Re: Recovery

Old Sailor wrote:

My old computer died but the HDs are intact. I purchased another PC and have installed the old HDs as slaves to the HD in the new computer. I would like to recover things like software registration codes from applications on the old HDs, emails etc. But I've been unable to locate anything usable. Can anyone provide me with some 'how to' instructions on recovering these types of things? Where to look, what to look for, suggestions for helpful tools etc. I'm not a novice with computers. I know my way around the inside of a computer and have a good grasp on the technology and the basics and application requirements and the relationships between the OS and apps. But I'm not into coding or 'hacking' into code. If it makes any difference the old computer was set up to create a new restore point daily and I assume all those are intact. I also know that a lot of the registration type info I'm looking for was probably in the registry but I don't have the foggiest idea of where that is stored or how to access it even if I find it.

Thanks
Phil

Someone may come up with other solutions but one way is to remove the new drive and put the old drives into the computer in the same configuration they were in the original system. Then do a repair install to reinstall windows on the old drive. That should keep the programs intact and allow you to run them. Then run each program and look for the license key or download and run Belarc advisor which will give you some of this:

http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html

After you recover the info you need, put the drive back in as master and and the other as slaves. Copy over the personal data, but you will need to reinstall the applications from the original media. There is no way I know of to migrate the programs from the old installation to the new ones safely and effectively.

--
Rock
MS MVP  Windows - Shell/User

.

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