Trying to reinstall Windows 7 without a Product Key--Please help

Try using Magic Jellybean Keyfinder to find your Windows Activation Key

Or look on the side of the computer for an activation sticker.

Do you have Vista Recovery disks?

I have been using Tuneup Utilities for ages but I have failed to notice this feature. Please tell me how this is done


[QUOTE=AddRAM;1757920]

jackcrab said:

whs said:

As was said, try your DVDs that you burnt. Next time make images once you are done installing everything and repeat them periodically (at least once per month). Then you can reinstall in 20 minutes.

Tuneup Utilities will show you your product key.

Open Tuneup , click additional tools , click system information , click windows.

Thanks a lot. Found it. However System Information is located under "Fix Problems" Tab. There is no "Additional Tools" Tab. May be we are using different versions of Tuneup Utilities. I would rate Tuneup Utilities as one of the 6 best programs that I have used other than the OS itself and MS Office.

AddRAM said:

Open Tuneup , click additional tools , click system information , click windows.

The tweaking utilities on TuneUp Utilities are the cause of many problems seen here.

Compound tweaking of the OS beyond normal system settings is not tolerated by Win7 - it is too lean an OS to begin with.

Of course there's nothing wrong with auditing Product Keys or other System Info. But who needs to spend $50 for a program that claims 50% speed increase by turning off programs starting up with Windows when you can do that and the other safe essential optimizing steps in minutes for free: Clean up factory bloatware

You may be absolutely right, but fortunately for me, I have never had any trouble with Tuneup Utilities since I started using it about 5 years back.

gregrocker said:

The tweaking utilities on TuneUp Utilities are the cause of many problems seen here.

Compound tweaking of the OS beyond normal system settings is not tolerated by Win7 - it is too lean an OS to begin with.

Of course there's nothing wrong with auditing Product Keys or other System Info. But who needs to spend $50 for a program that claims 50% speed increase by turning off programs starting up with Windows when you can do that and the other safe essential optimizing steps in minutes for free: Clean up factory bloatware

Same here, that`s why I suggested it.

jackcrab said:

Thanks for the help guys :P. So I have more information...

I did in fact get Windows 7 through the MSDN Alliance program (I think it is now called Dreamspark?) through my university. Anyways, after contacting them, they told us that they couldn't give me a new key since i am no longer a student there
. I've looked everywhere in my house and through emails etc and haven't been able to find the key anywhere. I guess I learned something here-- write that stuff down and tuck it away!!! Lesson well learned.

I still don't get why none of the key retrieving programs I've run will detect a windows 7 key on my computer...

So this sucks... guess I can't reformat my computer... will have to leave it the way it is. If I do, I'd have to go back to windows vista.

Any other suggestions/ideas?

Thanks again for your help... much, much appreciated.

If you still have the Windows in activated state, try Advanced Tokens Manager Josh Cell Softwares: Advanced Tokens Manager - The Activation Backup Solution and check whether it could backup your activation and retrieve your key. ( Run it from a pendrive as an administrator)