Quick help needed...how to find a Win98 product key?

[zippy]

My friend is working on a client's computer and needs to do a reinstall of Windows98 they lost the product key (I hate that). Where can he find one on the computer? What string should he search for in the registry or whatever?

Thanks.

Why do people expect that we can just guess stuff like this?! The lady gave my friend some advice (SHE hired HIM because she resigned herself to knowing very little and she's giving him advice?)...try the number under "Registered to:" in 'System'...riiiight...then she said to just put in all zeros. WTF?! Okay, I'll let the first one go...but all zeros? Microsoft may not make a perfectly stable, non-bloated operating system, but they aren't f'ing retarded! :|

 

[dman]

Okay, I'll let the first one go...but all zeros? Microsoft may not make a perfectly stable, non-bloated operating system, but they aren't f'ing retarded

All ones worked for more than a few versions of windows 9x and NT.

Retarded = yes.

and, they've come full circle for XP sp1.

 

[Bleep]

Do a search on Google for Belarc advisor and put it on the machine. Connect to the internet and run it. It will tell you everything you need to know and a few things that you dont.

Bleep

 

[NikPreviousAcct]

Originally posted by: Bleep
Do a search on Google for Belarc advisor and put it on the machine. Connect to the internet and run it. It will tell you everything you need to know and a few things that you dont.

Bleep

Or you could just right-click My Computer and look at Properties -> the General tab.

Why install something, connect to the internet, then run the software to see what's already on your computer? I wouldn't trust a program that could potentially broadcast all that information that it's "looking up" all over the int4rw3b.

nik

 

[PsychoAndy]

Originally posted by: ffmcobalt

Originally posted by: Bleep
Do a search on Google for Belarc advisor and put it on the machine. Connect to the internet and run it. It will tell you everything you need to know and a few things that you dont.

Bleep

Or you could just right-click My Computer and look at Properties -> the General tab.

Why install something, connect to the internet, then run the software to see what's already on your computer? I wouldn't trust a program that could potentially broadcast all that information that it's "looking up" all over the int4rw3b.

nik

Isnt it in the system profile in the control panel as well?

-PAB

 

[bmacd]

i have belarc and don't particularly like it, but i haven't uninstalled it. Yes, it is definitely a quick way to check the CD key, but also look in the reg under HKLM\software\microsoft\windows\currentversion\.

it should be somewhere in that key range.

-=bmacd=-

 

[zippy]

Originally posted by: ffmcobalt

Originally posted by: Bleep
Do a search on Google for Belarc advisor and put it on the machine. Connect to the internet and run it. It will tell you everything you need to know and a few things that you dont.

Bleep

Or you could just right-click My Computer and look at Properties -> the General tab.

Why install something, connect to the internet, then run the software to see what's already on your computer? I wouldn't trust a program that could potentially broadcast all that information that it's "looking up" all over the int4rw3b.

nik

That's the product key? Cripes, I haven't used Win9x in so long on my own computer that I forgot I guess.

Well, either way, he saw that, it was 20 characters long and the installer needed 25 characters...so...I dunno what the deal was there.

PAB - system brings you to the same place as ffm's suggestion.

 

[NikPreviousAcct]

Originally posted by: zippy

Originally posted by: ffmcobalt

Originally posted by: Bleep
Do a search on Google for Belarc advisor and put it on the machine. Connect to the internet and run it. It will tell you everything you need to know and a few things that you dont.

Bleep

Or you could just right-click My Computer and look at Properties -> the General tab.

Why install something, connect to the internet, then run the software to see what's already on your computer? I wouldn't trust a program that could potentially broadcast all that information that it's "looking up" all over the int4rw3b.

nik

That's the product key? Cripes, I haven't used Win9x in so long on my own computer that I forgot I guess.

Well, either way, he saw that, it was 20 characters long and the installer needed 25 characters...so...I dunno what the deal was there.

PAB - system brings you to the same place as ffm's suggestion.

I believe that's the correct key... but I could be wrong

nik

 

[PsychoAndy]

Originally posted by: zippy

Originally posted by: ffmcobalt

Originally posted by: Bleep
Do a search on Google for Belarc advisor and put it on the machine. Connect to the internet and run it. It will tell you everything you need to know and a few things that you dont.

Bleep

Or you could just right-click My Computer and look at Properties -> the General tab.

Why install something, connect to the internet, then run the software to see what's already on your computer? I wouldn't trust a program that could potentially broadcast all that information that it's "looking up" all over the int4rw3b.

nik

That's the product key? Cripes, I haven't used Win9x in so long on my own computer that I forgot I guess.

Well, either way, he saw that, it was 20 characters long and the installer needed 25 characters...so...I dunno what the deal was there.

PAB - system brings you to the same place as ffm's suggestion.

I'm working from memory here. That and its been a very long day. Can you get the info though?

-PAB

 

[zippy]

Thanks guys. I sent him this thread - I'm sure one or more of the tips in this thread will work.