Vista activation key
brucine Posted messages 24434 Registration date Status Membre Last intervention -
Hello everyone,
I have an old PC running Vista Home that I tried to restart today. I turned on my PC and everything went well until Windows opened. A window popped up asking for the serial number. Unfortunately, I misplaced it, and I'm wondering what to do without reinstalling everything with another operating system and losing all my data.
2 réponses
Hello,
You are probably talking about the Windows password, as the serial number is only requested once, during installation or reinstallation.
Check possibly on the Malekal site, but since support and updates were stopped in 2017, you are exposed to viruses and other malware, as security software is no longer updated, as well as numerous blockages regarding internet browsing and compatibility of current software with your configuration.
See:
https://www.malekal.com/tag/windows-vista/
https://www.malekal.com/fin-de-support-windows-vista/
https://www.malekal.com/quest-ce-que-la-fin-de-support-de-windows-et-les-dates-de-fin-de-support/
As for activation keys for commercial software, no one at CCM has them and they won't engage in what constitutes an illegal action, if it is even technically possible.
As for data, they are always recoverable by installing the hard drive that supports them in a desktop PC or a hard drive dock that will allow them to be transferred to an operational PC.
Hello,
To retrieve the data with a USB key simply
(And another PC to make it bootable)
Then install a system that still works.
From another PC, you can download Ventoy, create a 16GB USB key or more (If 8GB you should put one ISO at a time)
In MBR mode without Secure Boot Support (See Options)
https://www.ventoy.net/en/download.html
Download the Strelec English ISO, place it on the Ventoy USB key
(password = strelec)
https://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/sergei_strelecs_winpe.html
Use the link or the tool to download the ISO to install Windows or Ubuntu
Windows 10
https://www.microsoft.com/fr-fr/software-download/windows10/
Ubuntu
https://ubuntu.com/download
Place both ISOs on the Ventoy key
Boot from it using the Boot Menu key of the PC
You can search on Google "[Brand Model] Boot Menu Key"
Boot on Strelec
To copy data, it's Copy > Paste (To Copy > Paste in English)
Boot on the Windows or Ubuntu ISO to install
For Windows choose "Custom Installation" (Not upgrade)
Delete all system partitions and create a new one (Delete the data).
Hello
because the serial number is only requested once, during an installation or reinstallation.
Yes and no...!
<<If Windows Vista unexpectedly asks for activation
On rare occasions, you may be prompted to activate Windows Vista on a computer that was not previously prompted for activation or has already been successfully activated. For example, this can occur on a computer where Windows Vista was pre-installed via an OEM installation or major Volume licensing, and hardware changes have taken place, such as upgrading the hard drive and memory at the same time. If you are prompted to reactivate Windows Vista, you can do so using the Windows Activation Wizard :>>
https://support.microsoft.com/fr-fr/topic/comment-faire-pour-activer-windows-vista-67cdeade-9eec-a35d-9d63-81edb3db5b89
Afterwards, normally, if it is indeed the activation key on Vista, it is present at the time of sale on a sticker on the PC.
In the past, I have repeatedly experienced that Windows Vista prompts me again for the famous activation key, even though it was already activated at the first startup on a tower sold in a store, thus with a legal activation.
At that time, I simply restored the PC in question with the recovery DVDs to be able to address this incongruous activation request, knowing that Windows was already activated.
Hello MPMP10,
Indeed, I didn't want to talk about cases of hardware configuration changes or component version updates, since MichelBill only mentions restarting a retired PC, without any mention of hardware modification.
In any case, when the ambiguity (from my point of view) regarding the nature of the requested code is lifted, it will be necessary to assess the ability to run Vista properly, if the security concerns are not seen as relevant and the possibilities of finding RAM memory banks if it involves installing a more demanding OS.
It happened to me on (Vista…) mine several times, without any changes to the hardware.
If it's the same type of incident, MichelBill should therefore reinstall Vista from the original DVD in his possession. I didn't understand that to be the case. So I'm stepping back.
Indeed, Vista is completely obsolete, but the idea here in providing the activation key was just to regain control of the PC and to access the desktop in order to recover important data without too much hassle by sending them to a USB stick or an external hard drive.