If you have lost your US license key for whatever reason; don't fret. Here's mine: 86A86BA02759FE17B1A79F. Powersaves for AMIIBO random serial number not working for botw. 2 5 comments. It might be, I'm not sure. It keeps saying 'Web Operation Failed' then switches to 'Insert Game Cartridge' for me. Their servers might be down.
A large proportion of computer games require you to enter a unique product key to play the game, which is what Windows and most applications require you to do. This is to combat piracy so you couldn’t just copy a game CD and distribute it to all your friends. The problem has always been that if you misplace or accidentally throw away the CD case or box, the product key often goes with it. If you haven’t yet installed the game then you have a problem as contacting the game retailer/publisher will likely be a waste of time. However, if you have already installed the game and entered a product key, all is not lost.
A large amount of games these days are purchased and downloaded online which isn’t such a problem because your game serial numbers are stored either in an email or with the game service such as Steam or Origin, and you only need your username and password to retrieve them. But if you install a game from optical media, quite often the product key gets stored in the system registry, and as it’s easily accessible, there’s a good chance of recovering any previously typed in game serial.
A utility called Game Key Revealer has been designed specifically for the sole purpose of reading and recovering game CD Keys and Serials for installed games on your computer. The creator also has another tool called SoftKey Revealer which concentrates on recovering Windows and application serial numbers. Game Key Revealer is possibly the only free tool around to specifically look for and reveal game keys, most other tools are shareware and only show a few characters of the key unless you register.Game Key Revealer is only about 150KB in size and portable so you can run it without installing onto your computer. Just click the “Find Games” button to search for any game CD Keys on the computer and after a second or two, it will display the serials in the window. What you might also find is that there are keys listed which are from games you may have uninstalled ages ago, useful if you no longer have the key to hand.
You can save the found CD Keys in the list to text file (GameKeyRevealer.txt) in the same folder as the tool, open and copy the text directly to Word if you have it installed (File -> Copy to Word), or print it directly to your printer. The list of possible games it can find is pretty impressive, with over 2,000 currently supported. You can read the full list on the website to see if it can detect what you want it to.
A useful option for around 20 older games enables you to change an already installed serial key for another one, handy if you download and install a game then later buy the legitimate product. Select Tools -> CD Key Changer, choose the game from the drop down and enter the new serial number. Then press depending on your operating system, “32bit Change” or “64bit Change”. There is also a Refresh Rate Override tool, but you shouldn’t touch this unless you know exactly what changing your refresh rate does.
Game Key Revealer works on anything from Windows 95 up to Windows 8.
Download Game Key Revealer
There is another free key finding tool which can find a few game keys although on inspection, every game in its small database is already included in Game Key Revealer. But if you have a problem with Game Key Revealer, you might like to try Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder, one of the oldest Windows/application key finders out there.
The last resort – If you can’t get the game key you want from one of the tools above and you suspect it’s in the registry, the last option is to view the registry yourself and look for it. Using regedit is usually only recommended for experienced users, but it’s not a problem if don’t try to delete, edit or create anything. Press Win key+R, type regedit into the run box and navigate to the following registry keys:
HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftware
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftware
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareWow6432Node (64-bit only)
Then have a look for a key with a name of either the publisher (EA Games, UBISoft etc), the game developer (THQ, Treyarch etc) or the game’s actual name such as Crysis or FIFA. Expand the key and look for anything that mentions or looks like a serial.
You can also search for the name using Ctrl+F but bear in mind any serials are unlikely to be outside of the 3 registry keys mentioned above. If you find what you’re looking for, double click on the entry in the right window and the copy the data.
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Hi You can Use keygetter.com
Replyi found my cd key using regedit. Thank You Brod.
ReplyHi Hal, but what can i do if i have not installed the game yet? The retailer doesn’t even know where the CD-key is, and they left me with the DVD copy. Is there any way to open the registry from the dvd, or is it blocked?
ReplyThe only way you can retrieve the key is if the game has been installed, or else the computer has no idea.
ReplyTHANKS!
