How to Find the Microsoft Certificate of Authenticty
For every Microsoft product, Microsoft generates a Certificate of Authenticity (COA). This label identifies genuine Microsoft software. A COA has several anti-counterfeiting measures within the label to prevent illegal duplication. A COA certifies that you have a license to run the product, but is not the license itself. It includes the product key, which you must enter, when prompted, to run or reinstall the software. All legitimate copies of the Microsoft software have a COA.
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Instructions
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Determine the type of Microsoft product you own; the Microsoft Certificate of Authenticity is positioned in different locations depending on the type. The types are pre-installed windows, phone version, pre-installed non-windows or retail.
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Look in the appropriate location. Retail COAs are located on a sticker on the CD case or packaging. Computer manufacturers affix Pre-installed windows COAs to the body of the computer. Computer manufacturers attach the COA on the system recovery disc or Office Ready PC packaging for non-Windows software. Phone or PDAs have embedded COAs, located on the body or under the battery. For all types, the COA, which includes the 25-digit product key, may be located on the manual or guide for the software.
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Call Microsoft Product Support, if you can't find or lost the COA, for all Microsoft software and operating systems except Windows 95, 98 and Millennium. To find the product key--the most important part of the COA--on those three operating systems, click "Start," "Run," enter "regedit.exe" and press "OK." Look for "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\MIcrosoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ProductKey" by opening each file until you reach the product key, write it down and close the window.
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