Disclaimer: Microsoft no longer supports this product. There is no legal way to purchase a new license. These are archival recovery methods for existing owners.
Method 1: The Registry Ghost If you previously had AutoCollage 2008 installed on an old machine (Windows XP or Vista) and it was activated, the key is stored in the registry:
Method 2: The "Offline Installer" Trick
Some archived versions of AutoCollage 2008 (build 1.0.2) shipped with a loophole: if you installed the software without an internet connection, set your system clock back to 2008, and entered 11111-11111-11111-11111-11111, the weak checksum would pass. This does not work on later builds. Most users report error 0x8004FE33. microsoft research autocollage 2008 25-character product key
Method 3: The Forgotten Email Search your old Hotmail, Live, or MSDN email accounts for the phrase: "Thank you for joining the Microsoft Research AutoCollage preview." The original Microsoft Connect emails sent in 2008 contained the 25-character product key in plain text.
Instead of hunting for a dead key, use these modern tools that do what AutoCollage 2008 promised, but better: Disclaimer: Microsoft no longer supports this product
Before we solve the product key riddle, we must understand the artifact.
Released as a technical preview by Microsoft Research (not the full commercial Microsoft division), AutoCollage 2008 solved a tedious problem: creating a beautiful, dense collage from a folder of photos. Method 2: The "Offline Installer" Trick Some archived
If you are reading this, you likely have installed AutoCollage 2008 and are staring at a box demanding a 25-character product key. Let's sort fact from fiction.