Compiled EXE and registry read access error

[MarkT]

Does anyone know why this doesn't work? I found the VBScript below that access the registry and extracts the Install key for windows. The VBScript produces the correct results on WinXP and Win7 64bit.

I tried dumping this into a form and compiling it into an EXE. The VB Code is below. As you can see the code is pretty much the same. The VB code runs fine on WinXP but on Win7 I'm getting an Unable to read registry key error.

I assume it is probably a premissions issue but I'm not sure. I'm running the EXE as an Administrator (right click and run as) and that is the same way I run the VBScript.

Does anyone know why the EXE with pretty much the same code cannot read a registery value that VBScript can?

VBScript

Set WshShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
key = "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\"
digitalId = WshShell.RegRead(key & "DigitalProductId")

ProductName = "Product Name : " & WshShell.RegRead(key & "ProductName") & vbNewLine 
ProductId = "Product Id : " & WshShell.RegRead(key & "ProductId") & vbNewLine 
ProductKey = "Install Key : " & Converted(digitalId)


ProductId = ProductName & ProductId & ProductKey

MsgBox ProductId

Function Converted(id)
Const OFFSET = 52
i = 28
Chars = "BCDFGHJKMPQRTVWXY2346789"

    Do
        Cur = 0
        x = 14
        
        Do
            Cur = Cur * 256
            Cur = id(x + OFFSET) + Cur
            id(x + OFFSET) = (Cur \ 24) And 255
            Cur = Cur Mod 24
            x = x -1
        Loop While x >= 0
        
        i = i - 1
        Converted = Mid(Chars, Cur + 1, 1) & Converted
        
        If (((29 - i) Mod 6) = 0) And (i <> -1) Then
            i = i -1
            Converted = "-" & Converted
        End If
    Loop While i >= 0
End Function

VB6 Code

Option Explicit

Private Sub Form_Load()
    Me.AutoRedraw = True
    Me.Print DecryptKey
End Sub

Private Function DecryptKey()
Const OFFSET = 52
Dim WshShell As Object
Dim key As String
Dim digitalid
Dim i
Dim Chars
Dim Cur
Dim x
Dim Converted

    
    Set WshShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
    key = "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\"
    digitalid = WshShell.RegRead(key & "DigitalProductId")
    Set WshShell = Nothing
    
    i = 28
    Chars = "BCDFGHJKMPQRTVWXY2346789"

        Do
            Cur = 0
            x = 14
        
            Do
                Cur = Cur * 256
                Cur = digitalid(x + OFFSET) + Cur
                digitalid(x + OFFSET) = (Cur \ 24) And 255
                Cur = Cur Mod 24
                x = x - 1
            Loop While x >= 0
        
        i = i - 1
        Converted = Mid(Chars, Cur + 1, 1) & Converted
        
        If (((29 - i) Mod 6) = 0) And (i <> -1) Then
            i = i - 1
            Converted = "-" & Converted
        End If
    Loop While i >= 0

    DecryptKey = Converted
End Function

[westconn1]

your code appears to work perfectly for me, running as limited user in w7-32

[Nightwalker83]

@ MarkT

Are you receiving Run-time error '-2147024894 (80070002)';

Unable to open registry key "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\DigitalProductId" for reading?

I just tried the code on my Win7 64 bit machine logged in as admin and I received the above error.

Edit:

Looking at the UAC I noticed that it set to "Never notify" while I was trying to run the above code.

[MarkT]

Yes that is the error. Do you get the same thing if you try running the vbscript version?

[Nightwalker83]

Yes that is the error. Do you get the same thing if you try running the vbscript version?

No, the vbs works displaying the Product Name, Product Id, Install Key. One thing I did notice on XP is that the Visual Basic code only retrieves the "Product Id" while the script returns all the information as above. Is that suppose to happen?

Edit:

While searching for a solution to the problem on Win7 I founds lots of posts talking about how to retrieve registry info under Win7 using VB.NET.

[MarkT]

No, the vbs works displaying the Product Name, Product Id, Install Key. One thing I did notice on XP is that the Visual Basic code only retrieves the "Product Id" while the script returns all the information as above. Is that suppose to happen?

Edit:

While searching for a solution to the problem on Win7 I founds lots of posts talking about how to retrieve registry info under Win7 using VB.NET.

The VB code posted was cut from larger app which among other things returns the Product Name and Product ID values listed above. The sample VB code is just stripped down to return the product key to show the associated error so yes that is what is suppose to happen.

I would also note that the VB code can read the Product Name and Product ID from the registry without error use similar code as the vbscript posted. The only difference between the key values is Product Name and Product ID are REG_SZ datatypes and the install key is a REG_BINARY datatype. I just find it odd the vbscript can read the key and the vb which is pretty much the same can't.