GAME KEY REVEALER worked for me. I had no idea a software like this was out there.
ReplyGAME KEY REVEALER worked for me. I had no idea a software like this was out there.
What if I have setup a new windows on my PC .. that means all my recovery data has been lost :(
Reply
That’s right, the data has to be pulled from somewhere.
ReplyX_X it doesn’t work for skyrim apparently i searched for games and it didn’t show my skyrim key that skyrim is installed btw i just wanted to know it
ReplyRemember the days where we just bought the cd or cartridge and didn’t have to worry about this crap? Eff you EA if you think I’m going to buy another copy of your game because I lost the cd key like the idiot I am.
ReplyI used the above apps, but cant find the product key for the game Watch Dogs. I tried searching registry for the same, even found the Ubisoft folder in the above mentioned category but there was no cd key or serial number nothing. The game is still installed, and i even played it once. But lost the key now. Please help !!
Replythanks
Replythanks this is awesome
ReplyThanks a lot! got my product key back, a lesson hard learned!
Replymy my, thats great :D
Replyabsolutely useful app
Replyworks great cheers
ReplyWorks great for crysis wars. Downloaded from gamestop but never recieved the key code from them, sent e-mails and no reply, but this program worked perfect, thanks a BILLION.
ReplyThank you I am glad that this worked I still have the cd’s for Age of Mythology but my son had wrote down the cd key in hast and missed a part of the sequence.
Thank you again
ReplyThank you again
quite useful, thanks for sharing
ReplyPerfect – just what I need..!
I’m useless at remembering/keeping these things safe..
Thanks Raymond..!!
ReplyRaymond, nice stuff here. Although i’m generally good at not losing my game manuals with the serials printed on the back, this is definately a useful program. Cheers!
ReplyLeave a Reply
If you’re planning on doing a reinstall of Windows but can’t find your product key, you’re in luck because it’s stored in the Windows Registry. It’s just not easy to find, and it’s impossible to read without some help. Luckily, we’re here to help.
As you can see in the screenshot above, the product ID is stored in the registry but is in a binary format that can’t be read by humans unless you are some sort of Cylon. You aren’t, are you?
RELATED:Beginner Geek: How to Reinstall Windows on Your Computer
We’re not really sure why Microsoft went to great lengths to make it difficult to see the product keys for their software, especially since they are stored right in there in the registry and can be read by software, if not by humans. We can only assume that they don’t want anybody to re-use a key from an old computer.
The great thing is that you can even recover a key, even from a computer that won’t boot anymore. All you need is access to the disk drive from a working computer. Keep reading for more.
Three Places You Might Find the Key
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The key you need will be in one of three places:
- Stored in software on your PC: When you (or your PC manufacturer) installs Windows, Windows stores its product key in the registry. You can extract this product key, and–often–enter it when reinstalling Windows on your PC. Crucially, you’ll need to grab it from your operating system before you begin reinstalling Windows or it could be deleted if you format your hard drive.
- Printed on a sticker: Some PCs use a technology called “System Locked Pre-installation,” or SLP. If your PC uses this, the product key on your PC–the one stored in the registry, and the one key-viewer applications display–will be different from the actual key your PC needs. The actual key is on a certificate of authenticity (COA) sticker on your PC or its power supply. The one in the registry and key-viewer application is a red herring. This system was common for Windows 7 PCs.
- Embedded in your PC’s UEFI firmware: Many newer PCs that come with Windows 8 or 10 use a new method. The key for the version of Windows the PC comes with is stored in the computer’s UEFI firmware or BIOS. You don’t even need to know it–assuming you’re installing the same edition of Windows the PC came with, it should automatically activate and work without you needing to enter a key. It’ll all happen automatically.
Be sure to use the same version and edition of Windows the computer came with. In other words, if it came with Windows 7 Home Premium, you can’t install Windows 7 Professional.
If the Key Is Stored in Your PC’s Hardware
Let’s start with the simplest situation. On newer Windows 8 and 10 computers, the key isn’t stored in software where it can be wiped, or on a sticker where it could be smudged off or removed. No one can glance at your computer’s sticker to steal its product key. Instead, the key is stored in the computer’s UEFI firmware or BIOS by the manufacturer.
