w2k pro key changer (NOT KEY GEN!)

[AMPLIFRIER]

can anyone point me in the direction of a utility that will allow me to view and then change the installation key for win2k?

the "magical jellybean keyfinder" will not work.....it shows as an option but it doesnt work....even says so on the guys site.

the situation im in is ........i have a few machines installed with the same product key......now i have the licenses (additional product id numbers) i want to replace the duplicate product id's with the new keys.

id like to not have to reinstall these machines.

this would be for 2K.....not XP.

thanks in advance

AMP

[TonyT]

you don't need a product key for win2k!

[AMPLIFRIER]

thx for the reply.....but the situation im in is ........i have a few machines installed with the same product key......now i have the licenses (additional product id numbers) i need to make them legit with microsoft.......want to substitute the existing key in the installation with the new keys.

im editing the original post to make it a little more clear.

thx anyhow man

AMP

[TonyT]

On 98 boxes, the prod key is in registry at;
HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version

I have been searching the reg and haven't found it there yet...

[AMPLIFRIER]

i read at another site while searching for a key gen.....that the product id (the key) isnt stored in ther registry.....i suppose setup just looks at the product id and validates it and then moves on with the install........

just want a utility that will allow me to go in and "reinstall" the key


AMP

[TonyT]

I found it in this file!

With Win2K you'll find your product key at:
Drive Letter:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\$WINNT$.INF

[The Dude]

I have seen one for XP
http://www.downseek.com/download/22040.asp
I don't know if it works for 2K. The key is stored somewhere in the reg but it is probably in hex or something. The magic jellybean can find it so it's stored somewhere.

[AMPLIFRIER]

Originally posted by TonyT
I found it in this file!

With Win2K you'll find your product key at:
Drive Letter:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\$WINNT$.INF

i tried changing that file......i ran jellybean again and it still came back with the old reg key i want to change :-(

man i dont wanna reinstall.

AMP

[Sid]

You could run sysprep.

[AMPLIFRIER]

Originally posted by Sid
You could run sysprep.

i saw that mentioned once already......but id love to find a little utility that could change it as easy as the key changer for XP.

thanks

AMP

[Sid]

Sysprep only takes a min to run. Just reboot at the end and the first thing you get to do is put the key code in. You won't loose any data and its faster than trying to find something to do it.

[AMPLIFRIER]

Originally posted by Sid
Sysprep only takes a min to run. Just reboot at the end and the first thing you get to do is put the key code in. You won't loose any data and its faster than trying to find something to do it.

looks like ill prolly end up going that route.

thx
AMP

[twwabw]

Truthfully, I wouldn't worry about it too much. Have you ever been through a software audit? I have. Nobody really cares what product ID is on the individual systems- all that really matters is that you have proof of payment for the correct number and type of licenses. Boxes don't matter; Seals of Authenticity don't matter; the license certificates don't matter. They want to see where you PAID for these licenses. It's very common in larger organizations to roll out software and OS's with a single install CD and license number.

[zooner]

Originally posted by twwabw
Truthfully, I wouldn't worry about it too much. Have you ever been through a software audit? I have. Nobody really cares what product ID is on the individual systems- all that really matters is that you have proof of payment for the correct number and type of licenses. Boxes don't matter; Seals of Authenticity don't matter; the license certificates don't matter. They want to see where you PAID for these licenses. It's very common in larger organizations to roll out software and OS's with a single install CD and license number.

it's good to see they're fair and use common sense on it...

[crazyjw1971]

Originally posted by TonyT
I found it in this file!

With Win2K you'll find your product key at:
Drive Letter:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\$WINNT$.INF

I found that in XP also but isnt that file for unattended installs? Mine was blank on my work PC due to the fact that it was an "attended" install.

Or am I sadly mistaken?

[AMPLIFRIER]

Originally posted by twwabw
Truthfully, I wouldn't worry about it too much. Have you ever been through a software audit? I have. Nobody really cares what product ID is on the individual systems- all that really matters is that you have proof of payment for the correct number and type of licenses. Boxes don't matter; Seals of Authenticity don't matter; the license certificates don't matter. They want to see where you PAID for these licenses. It's very common in larger organizations to roll out software and OS's with a single install CD and license number.

kewl...thanks for the info man.....kinda puts me at ease.

ill prolly run sysprep on the systems as already mentioned in here though.

AMP

[The Dude]

Originally posted by crazyjw1971
I found that in XP also but isnt that file for unattended installs? Mine was blank on my work PC due to the fact that it was an "attended" install.

Or am I sadly mistaken?

I have a dual boot on my PC 2k/xp. I checked that file for each and they said "unattended install=no" and there was no product code in either file. I would say you are correct in your assumption.