Windows 10: "Windows.old.old" (Help requested)

Backstory: I broke my windows 7 installation awhile ago and went to linux, without deleting the broken installation. Later when I discovered windows 10 I decided to go and use it but it broke, so I again installed windows 10.

This is 3 windows installations on one partition, and I was wondering if its possible to see the backup files from my windows 7 installation. I need this so that I can get the windows product key from windows 7 because the sticker on my laptop is unreadable.

The laptop itself is the only remaining component from the purchase, from TOSHIBA. There is a HDDRECOVERY partition, but I tried to boot it and got a winload.exe error.

I want the key so that when windows 10 gets a full release I'll be able to downgrade to windows 7 > and then use the upgrade back to windows 10.

Thanks in advanced, and sorry if my question isn't clear.

EDIT 1: I should have mentioned that the linux wasn't installed to the same partition as the broken windows, I just never used the broken windows until I installed my first copy of windows 10.

:)

 

Please help me... " Nokia n97 "

Every single number.. No i've tested in on my mothers phone and her ID isn't set on private but still doesn't show. When i miss the call it automatically sends me a message saying who called, well if there number isn't on private.

 

Please help me... " Nokia n97 "

I've had this problem since ever... Whenever i recieve a call it doesn't show the caller. All it says is " Call ". Please someone help me get rid of this ! My settings are set as " Say caller's name; - On "

 

If this is an OEM system, most likely there is no key there... the key is embedded in your BIOS.

 

If your windows.old/recovery partition contains the following hive Windows\system32\config\SOFTWARE, we can retrieve your key - but AFAIK, windows.old only backs-up the System hive.

BTW that's if a retail or COA (sticker key) was used - the OEM key is available on the net - for that you will need an OEM certificate to match the SLIC in your bios.

 

Windows 8, 8.1 has the key tied to the board, did they put Windows 7 key in bios?? Just asking that would be a new one to me.

 

I have used Nirsoft's "Produkey" to recover product keys from mighty scambled messes.
It's worth a shot--it's free*Biggrin
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...91071109,d.cGU

 

Did you test Produkey?
I just installed WSCC on Win10-- 10049.
WSCC is a frontend for Nirsoft Utilities, Sysinternals Utilities, and Windows Utilities and contains Produkey as one of 264 utilities in that bundle.
I ran Produkey in Win10-10049 and it works as well as it did in all previous systems.
One of the first packages I install on a new system.
Find it here.............. KLS SOFT - WSCC - Windows System Control Center

 

I did look in the windows.old registry hive (all of them) and also scanned them with a key finder, but those are from my previous windows 10 installation. Like I said, I have installed windows 10 twice (with the original being win 7) and I am wondering where to find "Windows.old.old" (two installations ago) I have tried multiple product key finders. Also, I'm not sure if the system is OEM or how to check but I know that the sticker does in fact contain the product key for windows 7, its just faded.

EDIT: I found that some people are able to scan the sticker (with a printer?) & manage to get the key out, but no luck for me.

 

Also, I cannot use the 0 key to open up the HDDRECOVERY, but I can still see it & view the files in it. I have used bcdedit to try to get it a bootable partition (I used openbcd as a template for it & edited it). I've tried to change the path to many different things but I can't get one to work. I've tried many different paths (i.e. \BOOT\BCD) Usually Always it gives me an error (0xc000007b) to an item in which I did ont make the path, but after looking in bcdedit the path was changed to it. (Example: changed the path to "\BIN\something.EXE" and after restart it says the path is "\BIN\BOOT_32.EXE") FYI my computer and its windows installation is x64 if it makes a difference.

 

Getting back to OEM is easy if you can get the $oem$\$$\System32\OEM folder from recovery - that contains the certificate and key and activation commands (not sure if Toshiba uses the same method)

I mentioned the Software hive as it has both the installed key (Win10) and the 'original' key prior to upgrade (Win7) - see Showkey - Windows 10 Forums.

 

Thanks, I'll take a look at this.
EDIT:
Doesn't work :I
It shows 4 things,
Product Name: "Windows 10 Pro Technical Preview"
Product ID: (random numbers)
Installed Key: (the key I'm assuming is on MS website for the preview)
OEM Key: OEM key not present in firmware.

I also tried the "Get key from backup" and attempted to have it open the SOFTWARE from
"C:\Windows.old\WINDOWS\System32\config\SOFTWARE" but it gave me an error message.




I attempted to do this a second time but this time doing the exact same thing it tells me this when clicking the "SOFTWARE".




Next I tried to load the SOFTWARE from "C:\Windows.old\WINDOWS\System32\config\RegBack\SOFTWARE", but it tells me "Invalid Registry Hive selected".

Any other ideas or am I out of luck?

Let me try & explain a bit more in case I didn't make it comprehensible.. anyway
So I had Windows 7, but at some random point (I don't recall what I did) it would give me the error winload.exe failed or whatever, and I wasn't any good at computers at the time so I just left the laptop to gather dust for awhile. Eventually I put in a linux live CD (ubuntu) and set up a new partition for a ubuntu installation. I was able to view the files for the broken windows but I didn't do anything to them. Moving on, lots of time passes and eventually I find windows 10. Since I was unable to enter windows to install it from the inside (I think you can do that?) I did it the same way I did linux, by a USB. *I put the ISO on a usb hdd with rufus*. I did not create a new partition, but instead I told it to install onto the same partition as the broken windows 7. It did make a windows.old (this was awhile ago so my memory is a bit sloppy) but I never bothered to check anything out. Even longer after, this windows broke too. I just installed Windows 10 again, on top of that. And now I'm here.

I don't understand your lingo :I I'll take a screenshot of the root of the HDDRECOVERY.


I gave the partition a letter & here is it in explorer.

Ignore the second last picture. (attachment), that was a mistake.

 

Can you zip the Software hive and upload it somewhee I can grab it from?

Look under the sources folder for an OEM folder.

 

Interesting, I had a look at that app. and checked it on Virustotal - it came up with PUP detections:

Code: SHA256: da90af24398a12d6fb20215b0219d1f6383ae032576da6067cff35cb7a2326e8 File name: ProduKey.exe Detection ratio: 3 / 57 Analysis date: 2015-04-18 12:14:41 UTC ( 0 minutes ago ) SHA256: 080cb46952b5fbce885f8645e406d28d0e813ecfbfc2aeb8c07a071ed4daebe0 File name: ShowKeyPlus.exe Detection ratio: 0 / 57 Analysis date: 2015-04-18 12:12:46 UTC ( 0 minutes ago )[/quote]

 

Sources folder?
& is it safe to upload a registry hive?