Possible to recover win7 cdkey from my harddrive? (Label is semi erased)

Well as Lenovo aint so smart to put the cdkey label inside the batterydock I kinda erase my cdkey by time (Only half a year) and know I have 2-3 letter/digits I cant read.
I have access to one msdn license, but if I sell the laptop it would be handy to have the real cdkey.

Is there software that can read it (Safe software) or can Lenovo by any chance tell me what the key is using the ID of the unit?

 

I tend to use Magicial Jellybean Keyfinder which can quickly tell you the serial key for your Windows 7 system.

 

Super, I still have the org. drive but I use a 3. party SSD so I can just load the old hdd and fint it cheers

Edit: Recover serials for Windows 7 and Office 2010 on the site it says no for the free version here?

 

Not sure why they put that on the site but the free version does work for Windows 7. I tested it on Windows 7 Professional x64 and it retrieved all the details correctly.

 

Awesome

 

Remember one thing! The key you retrieve from a preinstalled (Lenovo installed) version will NOT BE THE KEY that is printed on your notebook. So unless you actually installed Windows yourself and typed in the key from your label at the bottom, the retrieved key will not match the one on the bottom of the computer.

The reason for this is that Lenovo uses an OEM preinstall key to install all notebooks, but they still provide a separate key at the bottom for every user (because you receive an OEM licence with the computer).

So if you have not installed Windows using that key and there are parts missing from the key, I don't know if the printed key can be recovered in any way.

 

Actually I think having the cdkey inside the battery dock is better because it makes it just a little harder for people passing by to skim your details. A lot of notebook manufacturers are doing it too. Maybe they should design in a slight indent to factor in the sticker thickness and reduce wear from friction. However, you must be changing batteries quite often because I dont see how you can damage your whole sticker in half a year?

 

Lenovo is awesome in this way, because I bought a used x301 for 800 on eBay, and the "Authentic Windows 7" they put on was only a 30 day trial that ended up being fraudulent. One call to Lenovo, and they sent me the recovery disc for my system. Having a built in key makes life SO much easier when buying a used computer. Love Lenovo for that.

 

What if the OS (or for that matter Office 2010) is the retail version? I bought my machine without an OS and bought a copy of the OS off the retail shelf, which I used to do a clean install. Would the retrieved key be the same as the key on the box?

 

Yes, in that case the retrieved key should match the box.

Maybe my explanation was too complicated (I tend to do that ).

The retrieved key is always the one that was entered during the installation of the software.

The only catch is, Lenovo (or any OEM) does not use the key printed on the label and attached to the notebook to actually pre-install the operating system. This is the reason why the key in that case would be different from the one on the label. It would match the label ONLY if the user actually installed Windows himself and used the key from the label.

 

Thanks for the clarification.