When backing up and reinstalling operating systems, one aspect that is often completely forgotten is saving copies of all the codes and serial numbers that many programs use to verify their legitimacy. These days, most products have moved their activation mechanisms online, but there are still applications that store keys in the Windows registry. If you want to recover some of them, you might want to give LicenseCrawler a try.
I must admit that on more than one occasion I have lost serial numbers, either by jotting them down on a piece of paper, or simply misplacing the manuals where they were written. For example, I still own an original Windows 95 CD, but don't ask me where, when, or how the manual with its certificate of authenticity disappeared. Online activations have largely replaced offline verifications, although many exceptions remain. Witness the latest versions of Windows still allowing phone activations, and then there are examples like FastStone Capture that uses a serial number, or Total Commander, which inserts a special file with a ".key" extension into its main folder. Windows itself (at least in its version 7 and earlier) keeps a copy of the product key in the registry, but Microsoft does not provide any simple method for you to recover it.
How LicenseCrawler Works
In such cases, tools like LicenseCrawler come into play. This small portable program performs a global search within the Windows registry and presents the user with everything it has identified as a serial number or product key. Its detection capability is quite robust, and it does not suffer major problems with Microsoft software, but disabling the high-speed option should help in certain cases where the desired number is not reported. Once the keys appear in the list, all you have to do is copy the content to a text file, and use them again after reinstallation.
LicenseCrawler is free for personal use, but its constant reminders of this condition and suggestions to purchase a commercial license place it in the territory of nagware. Fortunately, that does not limit its functionality, it is not a program that needs to be used daily, and we know that it is clean, unlike other serial number crawlers that come loaded with adware.
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