2). Click on HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE then click on the file menu the select "load hive"
3). Locate the SOFTWARE registry file (located EXTERNAL_DRIVE_LETTER:\windows\system32\config). You will be prompted to give it a name, enter "open" without the quotes
4). Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\open\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion then right click on CurrentVersion, click on "Export". File extension needs to remain as .reg (Registration Files) and give it any file name but before you save, make sure the Selected branch is HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion and not HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\open\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion. (you are replacing open with SOFTWARE) then save it somewhere you can remember :).
5). Download this tool.
6). Open the .reg file that you exported in notepad and locate "DigitalProductId"=hex and copy the entire string. an example of the string is below:
"DigitalProductId"=hex:a4,03,01,00,06,00,00,00,60,60,33,33,30,2e,37,40,20,70,\
50,2d,60,30,30,30,10,24,41,41,34,39,30,00,ec,0c,00,00,5b,54,48,5d,58,31,39,\
2e,34,38,39,36,31,00,00,00,ec,0c,00,00,00,04,a8,d2,7b,6f,85,80,6f,6f,07,00,\
00,00,00,00,18,a4,51,5c,b2,00,8f,b3,01,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,\
00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,\
00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,\
00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,f7,35,26,24
7). Launch the WinProdKeyFind.exe file from the zip file downloaded (yes you must extract it first :) ). Click Decode DigitalProductId, paste your DigitalProductId that you copied from the .reg file that was exported then select Up to Windows 7(old) from the drop downn meu located to the left then clic the Parse DigitalProductId button. You will now see the Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 product key that was installed on your crashed server. Copy the product key somehwere safe so that you will not have to do this again.
