Win7 Product Key from ISO

scott00049

scott00049

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I've searched not only the forum but literally the entire internet, maybe, and can't find my answer. (ok maybe not the entire internet, but I could see the 'bridge out' sign up ahead) lol

I am trying to find a way to get the Windows 7 product key from the ISO file itself. I know how to get the key from the registry once it's installed, but what if you can't install it and all you have is an ISO???

I have an image that is stored on our server at work, valid image with volume licensing key, but the image is corrupted or something because no matter what we try in terms of installation method, we get errors.

So I was thinking I could just use a clean ISO from the 'digitalrivercontent' .com website and then use the key from my ISO. Problem is I haven't found a way to read the key from the ISO. I can open up the file and click on the 'sources' folder, click on the 'license' folder and see the license files all sitting there in .rtf format. Can't open them and read them though. They just open up and show a bunch of geometric shapes. So how do I get the key from the ISO so that I can use it to install a clean image???

Anybody got any ideas how to get this key. This is perfectly legit, just a weird situation. Never anticipated not being able to use our image.

Thanks in advance for any help.

-Scott
 
Is the key saved in a sysprep file? It's been a while since I worked with volume licensing, but I remember in the XP days we would have a sysprep answer file with the domain and key etc.
 
No. The folder looks like this when you open it (double-click):

Boot
EFI
Sources <---------These are folders
Support
Upgrade

autorun.inf
bootmgr <---------------These are files
bootmgr.efi
setup.exe


So I can open the 'sources' folder and see the 'licenses' folder, and I can open that folder to see the license files all sitting there in .rtf

I was going to SysPrep it once I had the image installed and customized the way we want it. But I can't get to that step without the key.
 
Not yet, but I will if I have to. I'm kinda stubborn about finding ways to do stuff on my own, so I know what to do next time. Of course, if there is no fix, then calling MS will be my only option...boooo lol :D
 
I will admit to not knowing for sure how to open it with a hex editor. Haven't used hex editors very much, if at all.

Any particular one you think I should try??
 
scott00049 said:
Any particular one you think I should try??
Click to expand...
HxD gets top billing in TechSupportAlert's reviews and is free for unrestricted use. It's strength is that it opens very large files without having to load them into RAM. I used to use AXRSan but it's no longer available, so I'll switch to HxD. Haven't used one in years myself. There's a comparison of hex editors on Wikipedia that might be of interest.

Edit: Heed the warning about "Changes to file are immediately saved to disk. Therefore, backup your files when editing."
 
Last edited:
SprinterTech-WI said:
if this is a VLM key shouldn't you have other machine's installed with it and/or have access to the original purchase?
Click to expand...

Yes we have other machines installed with it but....this is a new model of laptop for us and we have no images of it yet. So if I install from another image, I won't have the right drivers, etc. My devices won't work properly, at least that's the way I understand it. Am I wrong about that??

The only clean image I have is the one that is corrupted, which is the image I am trying to get the key from. I believe, but not positive, that the corrupted one is the original. Not totally sure, but I think so.

I wish it were as easy as just using image from another machine.

I will try the hex editor mentioned above and see what happens.

Thanks,
Scott
 
Windows 7 volume key licenses don't work that way. You should have a MAK that was issued by Microsoft Volume Licensing or a KMS server setup if you went that way with your VL agreement. If your image is corrupt you should be able to recreate it using the same method that was used to create your first image.
 
nlinecomputers said:
Windows 7 volume key licenses don't work that way. You should have a MAK that was issued by Microsoft Volume Licensing or a KMS server setup if you went that way with your VL agreement. If your image is corrupt you should be able to recreate it using the same method that was used to create your first image.
Click to expand...

You're right, we do have a KMS server. But I don't have access to it. I work for a school district. The Tech Support dept. has access to the KMS server, as they should. Unfortunately, I don't work in the Tech Support dept. I am the tech person for an individual dept in the central office of the school district, but I am not, however, part of the Tech Support dept. So, I would have to put in a work order and wait two weeks minimum just to have a tech come out and image one of my laptops. Then I would still have to do the rest.

So....I know you are right, but I need to find another way to deploy the image because I can't wait that long. I hope that makes sense..lol

-Scott
 
scott00049 said:
Not yet, but I will if I have to. I'm kinda stubborn about finding ways to do stuff on my own, so I know what to do next time. Of course, if there is no fix, then calling MS will be my only option...boooo lol :D
Click to expand...

