Serial keys for software programs, more accurately called product keys or installation keys, are needed before you can install almost any popular software program.
Serial keys or key codes are often required during the first part of a program's installation or sometimes after using a program for a certain period of time.
So what do you do when you can't find that special installation code but you need to install the program again?
Where Can I Find Serial Keys and Installation Codes for My Software?
Without a doubt, a key finder program - a special kind of software tool - is the best way to go if you're lost a serial key for one of your software programs, so long as it's still installed or recently was.
Product key finder programs are software tools that automatically search your computer for the serial keys stored in the Windows Registry or elsewhere on your computer.
For example, when you installed your operating system and other software, the product keys used during their installations were stored, probably encrypted, inside a specific registry key.
See our article on free product key finder software programs for a ranked and reviewed collection of these very handy tools, all of which are free to download, install, and use.
Now, you could manually look in the registry for the serials and install keys yourself, but they can be very hard to find. Not only that, the stored keys are usually encrypted, making what you dig up there completely useless anyway.
Most product key finder programs were originally designed to find the serial numbers and key codes for operating systems like Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, etc., but many of them find serials and keys for many other programs, too, like office suites, video games, and more.
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What If the Program I'm Missing the Serial Key for Isn't Installed Anymore?
Even if you think, or know, the program you've lost the key for isn't installed on your computer anymore, you should still try one of the higher rated product key finder tools in our list.
Sometimes,a program will leave the registry keys that contain that program's serial key in the registry even after it's uninstalled, which is why this is worth a try. This isn't usually the case when the program was removed with a dedicated software uninstaller, but it's still worth a try.
If that doesn't work, you're left with digging around for the box the software came in, the email that accompanied the download, etc.
What If I Still Can't Find the Installation Code I'm After?
Unfortunately, at this point, your only legal option is to buy a new copy of the program.
In your search for help with lost serial keys, you've probably come across software cracking tools, keygen programs or maybe even lists of free key codes, there for the taking.
It's very important to realize that none of those resources are legal ways of obtaining installation keys or any other unique code designed to protect programs from being pirated.
The only legal way of installing software is by using a valid installation code obtained through a legal purchase of the software program.
A product key, also known as a software key, is a specific software-based key for a computer program. It certifies that the copy of the program is original. Activation is sometimes done offline by entering the key, or with software like Windows 8.1, online activation is required to prevent multiple people using the same key. Not all software has a product key, as some publishers may choose to use a different method to protect their copyright, or in some cases, such as free or open source software, copyright protection is not used.
Computer games use product keys to verify that the game has not been copied without authorization. Likewise, one is not allowed to play online with two identical product keys at the same time.
What Is My Product Key Windows 8.1
Product keys consist of a series of numbers and/or letters. This sequence is typically entered by the user during the installation of computer software, and is then passed to a verification function in the program. This function manipulates the key sequence according to a mathematical algorithm and attempts to match the results to a set of valid solutions.
- 2Controversy
Effectiveness[edit]
Standard key generation, where product keys are generated mathematically, is not completely effective in stopping copyright infringement of software, as these keys can be distributed. The overall effectiveness of product keys in enforcing software copyrights requires further study. In addition, with improved communication from the rise of the Internet, more sophisticated attacks on keys such as cracks (removing the need for a key) and product key generators have become common.
Because of this, software publishers are increasingly turning to alternative methods of verifying that keys are both valid and uncompromised. One method, product validation, assigns a product key based on a unique feature of the purchaser's computer hardware (such as its MAC address), which cannot be as easily duplicated since it depends on the user's hardware. Other newer methods may involve requiring periodical validation of the CD key with an internet server (for games with an online component, this is done whenever the user signs in). The validation can then be performed on the server side, preventing cracks tampering with it (as they do on the client side). The server can also keep a blacklist of all CD keys known to be invalid or which have explicitly been banned, and deny them access.
Controversy[edit]
Some of the most effective CD key protection is very controversial, due to inconvenience, strict enforcement, harsh penalties and, in some cases, false positives. CD key protection has been linked to Digital Rights Management,[by whom?] in that it uses uncompromising digital procedures to enforce the license agreement.
What Is My License Key Number
Inconvenience[edit]
Product keys are somewhat inconvenient for end users. Not only do they need to be entered whenever a program is installed, but the user must also be sure not to lose them. Loss of a product key usually means the software is useless once uninstalled.
Product keys also present new ways for distribution to go wrong. If a product is shipped with missing or invalid keys, then the CD itself is useless. For example, all copies of Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow originally shipped to Australia without CD keys.[1]
Enforcement and penalties[edit]
There are many cases of permanent bans enforced by companies detecting usage violations. It is common for an online system to immediately blacklist a CD key caught running cracks or, in some cases, cheats. This results in a permanent ban. Players who wish to continue use of the software must repurchase it. This has inevitably led to criticism over the motivations of enforcing permanent bans.[citation needed]
Particularly controversial is the situation which arises when multiple products' keys are bound together. If products have dependencies on other products (as is the case with expansion packs), it is common for companies to ban all bound products. For example, if a fake CD key is used with an expansion pack, the server may ban legitimate CD keys from the original game. Similarly, with Valve's Steam service, all products the user has purchased are bound into the one account. If this account is banned, every product will be banned from online play.[2]
This 'multi-ban' is highly controversial, since it bans users from products which they have legitimately purchased and used.[citation needed]
False positives[edit]
Bans are enforced by servers immediately upon detection of cracks or cheats, usually without human intervention. Sometimes, legitimate users are wrongly deemed in violation of the license, and banned. In large cases of false positives, they are sometimes corrected (as happened in World of Warcraft.[3]) However, individual cases may not be given any attention.[citation needed]
A common cause of false positives (as with the World of Warcraft case above) is users of unsupported platforms. For example, users of Linux can run Windows applications through compatibility layers such as Wine and Cedega. This software combination sometimes triggers the game's server anti-cheating software, resulting in a ban due to Wine or Cedega being a Windows API compatibility layer for Linux, so it is considered third-party (cheating) software by the game's server.[4][citation needed]
Recovery of keys[edit]
A key recovery program is a program that is designed to read and decrypt and/or de-obfuscate the key to its original state. When the key is returned to its original state, it may be used to reinstall its corresponding software.[5]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
What Is My Product Key Windows 10
- ^Australian Pandora Tomorrow CD-Key ProblemsShack News
- ^'Valve suspends 20,000 Steam accounts'. GameSpot. Retrieved 2013-05-15.
- ^Blizzard Unbans Linux World of Warcraft PlayersSoftpedia
- ^Linux users banned from Diablo 3- End Gamers
- ^http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html