Dying Hard Drive need win xp key

[Skillachi]

Hey all, I will appreciate your help with a dying hard drive which I need the windows xp key from. I've tried multiple techniques with no success, any ideas ??

Case:
Dell mini 2010 running windows xp home ULCPC edition

the system goes directly to blue screen whenever It boots up.

Also am gonna need a copy of win xp home ULCPC edition because the original partition is dead, and I don't have the disk.

Also when I use a sata kit on the drive hook up to another computer it does not show up. IT does when I put it back into the netbook when run linux distro/live cd

I tried loading the Hive using regedit that didn't work

this is the error message from the blue screen:

STOP: c0000218 (Registry File Failure)
The Registry cannot load the hive (file):
\systemroot\system32\config\Default or its log or alternate. It is corrupt. absent. or not writable.

Beginning dump of physical memory
physical memory dump complete.
contact your system administrator or technical assistance.

all ideas are welcome...

 

[mraikes]

I had an issue with a ULCPC machine a few months ago.

The final comment in my thread by 16k_zx81 may help with part of your challenge:

http://www.technibble.com/forums/showthread.php?p=203240

 

[thebige]

Had a similar problem recently. The only way I could salvage anything off the disk was to get it really cold. Since I knew the drive was dying there was no sense being careful. I put it in a static bag, hooked up the external cables to USB, put a re-freezable ice pack to it, wrapped it up tight in an old T-Shirt for 5 minutes then I was able to limp it along long enough to get what I needed off of it.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures"

 

[parker.casey]

Load up some variety of a linux environment on a working computer, attach that drive, run gddrescue on the drive, let it go for usually about two days, and then mount the image you just made. That image will have the information you're after.

... and if that didn't make sense, that's ... a reason to read up!

 

[fixitdaz]

This may help you have look at this video.You can use mini xp on a boot disc and use xp key reader Hope it helps

 

[phaZed]

Load up some variety of a linux environment on a working computer, attach that drive, run gddrescue on the drive, let it go for usually about two days, and then mount the image you just made. That image will have the information you're after.

... and if that didn't make sense, that's ... a reason to read up!

I would not recommend this. Two days of imaging a failing drive of this degree is sure to kill it fully, and before imaging is completed... Hence you wasted 2 days with no progress.

 

[Markus]

I would not recommend this. Two days of imaging a failing drive of this degree is sure to kill it fully, and before imaging is completed... Hence you wasted 2 days with no progress.

I think that is why ddrescue was suggested. I have used it and ntfsrescue before to safe info from failing drives where other methods failed.