Have you ever needed to uninstall a computer application on one computer and then reinstall it on another computer? Perhaps the old computer is dying and you chose to purchase a new one. Or perhaps you would simply rather have this given application on a computer which is more accessible or more reliable. Whatever the case, uninstalling and reinstalling is generally an easy process. A few clicks here and a few clicks there and everything is done. Or, at least, this is what computer users wish an un-installation/installation would be like.
Lost License Keys
Unfortunately, in the real world problems often arise. And when it comes to installation of a program, one of the biggest problems is that it requires a license key (you know – that weird random sequence of letters and numbers). These days most software packages place their license keys either: on the box, in the manual, or in the electronic receipt. The problem is this: what if you have recycled the box, lost the manual, or simply deleted the electronic receipt?
One method to retrieve the license key is to go to the program (before you uninstall it from your old computer) and try to find it from within the user interface. If you are lucky enough to come across it then great! Problem Solved!
License Crawler
If, however, you have already uninstalled the program (before you were aware of the predicament) or there is no key to be found within the application, then what? Luckily there is a free little application named LicenseCrawler, which does a good job of going through your computer’s registry looking for keys to as many programs as it can find.
How do you use LicenseCrawler? Easy:
1) Go and download LicenseCrawler.
2) Open it up and click “Start Search”
3) Wait a few minutes as LicenseCrawler scours your registry looking for license information.
4) Look through the results and see if you can find the appropriate information for your given application.
5) If you can then write this information down on a piece of paper and insert it when installing the program onto a new computer.
We should warn you ahead of time that LicenseCrawler may be unable to find the information you are looking for. It does a reasonable job (especially with big names products – you know programs by the likes of Microsoft and Adobe), however, it won’t find everything. In this case, it would be wise to phone the customer support number for the application being dealt with. Talk to them and explain the situation (oftentimes they will be eager to help out).
Author: This is a guest post by Keith hosts Computer Repair Calgary where he writes about a variety of computer repair and technical support related topics including how to setup a home network.
RELATED POSTS
View all
