to have a lot of unhappy customers. In the past Microsoft has just issued new keys when this happened. Why is Microsoft being so tight gripped about handing out new keys? If I purchased a valid key, what is it for? How long is this going to take to fix? So many questions, so little answers.


neowin.net - 31.01.2007

Windows Mobile 6 to Synchronize App Development

In an interview with BetaNews, Microsoft product manager for Windows Mobile and embedded devices John Starkweather said that a key feature of the system developers' kit for Windows Mobile 6 will be a set of tools that expose the functionality of a new graphical desktop synchronization tool for Windows Vista called Windows Mobile Device Center...
betanews.com - 11.02.2007

Windows Mobile 6 SDK to Enable Synchronized Apps Development

In an interview with BetaNews, Microsoft product manager for Windows Mobile and embedded devices John Starkweather said that a key feature of the system developers' kit for Windows Mobile 6 will be a set of tools that expose the functionality of a new graphical desktop synchronization tool for Windows Vista called Windows Mobile Device Center...
betanews.com - 10.02.2007

How to Delete a Windows Service in Vista or XP

If you are a fan of tweaking your system and disabling services, you might find that over time your Windows Services list becomes huge and unwieldy with a large number of services in the list that will never be enabled.



Instead of just disabling a service, you can alternatively completely delete the service. This technique can be especially helpful if you've installed some piece of software that doesn't uninstall correctly, and leaves an item in the service list.




winbeta.org - 26.09.2008

Workaround Discovered For "Clean Install" With Vista Upgrade

DailyTech has posted a 7-step workaround courtesy of Paul Thurrott (via Microsoft internal documents) on how to perform a clean install with a Windows Vista Upgrade DVD. Per Microsoft's new licensing requirements for Vista, users are required to install a Windows Vista Upgrade from within Windows XP and to make matters worse, the Windows XP license is forfeited. The process may be tedious, but few will argue when they compare the price differences between the upgrade and retail versions. Here we go:
  1. Boot from the Windows Vista Upgrade DVD and start the setup program.
  2. When prompted to enter your product key, DO NOT enter it. Click "Next" and proceed with setup. This will install Windows Vista as a 30-day trial.
  3. When prompted, select the edition of Vista which you have purchased and continue with setup.
  4. Once setup has been completed and you have been brought to the desktop for the first time, run the install program from within Windows Vista.
  5. This time, type in your product key when prompted.
  6. When asked whether to perform an Upgrade or Custom (advanced) install, choose Custom (advanced) to perform a clean install of Vista. Yes, this means that you will have to install Vista for a second time.
  7. Once setup has completed for the second time, you should be able to activate Windows Vista normally. You can also delete the Windows.old directory which contains information from the first Vista install.

neowin.net - 31.01.2007

Pirated Vista may be useless, Microsoft says

Microsoft said supposedly pirated copies of its new Vista computer operating system "will be of limited value" to those who use them. Microsoft responded Tuesday to reports that some Web sites have been circulating pirated copies of Vista and the Office 2007 applications suite.

The pirated Vista comes with a product key that users can enter to activate a version of the products on their computers without paying for them, according to a report on the Web site of The Sydney (Australia) Morning Herald newspaper. A product key is a unique serial number tied to each package of a software product.

A second download, called an "activation crack," can then be applied that bypasses the activation process intended to guarantee that the Vista OS being downloaded is legitimate, the Herald reported. Pirated copies of Office 2007 can be downloaded just with the product key with no second activation code required. But Microsoft said in a prepared statement that those pirated copies of the OS won't work for long.


neowin.net - 16.11.2006

Microsoft Windows Vista is now on MSDN & Connect

Thanks Andareed who posted this news in our forums, yes thats right MSDN users need no longer to wait.

Initial reports are that this is different from the leaked version that has been available for about a week on all sorts of torrent sites, the hash is different:

en_windows_vista_x86_dvd_X12 -34293.iso = b71e04564ca22e4d9928e59298eff8 7cf62b382b
LRMCFRE_EN_DVD.iso (BillGates) = b82590481755ba3420e7314bf82b89 16a90963b5

This single download includes the following Windows Vista editions:The product key used to install Windows Vista will determine which edition will be installed. The product keys used to install Windows Vista Business N, Windows Vista Home Basic N, and Windows Vista Starter are not currently available.

