Windows Tip Sheet
Finding the Keys to Your Computers
Freeware ProduKey helps you dig up software CD keys for your network's computers.
Ever wish you could reverse engineer Windows Product Activation enough to figure
out what product keys were in use for a given computer? Windows, Office and
SQL Server all utilize CD keys (Microsoft calls ‘em Product IDs or Volume
License Keys); being able to display these serial numbers can certainly make
a software licensing audit easier.
Now, there’s a tool to help: ProduKey from NirSoft does the job. It’s
a graphical utility (which can also be run from the command line). The ultimate
use: run produkey.exe /remoteall -- it enumerates
all computers on the network and loads their product keys. It’ll take
forever, but you’ll get a really useful output that can be used to match
purchased licenses with installed software. Additional command-line options
allow you to target a list of computers in a file, a single computer, and so
forth, and output can be directed to a text, tab-delimited, HTML or XML file
for convenience.
More Resources:
On an Unrelated Note...
If you’re one of the millions of folks using Skype
to make free PC-to-PC calls and cheap PC-to-land calls, check out the YapperNut
Skype box. It connects Skype to your normal landline phone, allowing that phone
to receive and place both Skype and landline calls. Very convenient way of integrating
Skype into your normal routines.
About the Author
Don Jones is a multiple-year recipient of Microsoft’s MVP Award, and is Curriculum Director for IT Pro Content for video training company Pluralsight. Don is also a co-founder and President of PowerShell.org, a community dedicated to Microsoft’s Windows PowerShell technology. Don has more than two decades of experience in the IT industry, and specializes in the Microsoft business technology platform. He’s the author of more than 50 technology books, an accomplished IT journalist, and a sought-after speaker and instructor at conferences worldwide. Reach Don on Twitter at @concentratedDon, or on Facebook at Facebook.com/ConcentratedDon.