The assumption is since computers have been around for over 20 years, that everyone knows about computers. So when I received this email last night from a reader, it jogged my memory that not everyone knows it all and that people still need assistance. Especially those who are new to computing. Which then made me think. How many others may not know about Magical Jelly Bean Software?

The email I received was this:

Hi Ron,

I have a 2 year old computer using Windows XP and Office 2003 and have misplaced the product keys. How can I find out what they are? I want to do a clean install.

I’ve been using Magical Jelly Bean Software for years and have it as part of my toolkit for fixing computers. It is easy to use and will locate products keys for you. On the Magical Jelly Bean Software site it states:

 The Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder is a freeware open source utility that retrieves your Product Key (cd key) used to install Windows from your registry. It allows you to print or save your keys for safekeeping. It works on Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000, XP, Vista, Server 2003, Server 2008, Office XP, Office 2003, and Office 2007 family of products. It also has a community-updated configuration file that retrieves product keys for many other applications. Another feature is the ability to retrieve product keys from unbootable Windows installations.

This is software you can trust. It is open source and does not contain any spyware, malware, trojans or other ‘phone home’ junk to worry abou. Best part is that the software is 100% free. The software is also compatible with Microsoft’s Window Vista and Office 2007 as well.
You can download the software from here.

Tags: microsoft, windows, vista, office 2007, software, product key, magical jelly bean