Determine Product Key From Unbootable Hard Drive

Layback Bear said:

1. You do not need a COA key to install Windows 7. You do need it to activate Windows 7.

I appreciate the distinction but it has little practicable application since a non-activated Windows will expire in 30 days

Layback Bear said:

2. A hard drive that is running out of free space can cause all kinds of problems. Windows 7 and maybe other programs need elbow room to work properly. Normally that is 10 to 15 %.

The E: drive, as it is now known did have 189GB of free space on a drive with a listed capacity of 250GB. In the last few minutes, while chkdsk is still running, the drive's properties have altered. It now shows a capacity of 0 bytes, used space of 0 bytes , and free space of 0 bytes. Chkdsk continues to run, but I expect it to give me the out of space msg when it tries to replace the next set of bad clusters.
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Hours later. The drive properties have not changed, and chkdsk seems like it will literally run for days. I killed the task, the memory freed up, and my drive properties are back to what they were before. Attached are several screen scans. I don't know how the 2 ProduKey images got out of order. Since ending chkdsk I tried that utility again, and again got no keys returned.

And how is it that Disk Management shows the E: drive as healthy? It's one of the unhealthiest drives I've ever seen.

This is typical of a failing Hard Drive which Disk Check may have run into the ground trying to repair the file system. What was needed to know the exact condition of the drive itself (as opposed to the resident file system) is the HD Diagnostic run from boot disk or Windows while drive is slaved. You can still do that, or read the SMART status at a glance using CrystalDiskInfo - Software.

I understand you'd already started Disk Check but it is frustrating still that the cautious procedure I gave you was not followed. Your key might still have been read before Disk Check and may still yet but the likelihood has decreased since this looks like the same neverending Disk Check loop we get in Startup Repair when it cannot fix a failed file system due to drive failure.

gregrocker said:

I understand you'd already started Disk Check but it is frustrating still that the cautious procedure I gave you was not followed. Your key might still have been read before Disk Check and may still yet but the likelihood has decreased since this looks like the same neverending Disk Check loop we get in Startup Repair when it cannot fix a failed file system due to drive failure.

Some times I'm not very good at reading between the lines. Just ask my wife. A slap upside the head followed by bellowing in my ear 'Just end the check disk' is all that would've been required.
Attached Crystal Disk info

When would I ask your wife?

I'd try the Product Key scan again..

Do you have a spare hard drive to try a test image from the failing HD?

If not then since you have tons of space on the host PC HD, you can store the image there following Imaging with free Macrium - Windows 7 Help Forums , then apply the image to a test space you shrink to slightly larger size than image. Partition or Volume - Shrink

Then install EasyBCD (click Download - no Name or Email required) to host OS to add the newly imaged OS to a Dual Boot.

If it applies and will not start then Adjust Win7 to boot on new hardware with Paragon Adaptive Restore CD.

At any time you can Delete the test partition in Disk Mgmt and Extend C over it.

gregrocker said:

When would I ask your wife?

Either the next time you're over for Yuengling Lager...., or it was a rhetorical question

gregrocker said:

I'd try the Product Key scan again..

I still get nothing. Could I be using the wrong tool? I'm running something called produkey-x64, because THIS computer is 64 bit. But the slaved drive? I dunno, although I do not see a program files (x86) folder under Windows.
Edit - Downloaded the regular zip version. Still nothing.

Then it's 64 bit, with a plain Programs file and another x86.

Install Macrium and try to save an image.

Hi boweasel,

Have you tried this? How To Recover Windows 7/8 Product Key From Unbootable Drive

Another method to extract it from Registry http://www.prime-expert.com/articles...m-registry.php