How to recover lost product keys on Windows 7
Sometimes backups aren't enough when it comes to protecting your computer software from a potential crash.
Computer experts will tell you of the importance of performing regular backups to save your personal or work-related data in case of a system failure. Simple backup methods such as burning the data to a CD are perfect for archiving data that you put on your computer, but less effective when it comes to backing up installed programs. Installed programs usually require product keys to prevent software piracy or copying, and a misplaced or illegible key can lead to software becoming unusable to you in the event of a crash. Fortunately, NirSoft has a product that can retrieve the product keys of installed Windows programs and provide you a way to quickly and easily archive them.
To get started you need to download and install the latest version of ProduKey; the 64-bit version is available here. Then follow these steps:
Step 1: Open ProduKey after installing.
Step 2: Select the programs you'd like to store information on from the list that appears. You can select individual entries by holding the Control key while you click on them.
Step 3: With your desired programs selected, click on the Save Selected Items icon (looks like a floppy disk).
ProduKeyProduKey will save all of the data about the programs you have selected. You can save this file in your Documents folder for easy access in the future, or even print it out so all of your Windows product keys are available on one sheet of paper.