Many people have complained that windows 8 and 8.1 automatically delete it WITHOUT WARNING Īfter you extract the Product Key, make sure to write it down and keep it in a safe place. NOTE: Do not expect the Windows.OLD folder to be there until you delete it. O Image copy backups of system with Office installedįrom what I’ve read, MS uses a file called TOKENS.DAT to store encrypted product activation keys:Ĭ:\ProgramData\Microsoft\OfficeSoftwareProtectionPlatform\ Tokens.DATĬ:\Windows\ServiceProfiles\NetworkService\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\SoftwareLicensing\ Tokens.dataĬ:\Windows.Old\ProgramData\Microsoft\OfficeSoftwareProtectionPlatform\ Tokens.DAT (if you did an in-place Windows Upgrade) O You can extract the Product Key from the machine itself O Your original package or purchase confirmation e-mail Normally you have several resources to find your Retail Product Key.
The pig is not changed by adding a little paint on the surface.
The underlying mechanics of WindowsĨ are essentially the same as Windows 7 if you ignore the Metro User Interface.
PS : you should keep a copy (printed and/or file copies on external storage devices) of the report(s) generated by these tools so you have all of your product keys / registrationįYI : I (Rohn) have not tested these tools in Windows 8 (just haven’t had an excuse to make/waste the time), but I don’t expect any problem. These tools report on many installed programs on your computer, not just Office. You can use any of the following tools to extract the Product Key from you computer.