Win98 CD

I have full confidence in you, Gary. If you say that they do replace
lost keys then I trust your word. It is just that I have never before
heard that they did give out replacement keys, or at least that it was a
rare occurrence if they did.

John

Gary S. Terhune wrote:

Everything I've ever heard from those who know is that MS will provide a
PK after verifying a couple of things. So will major OEMs, and if the
OEM won't, MS will. There is supposedly a $10 fee, but everyone whose
done it reports that it wasn't asked for.

Now, again, whether they do it for products as far out of support as
Win98, that's a different story, though I've heard tell that this is
also possible.

Heck, if I get bored enough, I may check in with MS and get an official
answer, or one that is true, anyway.

Referring to my notes, they suggest that MS (or anyone else) almost
certainly does not provide replacement Keys for WIN9x products, as they are
"out of support".

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS-MVP Shell/User
www.grystmill.com

"John John" wrote in message
...
I have full confidence in you, Gary. If you say that they do replace lost
keys then I trust your word. It is just that I have never before heard
that they did give out replacement keys, or at least that it was a rare
occurrence if they did.

John

Gary S. Terhune wrote:

Everything I've ever heard from those who know is that MS will provide a
PK after verifying a couple of things. So will major OEMs, and if the OEM
won't, MS will. There is supposedly a $10 fee, but everyone whose done it
reports that it wasn't asked for.

Now, again, whether they do it for products as far out of support as
Win98, that's a different story, though I've heard tell that this is also
possible.

Heck, if I get bored enough, I may check in with MS and get an official
answer, or one that is true, anyway.

First Gary says this:

Everything I've ever heard from those who know is that MS will
provide a PK after verifying a couple of things. So will major
OEMs, and if the OEM won't, MS will.

Then Gary says this:

Referring to my notes, they suggest that MS (or anyone else)
almost certainly does not provide replacement Keys for WIN9x
products,

So which one is it Gary?

And why no response to my post regarding the Key that Copernicus
supposedly got (either from Microsoft or Dell)?

Do you have an explanation as to why that key would turn up on such a
varietly of seemingly unrelated systems?

Here is the code they gave me: KR9PM-B68H2-DJHDY-VK643-7F986.

A google search for that key (searching just the first set of 5
characters) turns up the following:

http://www.hardwaredude.com/post-1600.html
- this was posted by someone with moderator status
- poster claims to be in Hyderabad India
- post was made Feb 10, 2006
- potentially this info was posted, or was leaked, by an MS
tech support person working in India.

http://www.softwaretipsandtricks.com...problem-4.html
- a Belarc advisor dump listing about a dozen MS product keys
for various apps
- posted Nov 20, 2005

http://forums.techguy.org/hardware/215320-help.html
- another Belarc dump March 27, 2004

http://support.coral-it.com/ucp/List...hillcresthouse
- another Belarc dump (April 6, 2006)

The above page is part of an inventory of system information files
that are probably confidential, but you can see more of them he

http://support.coral-it.com/ucp/List.../AllItems.aspx

http://gretchenubarc.pbwiki.com/Fixing+Broken+Computers
- seems to be an information dump performed by a tech repair service
- Registered Owner Duxbury High School (Duxbury, Massachusetts?)

http://www.opentechsupport.net/forum...c/22943-1.html
- forum posting (May 29, 2004) identifying it as a "generic" key

http://pfd.aphp.org/laboratoire/mate...port_LPD10.txt
- another system information dump (april 30 2002)
- system seems to be located in France

It's strange to see this same key turn up on this rag-tag assortment
of systems.

Again, the MVP's are invited to comment.