This recipe will explain how to backup your Netflix Watch Now key and in turn enable Watch Now abilities on more than the allotted 3 pcs. You won’t be able to use all three at once but any one of the three. This recipe applies to both Watch Now in Vista and XP’s Internet Explorer.
Overview:
Netflix’s Watch Now service lets you stream movies via an Internet Explorer browser. The streaming service uses a code that is assigned to the first 3 pc’s you install the Watch Now plugin on. If you try to install and use watch now on a 4th different pc, you will most likely get an error saying you’ve installed it on more than 4 pcs and must call Customer Service to get a new key.
This recipe will explain how to export the netflix registry key and then import it in to your registry on more than 4 different pcs after you have the netflix watch now viewer installed. I’ll even offer a quick and easy solution to storing your keys and managing them. 🙂
Directions:
1. On a pc you have the Netflix Watch Now plugin/viewer installed on, go to the Start Menu > Run (or hold WIN+R). Then type in regedit
2. You should get our nice ole Regedit screen up. We will want to browse to this location.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Netflix\Movie Viewer\
on the right pane you will see the key, ID. This is the code that Netflix uses to identify that your watching a movie on one of the first 3 pcs’ you installed the watch now viewer on.
3. Just click on the Moview Viewer folder and then go to File > Export
We will now export the entry (not the full registry) to a file and save it. You will now have a back up of your Netflix Watch Now code.
4. Management Ideas/Tips
The code is specific to your OS. So a code you have from an XP machine will not work on a Vista machine and vice-versa. I have two keys saved right now, an XP one and a Vista one.
I also have them saved to my gmail account so i can access them anytime i have access to the web and in turn my netflix watch now. 🙂 i just start a new draft email and then attached the registry files to my email and then just saved it as a draft. i do this a lot with other files i need to have access to.
Hopefully that helps you system rebuilders avoid having to call customer service (i did take me about 45mins to get through to them before finding out about the reg key identifier that is used).
