Rushing - haven't got time to read in, but last summer, my friend lost many Gb of photos on her Vista HP laptop. I was afraid to run a repair on the OS and used linux-based boot to get in.
When the photos were safe - it took a very long time - I suddenly had the idea of using my Vista (I have a dual boot Sony and carry both OS recovers) . . . using it on her HP. It worked perfectly, doing the repair in just a few minutes.
These were just the discs I made years ago. I can't remember if it needed the Key but it was on her machine anyway.
There is a chance now I suppose that using the wrong discs may have ruined that opportunity for you.