Date: 04/17/07 (Computer Geeks)    Keywords: no keywords

How can I tell what version of Windows is installed on a hard drive that will no longer boot, but I can read the files.

i.e. Is there a file I can read that might indicate whether the version of Windows XP on the drive is Home OEM, Home Upgrade, Retail, etc. etc.?

I work for a computer company and we are often reloading systems that customers bring in without an XP sticker on the box, leading me to believe they are some form of retail. We call them and they can sometimes provide us with a key, but dont know what version it is.

I know M$ would like us to sell a new copy in this instance, but if there is an easy way to search a non-booting hard drive for the version it would save us lots of time.

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1061444.html