You don’t have to do anything special if you have this. You should just be able to reinstall the same edition of Windows the PC came with and it should just work without even asking you for a key. (Still, it may be best to find the product key using one of the below methods and write it down before reinstalling Windows–just in case.)
If you want to find the UEFI-embedded key and write it down, you can do so quite simply. Just open the Start menu, type “powershell”, and run the Powershell application that comes up.
Then, enter the following command and press Enter:
You should be rewarded with your embedded license key. Write it down and store it in a safe place.
Read the Key From the Certificate of Authenticity Sticker
If you have a Windows 7-era PC, there’s a good chance the PC’s key is a single key the manufacturer uses for all their PCs. Thanks to “System Locked Pre-installation,” you’re not allowed to use that key to install Windows. If you try, you’ll get error messages about the key being invalid.
To check, you’ll need to look for a certificate of authenticity sticker on your computer. The COA sticker verifies that the computer came with an authentic copy of Windows, and that sticker has a product key printed on it. You’ll need that product key to reinstall Windows–and, if the manufacturer used System Locked Pre-installation, that key is different from the one your PC came with in software.
Examine your computer to find the key. On a laptop, it may be on the bottom of the laptop. If your laptop has a removable battery, it may be under the battery. If there’s some sort of compartment you can open, it might be in there. It may even be stuck to the laptop’s charger brick. If it’s a desktop, look on the side of the desktop’s case. If it’s not there, check the top, back, bottom, and anywhere else it might be.
If the key has rubbed off of the sticker, there’s not much you can do. You can try contacting your computer’s manufacturer and explaining what happened, but we can’t guarantee they’ll help. Microsoft would always be happy to sell you another key, though!
Use NirSoft’s ProduKey to Recover Product Keys (Even if You Can’t Boot the PC)
The easiest way to get access to your product key is with a third-party utility, and there’s nobody better at those than NirSoft. Their utilities are always crapware-free, and are always really useful. The only issue with this particular utility is that some antivirus will detect it as a false positive, because some malware might try to steal your product key.
Note: the NirSoft keyfinder won’t always work for OEM computers, depending on how they decided to activate the licenses. If your OEM installed your computer and used a single key for all their PCs, this won’t work. It also doesn’t work for Office 2013.
All you have to do is download ProduKey, unzip it, and then run it to immediately see all of your product keys. It’s as simple as that.
If you want to recover a key from a dead computer, you can hook up the hard drive to a working PC, and then run ProduKey and use File > Select Source to point to the external Windows directory. You can then grab the keys from that computer easily.
You can also use a Linux live CD to pull the Windows directory off the other computer and onto a thumb drive, or just grab the registry files if you prefer. If you need help, we’ve got a guide to pulling data off a dead computer.
Find the Windows Key Without Any Software (Advanced Users Only)
Assuming you can boot your computer without any problems, you can easily create a simple VBscript that will read the value out of the registry and then translate it into the format that you need for reinstalling. We’re not sure where this script came from, but reader raphoenix posted it on our forum a long time ago, so we’re sharing it here for you.
Copy and paste the following into a Notepad window:
I Lost Me Game Show Serial Key
You’ll need to use File -> Save As, change the “Save as type” to “All Files” and then name it productkey.vbs or something similar ending with the vbs extension. We’d recommend saving to the desktop for easy access.
Once you’ve saved it, you can just double-click and the popup window will show you your product key.
Pro tip: If you use CTRL+C when the popup window is active, it will copy the contents of the window to the clipboard, and then you can paste it into Notepad or somewhere else.
The product key system is complicated to understand because Microsoft doesn’t really want typical Windows users to reinstall Windows on their PCs. Instead, they’d rather you use your computer manufacturer’s recovery media. But the recovery media is full of the bloatware you don’t want on your PC–that’s why so many geeks often opt to reinstall Windows on their new PCs.
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