ARG! I threw away the shrinkwrap that WinME came in!

[Green Man]

I threw away the shrinkwrap that WinME came in! Unfortunately, it had the product key on it. Does anyone know of a phone number or anything I could call for assistance? Now, 1 Format C: later, I have to revert back to Win98SE, or buy another OS for my daughter's computer.

 

[dahunan]

Try these??


I don't know if this link will work
Win ME support numbers link


<<
If you purchased this product at a retail store, you are eligible for two no-charge Personal Support incidents by phone or online. Personal Support is designed to provide support for everyday product usage to help U.S. consumers, home users and home office customers using Microsoft consumer products.
(425) 454-2030 (long distance charges may apply)


In addition to no-charge support:
If you purchased this product at a retail store, you are eligible for Paid Personal Support by phone or online available at $35 U.S. per incident billable to your VISA, MasterCard, or American Express credit card.

(800) 936-5700

Personal Support is available Monday through Friday 5:00 A.M. - 9:00 P.M. Pacific time (PST), Saturday 5:00 A.M. - 3:00 P.M., and Sunday 9:00 A.M. - 3:00 P.M. For holiday support availability see holiday hours.


TTY users, please call (800) 892-5234.

>>






Good luck - I have heard of them giving out install codes before.

 

[Green Man]

Cool, I'll try it, but this is OEM. Don't know how far I'll get.

Thanks

 

[cleverhandle]

Sucks, man. I *almost* did that with XP a couple months back, but caught my mistake just in time. So don't feel too bad or anything. Good luck on getting a code from MS.

 

[Bglad]

Don't understand that last sentence. Did you already format? The key is kept in the registry. I don't remember the location but I'll bet a search of the FAQ's or a search on Google will find it in <5 min.

 

[fr]

I think the product key is the one kept in registry; not the CD key.

Shrink-wrap? I have mostly academic versions, but all my CD keys are on a sticker attached to either the jewel case or CD sleeve.

 

[Dreadogg]

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion try here Im not sure though!

 

[Green Man]

I already formatted. I wanted a clean install without all the registry baggage.
I had the CD and the booklet, and figured the product key was in there somewhere. After not coming up with it, I looked in the booklet to see where to find it and it says look on the shrink wrap.
I remember throwing that shrink wrap away too:| I was cleaning, and was mad at myself for saving "junk"

So, is the key the same as the license? Or since I already bought the product, do I just need to come up with a key to put in? Will any key from an OEM version WinME work? Or are they specific to each CD?

 

[bjc112]

if ALL else fails... use a search on Google or Kazaa.. they might help you find it...

 

[CTho9305]

i believe that as long as you have proof of purchase, the actual CD key you use doesn't matter. google will help there

 

[dahunan]

I did not know how to say it, but yes if you have the license and CD then ANY *wink* key will do

So ditto to the last two posts ...

When searching for your serial number just add a z to the word I just typed after "your" and before "number"

 

[Bleep]

I think it will take a lot of luck to get any help from MS on this. I bought xp from Staples that did not look like it had been opend, I installed it and when I tried to activate it MS said it had already been activated this has been over a month ago and a lot of calls and E-Mails have not been helpful. Staples will not take it back because they claim that I opend it, activated it, and want onother one free. I think one of the people at staples took it home used it and then repackaged it somehow and I got stuck with it. MS is a dishonest company.
Bleep

 

[LikeLinus]

"Staples will not take it back because they claim that I opend it, activated it, and want onother one free. I think one of the people at staples took it home used it and then repackaged it somehow and I got stuck with it. MS is a dishonest company."

MS is dishonest because a staples employee (so you think) might have used the software and reshrinkwrapped it.

LOL that's simply brilliant. Thanks for the laugh.

 

[HalfCrazy]

That's why I'm running Windows XP Corp. I don't have to worry about that activate crap.

 

[n0cmonkey]

<< That's why I'm running Windows XP Corp. I don't have to worry about that activate crap. >>



Buy me a corp license.

 

[TheOmegaCode]

That's why I'm running FreeBSD. I don't have to worry about that activate crap.

 

[HalfCrazy]

lmao

 

[n0cmonkey]

<< lmao >>



Is that a no? They are too expensive for me to be able to afford them on my meager salary. You can afford one more machine atleast right?

 

[HalfCrazy]

<< Is that a no? They are too expensive for me to be able to afford them on my meager salary. You can afford one more machine atleast right? >>



My main system I mostly use went up in smoke. lol I will be building a new system very soon. Just have to think on what mobo/cpu I want to get first. Just trying to compare mobo's and see what comment's people give on the motherboard.

I do have a p-233 system but it's too slow for any good use to me. I just keep it in a corner of the room. Got a AMD 600mhz slot-A system but the mobo is bad never got around to buy a new one. I keep putting it off for some reason. I'm thinking on getting it running again for any lan party's I may have.

 

[Green Man]

Thanks to everyone who replied here. There has been a reasonable solution to the problem