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Windows 98 OEM Product ID

N

NegatiZE

Member
I'm bringing my circa 1998 Compaq Presario back to stock. I used the system restore disk to reinstall WIN98 and it's asking for a 25 digit Product key. I still have the Certificate of Authenticity and the key is only 20 digits long. Am I missing something?
 
Originally posted by: NegatiZE
I'm bringing my circa 1998 Compaq Presario back to stock. I used the system restore disk to reinstall WIN98 and it's asking for a 25 digit Product key. I still have the Certificate of Authenticity and the key is only 20 digits long. Am I missing something?
Click to expand...

Look on the computer case. If it is a laptop, look under the laptop too. For an OEM operating system, the product ID is on a sticker on the case.
 
Have you wiped out the previous installation, or, is it still on a partition on your hard drive?
Or, do you have an image of the operating system?

If you can get to your operating system, you can get the ID from the registry.
 
The hard drive's been formatted completely.

No, no previous partitions either. The thing about it is, this was before Compaq started putting their system restore files on a seperate partition, so there was only one partition on the drive brand new from the factory.
 
Originally posted by: NegatiZE
I'm bringing my circa 1998 Compaq Presario back to stock. I used the system restore disk to reinstall WIN98 and it's asking for a 25 digit Product key. I still have the Certificate of Authenticity and the key is only 20 digits long. Am I missing something?
Click to expand...

Yeah. For an OEM product key, you normally have 5 blocks of 5 numbers each, but for OEM, one of those middle blocks is simply "OEM", not numbers. That is, IIRC. I don't understand why the key on the COA wouldn't work properly... unless, the install media that you are attempting to use, is not the same exact one that was bundled with the COA. There were several pressings of the CDs, with different product-key blocks, and they are not always cross-compatible between keys and install media, even if both are authentic and legit. They need to be matched.
 
What I would do is look around second hand stores, pawn shops, or computer renaissence(spelling error)
for a computer similar to yours that has a sticker on it. Look at the number, copy it down even. This may help you to remember your number. Using the number off of another computer would be wrong, but you should be able to remember your number.



 
Originally posted by: jsalpha2
What I would do is look around second hand stores, pawn shops, or computer renaissence(spelling error)
for a computer similar to yours that has a sticker on it. Look at the number, copy it down even. This may help you to remember your number. Using the number off of another computer would be wrong, but you should be able to remember your number.
Click to expand...

LOL
 
I thought Win98 ws no longer officially licensed by Microshaft? If this is true I don't see why someone couldn't e-mail you a product key.

Unlike 2000 or XP many Win98/ME product keys are interchangeable.
 
Microsoft relented on their proposal to drop all support for Windows98; more recently, they have named a new "final day" when they will drop it. I think it's in 2006. They did go ahead and drop Win95 when they said they would drop that one, though -- but I suspect that they still object to treating it as free to copy at will.


😉
 
I always found it funny that back in the days of MS's Acme installer, and Office 95 and Windows 95 and Visual C 5.0, that you could use a product code of 800-555-1212. That's the phone number for "800 information", in case no-one knew. 🙂

The longer product codes were a bit more problematic though.

MS is still agressive about defending their IP, they still find internet sites hosting MS-DOS boot disks, and request that they take them down.
 
Originally posted by: NegatiZE
I'm bringing my circa 1998 Compaq Presario back to stock. I used the system restore disk to reinstall WIN98 and it's asking for a 25 digit Product key. I still have the Certificate of Authenticity and the key is only 20 digits long. Am I missing something?
Click to expand...

I have the exact problem with a copy of Outlook 2000 I have. The Product Key I originally had is 20 digits long, but it asks for a 25 digit code when I try to install it now a few years later. I could've sworn I was using the key that came with the original disc.
 
The same thing recently happened to my Compaq laptop. I have W 98, and still have the COA, but it too is only 20 digits. NegatiZE, if you find anything out, I would really appreciate it if you could tell what you did to resolve the problem.

Right now I'm considering using one of a hack site, but I'm not sure if that's the best idea. I refuse to pay $35 dollars to talk to Microsoft only to have them tell me it'll be another $35(or more) for a new OEM key.
 
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