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#1
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Lost OEM product key
My HP Desktop came with an OEM Windows 98 installed. It crashed so I used the
CD to restore the system to its original configuration. Now it is asking for the Windows 98 product key code before it will activate it; but I have none. The computer now gives two choices. Enter the product key code or shut down. HP said that since the product is out of warrantee they couldn’t help but will charge me $65.00 to talk about it. If Microsoft will no help how can I get an OEM product key? If I give up and buy XP will it install in spite of the problem with the win 98 product key? Any help will be appreciated. Thanks Frankie |
#2
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Lost OEM product key
"Frankie" wrote in message ... My HP Desktop came with an OEM Windows 98 installed. It crashed so I used the CD to restore the system to its original configuration. Now it is asking for the Windows 98 product key code before it will activate it; but I have none. The computer now gives two choices. Enter the product key code or shut down. HP said that since the product is out of warrantee they couldn’t help but will charge me $65.00 to talk about it. If Microsoft will no help how can I get an OEM product key? If I give up and buy XP will it install in spite of the problem with the win 98 product key? Any help will be appreciated. Thanks Frankie |
#3
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Lost OEM product key
"Frankie" wrote in message ... My HP Desktop came with an OEM Windows 98 installed. It crashed so I used the CD to restore the system to its original configuration. Now it is asking for the Windows 98 product key code before it will activate it; but I have none. The computer now gives two choices. Enter the product key code or shut down. . . . 1. We need to prepare for reinstalling, e.g. by reviewing http://home.satx.rr.com/badour/html/w98_restore.html HP computers present special problems, since they supply a RESTORE custom disk instead of a standard SETUP disk for the operating system. 2. The product key is stored in the Registry, and can be recovered via http://www.windowsreinstall.com/inst..._in_regist.htm If your PC now will start Windows at all (e.g. in Safe Mode, keying F8 or Ctrl during reboot) you can find and write down the Product Key Independent users might think that HP would have the gumption to program its RESTORE function so that users with a valid CD did not to type in the product key. But it is rarely a good idea to impute common sense to profit-seeking PV vendors . . . . -- Don Phillipson Carlsbad Springs (Ottawa, Canada) |
#4
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Lost OEM product key
The restore CD probably formatted the drive and, if so, the product key
would be difficult to recover from the system. MS no longer supports W98 so use google.com to find a key. -- Regards Ron Badour, MS MVP for W98 Tips: http://home.satx.rr.com/badour Knowledge Base Info: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?pr=kbinfo "Frankie" wrote in message ... My HP Desktop came with an OEM Windows 98 installed. It crashed so I used the CD to restore the system to its original configuration. Now it is asking for the Windows 98 product key code before it will activate it; but I have none. The computer now gives two choices. Enter the product key code or shut down. HP said that since the product is out of warrantee they couldn't help but will charge me $65.00 to talk about it. If Microsoft will no help how can I get an OEM product key? If I give up and buy XP will it install in spite of the problem with the win 98 product key? Any help will be appreciated. Thanks Frankie |
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