If I were to do this in .NET I would probably go with C#.

[Nightwalker83]

If I were to do this in .NET I would probably go with C#.

Cool! That would suit me since I haven't done vb.net.

[dilettante]

With OEM or retail license keys they're stored in the DigitalProductId registry key on x86 systems or DigitalProductId4 on x64 systems, accessed by adding KEY_WOW64_64KEY to samDesired when calling RegOpenKeyEx().

You're probably running the 64-bit WSH.

That's some raggedy code too, whew. Slightly cleaned up:

Option Explicit

Private Sub Main()
    Dim WshShell As Object
    Dim key As String
    Dim digitalid() As Variant
    Dim ProductName As String
    Dim ProductId As String
    Dim ProductKey As String
    
    Set WshShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
    key = "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\"
    digitalid = WshShell.RegRead(key & "DigitalProductId")
    
    ProductName = "Product Name : " & WshShell.RegRead(key & "ProductName") & vbNewLine
    ProductId = "Product Id : " & WshShell.RegRead(key & "ProductId") & vbNewLine
    ProductKey = "Install Key : " & Converted(digitalid)
    
    ProductId = ProductName & ProductId & ProductKey
    
    MsgBox ProductId
End Sub

Function Converted(ByRef id() As Variant) As String
    Const OFFSET As Integer = 52
    Const Chars As String = "BCDFGHJKMPQRTVWXY2346789"
    Dim i As Integer
    Dim x As Integer
    Dim Cur As Integer
    
    For i = 1 To 25
        Cur = 0
        For x = 14 To 0 Step -1
            Cur = 256 * Cur + id(OFFSET + x)
            id(OFFSET + x) = (Cur \ 24) And 255
            Cur = Cur Mod 24
        Next
        
        Converted = Mid$(Chars, Cur + 1, 1) & Converted
        If i < 25 And i Mod 5 = 0 Then Converted = "-" & Converted
    Next
End Function

[Nightwalker83]

Stupid question but did you test that code? It just displays the form but nothing else. That is unless I am missing something?

[dilettante]

See Sub Main()?

The code goes into a static module, not a Form.

Works on XP, Vista, and Windows 7 - but they have to be 32-bit as written.

[Nightwalker83]

See Sub Main()?

The code goes into a static module, not a Form.

Works on XP, Vista, and Windows 7 - but they have to be 32-bit as written.

Ah ok! Although, when I move the subMain into the module and run the code it complains that the sub or function is not defined. This is because the function is still located in the form. However, moving the function to the module results in the error as in the original post.

Note:

This is for the 64bit version of Win7 not the 32bit version which works fine. By the way, error occurred for me while I was running the code via the VB IDE.

[dilettante]

See the quote above regarding 64-bit Windows. You have to account for registry redirection to get the 64-bit registry hive from a 32-bit program.

[dilettante]

Ok, here's a reworked version:

Option Explicit

Private Sub Main()
    Dim RegRead As RegRead
    Dim DigitalId As Variant
    Dim ProductName As String
    Dim ProductId As String
    Dim ProductKey As String
    
    Set RegRead = New RegRead
    With RegRead
        .OpenKey HKLM, "SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion", KEY64
        ProductName = "Product Name : " & .QueryValue("ProductName") & vbNewLine
        ProductId = "Product Id : " & .QueryValue("ProductId") & vbNewLine
        DigitalId = .QueryValue("DigitalProductId")
        .CloseKey
        ProductKey = "Install Key : " & Converted(DigitalId)
    End With
    ProductId = ProductName & ProductId & ProductKey
    MsgBox ProductId
End Sub

Function Converted(ByRef Id As Variant) As String
    Const OFFSET As Integer = 52
    Const Chars As String = "BCDFGHJKMPQRTVWXY2346789"
    Dim I As Integer
    Dim X As Integer
    Dim Cur As Integer
    
    For I = 1 To 25
        Cur = 0
        For X = 14 To 0 Step -1
            Cur = 256 * Cur + Id(OFFSET + X)
            Id(OFFSET + X) = (Cur \ 24) And 255
            Cur = Cur Mod 24
        Next
        Converted = Mid$(Chars, Cur + 1, 1) & Converted
        If I < 25 And I Mod 5 = 0 Then Converted = "-" & Converted
    Next
End Function

This uses a registry access Class, stripped down for just reading and extended to handle 64-bit registry access from a 32-bit program. The attachment includes the Class module.

Tested on XP, Vista, and Windows 7 32-bit, and on Vista 64-bit.

I don't have XP or Windows 7 64-bit handy here right now.