Quite admirable, but is that the same attitude you want and employee to have? I don't expect an employee to know everything but I do expect the employee to know where to find the answer and in the least amount of time - time is money as they say, and if all it takes is a call to Microsoft, that is where I would want the employee to start.
We have a name and a number of a Microsoft employee whom we can call that can get us to the right department so we can get a straight answer quickly... and not have to deal with a call center in India.
 
scott00049 said:
Yes we have other machines installed with it but....this is a new model of laptop for us and we have no images of it yet. So if I install from another image, I won't have the right drivers, etc. My devices won't work properly, at least that's the way I understand it. Am I wrong about that??

The only clean image I have is the one that is corrupted, which is the image I am trying to get the key from. I believe, but not positive, that the corrupted one is the original. Not totally sure, but I think so.

I wish it were as easy as just using image from another machine.

I will try the hex editor mentioned above and see what happens.

Thanks,
Scott
Click to expand...

I think what SprinterTech was getting at was why not just go to one of these machines that already has the image installed on it and extract the key from it?
 
scott00049 said:
You're right, we do have a KMS server. But I don't have access to it. I work for a school district. The Tech Support dept. has access to the KMS server, as they should. Unfortunately, I don't work in the Tech Support dept. I am the tech person for an individual dept in the central office of the school district, but I am not, however, part of the Tech Support dept. So, I would have to put in a work order and wait two weeks minimum just to have a tech come out and image one of my laptops. Then I would still have to do the rest.

So....I know you are right, but I need to find another way to deploy the image because I can't wait that long. I hope that makes sense..lol

-Scott
Click to expand...

But what he also means, is that there is no "Key" in those ISOs that you download from Microsoft, digitalriver, etc. It's a generic ISO. You can crack open the ISO using whatever or hex editors...and spend millions on years looking, and you'll not find any install keys.

Can't you call that department and have them get you a key?
Even if not, I think Windows 7 is like Office and will let you run it for a few weeks without activating....so build it now, and if you wait 2 weeks for the key..so be it.
 
If there is a KMS server on his network then the image file he is trying to use will not have a key. That is the whole freaking point of a KMS server. The KMS server provides one time keys as needed every 180 days. A true Volume License Media version of Windows 7 will be setup to auto discover teh KMS server. But any Retail version of Windows 7 can also be set to do this manually. But you'll need to know the URL and port of your local KMS server.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff793406.aspx

The whole point of KMS servers is to prevent what this guy is trying to do.
 
You guys are right about the KMS server. I totally missed the point of what he was saying. I got it working. All I had to do was add the machine to the Active Directory, and as soon as I did that, the KMS server activated the image and the Office suite that is on it.

Well, I learned a lot about how Active Directory, imaging, etc. all works. Most of my job is break/fix, and I seldom have to deal with anything else like AD, networking, servers, etc. Thank you to everyone who had advice. It seems like everytime I come to TN for a solution, I learn a lot more than just a solution to the problem. That is why I like this forum. It's a great place to learn what I lack, which is a lot...lol

-Scott
 
StoneCat,

You're right, I would have messed with it for far too long. I'm always trying to do things the hard way. Honestly, I know that my stubbornness is a weakness in my personality, which is why I ask for advice here and from co-workers, etc. I was allowing my situation to dictate to me what I thought I needed to do. When all along, I was being told 'hey buddy, two words for ya....KMS Server'. I know I have a lot to learn in this field, but I really enjoy having situations like this, where I learn from it and come away smarter. I know I sometimes look foolish for not getting what people are saying right away, but I'd rather that, than not ask questions at all and waste mega time for nothing, like I would have done in this situation.

Okay...enough self-deprecation for now. I learned, and got it done. So all's well that ends well, at least this time it is. :)

-Scott
 
I think what SprinterTech was getting at was why not just go to one of these machines that already has the image installed on it and extract the key from it?
Click to expand...

Cyabro,

I actually did do that with three different machines. I used Belarc Advisor on them just to see what the Product key was. And all three machines gave me the same key but it was notated on the Belarc Summary with a footnote. So I go to the footnote and it says that the Product key is an OEM key added at the factory, and not the actual key that may have come with the machine, or something to that effect.

Anyways, I tried that key and it didn't work. This lead me to believe that the key was 'masked' somehow with a default key that doesn't really work. I haven't really gone back to study it. Maybe it was a valid key for those three machines and just isn't good anymore. Or maybe MS does something to the key so you can't just read it....not sure, but either way, this method didn't work. Which is why I was following the rabbit trail that would have lead me to endless hex editors, scripts, and the likes that I would have gotten nowhere with :)

-Scott
 
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