Remove Win98 CD Key

Inferno

Senior member
Nov 16, 1999
222
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I have a bunch of laptops I'm trying to sell. I have loaded windows 98 on them but when I sell them I want to remove my CD key and have the enter product ID key screen load when the system starts up. I've read somewhere there is a way to do this. I tried deleting the key from the registry but system boots up normal. Any ideas would be great.


Adam
 

ScrewFace

Banned
Sep 21, 2002
3,812
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You naughty boy, you! I could tell you but then I'd get banned. You'll have to figure it out yourself.:frown:
 

Buzzman151

Golden Member
Apr 17, 2001
1,455
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how is that illegal? If I understand correctly, he can have the Windows 98 installed on the computers if he sells the person the license and product key. If he doesn't sell them the license, he can take off his product key, leaving the old insallation and making the buyer put in his own key. I understand it as, you're buying a license for the software, it doesn't matter where you get the install cd. I've always been wondering about this and would like to know if I'm in the right thinking or not.
 

Iovah

Member
Jan 25, 2003
121
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oh what a poser if you want to know I'll tell you like I'm going to get banned for helping someone from getting in trouble and upholding microsoft from being pirated. regedit go to the registry key and delete it and the name of the user completely and it should pop up next time that way the only way they can use it is if they have a legal copy and technically in my understanding of the EULA you will not be in the wrong.
 

vash

Platinum Member
Feb 13, 2001
2,510
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Originally posted by: Buzzman151
how is that illegal? If I understand correctly, he can have the Windows 98 installed on the computers if he sells the person the license and product key. If he doesn't sell them the license, he can take off his product key, leaving the old insallation and making the buyer put in his own key. I understand it as, you're buying a license for the software, it doesn't matter where you get the install cd. I've always been wondering about this and would like to know if I'm in the right thinking or not.
Here's the problem with that. If you're NOT an OEM, you definitely don't have the OEM preinstall kit of Win98 lying around, to prep the computer for someone to setup a CD key for Win98.

What Inferno is doing is basically illegal: have Win98 installed, but remove the key and have someone else enter their key instead. If inferno had installed the OEM kit version of Win98 and had the person he sold the laptops to buy their own copy, that would be fine. Nope, Inferno installed a full, complete, branded Win98, using one key. When trying to transfer this key, that becomes the problem.

My suggestion to Inferno is to either format the drive with MS-DOS, leaving it bootable (possibly with CD drivers) working, or install a flavor of linux that shows the NIC, video, etc work. I *never* sell my computers with a license of any MS application on it, unless I give away the cd and key with it.

vash
 

Iovah

Member
Jan 25, 2003
121
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but the thing is he isn't transferring this key it will be fully installed but the OS is inoperable unless the user puts there key in?
 

Buzzman151

Golden Member
Apr 17, 2001
1,455
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Originally posted by: Iovah
oh what a poser if you want to know I'll tell you like I'm going to get banned for helping someone from getting in trouble and upholding microsoft from being pirated. regedit go to the registry key and delete it and the name of the user completely and it should pop up next time that way the only way they can use it is if they have a legal copy and technically in my understanding of the EULA you will not be in the wrong.

could you possibly put some elaboration on that bud? ;)