Infopackets Reader 'Michael' writes:

" Dear Dennis,

I am running Windows XP professional on my system. I'd like to reinstall Windows on my PC, but cannot locate my CD case which has the Windows XP Product Key required to install Windows back onto my machine. Is there a way to extract the Product Key from within my computer? "

My response:

Yes. All CD Keys are stored in your System Registry, and there are a number of methods (and 3rd-party applications) that can extract this information for you.

Magic Jelly Bean finder (the first link listed below) will extract Windows XP and Office keys. The second link explains how to go into your registry and extract the key yourself (for any CD key), and the third link explains how to extract product keys using a DOS command line (in case you can't get back into Windows and need to format / reinstall from DOS):

http://www.magicaljellybean.com/keyfinder.shtml

http://www.internetguideandmore.com/finding_lost_cd_keys_in_your_reg.htm

http://www.dougknox.com/utility/scripts_desc/cdkey_dos.htm