Also US testers may find an invitation to download any version of Vista final they choose (a product key is then supplied for the version specified) my source tells me that international users will start to see this appearing on their connect page within the next day or so. It's unclear if every tester will get a full version of their choice. We'll update this when Microsoft gets back to us.


neowin.net - 17.11.2006

No plans to release public Vista app-compat checklist

If you were wondering when Microsoft plans to publish an official list of applications that don't work well with Windows Vista, the answer is never. When Microsoft released Windows XP Service Pack 2, the company subsequently published a list of applications that didn't work properly (or at all) with the SP2 update. But with Windows Vista, Microsoft has decided not to issue a public list.

Instead, the company is advising both business and home users with compatibility concerns to get a copy of the Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT), which includes technology that will allow users to log compatibility problems and cross-check (privately, with Microsoft and other customers) compatibility results for selected applications.

Until this month, Microsoft officials had been noncommittal when asked about plans for publishing a full Vista app-compat list, like they did with Windows XP SP 2. But just over a week ago, when I asked Brad Goldberg, Microsoft's general manager for Windows client product management, about Microsoft's plans to make such a list public, I got a more definitive answer.


neowin.net - 12.12.2006

Psst...here's how to get your Windows 7 beta key

Thanks to our ever wonderful forum posters who are currently discussing the Windows 7 beta and Helmers Blog we now know a method of acquiring an official Windows 7 beta key. We have posted direct links to the downloads earlier today: Download: Windows 7 x86 (32bit) and x64 (64 bit) Here's the steps for a key:Visit TechNet Downloads, sign in at the top right and let the page loadWithin the same window copy and paste "https://www.microsoft.com/betaexperience/scripts/gcs.aspx?Product=tn-win7-64-ww&LCID=1033" into the address bar (yes it's a 64bit key but will work on 32 too, if you get an error refresh a few times)...enjoy the result below, whilst stocks last.

Read full story.....
neowin.net - 10.01.2009

Volume License Key Changes, End to VLK Piracy?

"Corporate Edition" versions of Windows have been the blessing of both IT workers and casual pirates since the days of Windows 95, when the operating system first started asking for a license key on installation.

Large firms and OEMs who did not want to go through the hassle of typing in a CD key for every install received Volume License Keys (VLKs) that could be used on as many installs as necessary. Microsoft relied on the honor system to ensure that companies did not abuse this privilege, but it looks as if with Vista this system may be ending:

"We are making changes to the process to Vista and a new approach to VLK licensing," Mike Sievert, corporate vice president of Windows client marketing for Microsoft told CRN during a recent interview. "We're training our enterprise customers and we'll do some key management for customers that's more automated and makes reporting easier."

Click on read more to get more info from this article!


jcxp.net - 28.06.2006

Microsoft: Pay no attention to post-Vista plans

Microsoft declined to comment Friday on post-Vista plans by releasing a comment -- a move bloggers attributed to buzz about a list of most-asked-for features to Vista's successor. The list was yanked from a Microsoft forum earlier this week.

The company's statement, attributed to Kevin Kutz, director of the Windows client team, was among the shortest on record from the company.

"The launch of Windows Vista was an incredibly exciting moment for our customers and partners around the world, and the company is focused on the value Windows Vista will bring to people today," Kutz said. "We are not giving official guidance to the public yet about the next version of Windows, other than that we're working on it. When we are ready, we will provide updates." ..
winbeta.org - 14.07.2007

Microsoft block Windows 7 OEM key hack

Microsoft’s Windows Genuine Advantage team have responded to this week's news that a Windows 7 Ultimate licensing hack had been identified. After a Lenovo OEM Windows 7 image leaked and was used to extract a license key, Microsoft have worked with the manufacturer to blacklist the rogue key and replace it - on genuine Lenovo PCs bought with the new OS - with a working version.




winbeta.org - 31.07.2009