$ echo "[foo   U ] abc/def [bar]" | sed 's/\([^]]\)\+] \([^ ]*\).*/\2/'
abc/def

Or use awk:

$ echo "[foo   U ] abc/def [bar]" | awk -F '[][]' '{print $3}'
 abc/def

Now don’t get me wrong its an OEM version and it came with the machine. Obviosly I paid some amount of money for the licence, but if I had bought XP seperatly and paid “real money” for it I’d be – lets say – a little upset:

You need to activate this installation of Windows XP.

[ ] Remind me later

[ ] Activate using the internet

[ ] Activate using telephone support

Well ok, if we need to activate it, let’s activate it. Gladly I bought the flatrate, lets use this internet thing.

Can not establish connection.

Of course not. It’s called VPN over WLAN. I could tell you how to establish it but please don’t go ahead and ask me, just abort. It’s easier that way. No, really.

Saving settings… Welcome to Windows. Please Login….

§/§”$(&%”!§§”$”§$

Ok, breathe, count to ten, lets try telephone support.

Welcome to Microsoft if you want to activate your Windows XP installation press 1.

*one*

Please use your phone to enter the first group of 6 digits of your Product Identification Key

*beep* *boop* *beep* *beep* *beep* *boop*

Please enter the second group of 6 digits

*boop* *boop* *beep* *beep* *boop* *beep*

Please enter the third group of 6 digits

(I am beginning to see a pattern here and finally after 9 groups of 6 digits I am done)

Please wait. Your Key could not be verified. You are now going to be connected to an operator. Please hold.

(silent curse)

Hello Microsoft Support, please tell me the first group of 6 digits of your Product Information Key.

(Now this is somewhat different from what I have been doing like 30 seconds ago.)

Sure, thats 123456

Thank you, now the second group of 6 digits please.

(Again I am beginning to see a pattern, but no)

Thank you. Did you already activate this Installation?

Uhm, well, it came like that. It was already installed. I guess someone must have activated it?

Please click on “Generate new Product Identification Key” and enter your serial number into the apropriate fields.

Well, ok. That may take a while I need to crawl under the table.

(Now lets write down the serial number and enter it into the form)

Ok I am done.

Please press on “Generate new Product Identification Key”

Let me guess, you’d like to know all 9 groups of 6 digits?

Yes.

(Several silent curses and 54 digits later)

Your Activation Key will now be read to you automatically. Thank You for using Microsoft Products. Have a nice day.

(Waaaaay to late for that)

What follows is a computer generated voice reading your Activation Key which again is kind of a challange due to the speed it talks in and the fact that it is hard to understand.

This is a video of a multi-input touch screen that hopefully will make its way into consumer computer market in time

Watch it.

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(Flash and Quicktime required).