[spx]

I've got a laptop I'm fixing that has a failed hard drive. Normally I'd stick a new disk in and use the key on the bottom of the laptop to reinstall vista and we're done.

My problem is that the product key sticker on the bottom has been rubbed blank.

I can't get the disk to boot at all to recover it. It has recovery disks that have been made. If I replace the HDD will the recovery disk work with a different hdd?

I've heard that the recovery discs spit the dummy if any hardware is different from when they were made.

Has anyone tried this or know how I can get a key. I know Microsoft won't play nice.