Product key missing for upgraded 98

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No snow no mo - 29 Mar 2004 11:31 GMT

G'day All,
Attempting to install W98 'upgrade' disc to new bare
drive but, of course, asks for ProductKey of Win 98.
Don't have Win 98 basic disc any more nor the Key numbers
for it.
Tried to access Key number from old drive (System.dat
and HKey_local etc etc) but that number only shows
the 'Win98 UPDATE' product key (which I have, anyway).
Since installing Win98 to the old drive, the system's
been converted from Fat16 to Fat32 which may be reason Win
98 Product key number is missing and the 'new' Win 98
Upgrade key nember exists.
Question 1: Is there a way of retieving the original
Product key number (Win 98) other than the System.dat or
Hkey registry location?
no, huh?
Q2: Would Windows shatter if I carefully mooooved it
from the old to the new HD or would there be minute,
essential pieces that would be missing to prevent the new
location from operating beautifully?

Tnx for your time...and if you don't feel like answering,
it's ok, I understand. sigh...

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Li'l Roberto - 29 Mar 2004 12:50 GMT

> G'day All,
> Attempting to install W98 'upgrade' disc to new bare
[quoted text clipped - 19 lines]
> Tnx for your time...and if you don't feel like answering,
> it's ok, I understand. sigh...

You either need a new product key - try eBay, or use third party
software to copy the old drive to the new one.
I use Norton Ghost for such tasks, HDD size won't matter -providing the
new is equal to, or larger than the old one.
Ghost will give you an exact copy.

rgds
Li'l Roberto

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Bill Watt - 31 Mar 2004 03:04 GMT

>G'day All,
> Attempting to install W98 'upgrade' disc to new bare
[quoted text clipped - 19 lines]
>Tnx for your time...and if you don't feel like answering,
>it's ok, I understand. sigh...

You may get the key from the System.1st file in the root. It's a
copy of the registry from when Windows was last installed
successfully. If you haven't deleted the file.

The file may be hidden so enter this first.
Attrib -r -s -h system.1st

Then from Dos C:\ prompt enter:

EDIT system.1st

Use the search feature for ProductKey (one word). Use the alt key to
access the menus and alt +F +X to exit. The key is not in all SE
system.1st files but should be there in Win98 FE.

Or try:

If Windows is installed enter this from the Dos prompt:
C:\windows\command\Find /i "ProductKey" c:\windows\system.dat
(that's an "eye" in /i)
You can also try this if the System.1st file has not been deleted.
C:\windows\command\Find /i "ProductKey" c:\system.1st
There are 3 spaces, 1 before and after /i and 1 before c:
The ProductKey is 5 groups of 5 letters and numbers.

Good luck.

Bill Watt
Computer Help and Information http://home.epix.net/~bwatt/
Microsoft, the company that gave us Edlin. ;-)

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