win98 modify license vs reinstall
 

I'm configuring old parts to donate pc's to local charities and on the
last two here's what I've got : the disks in the PC's aren't original.
So I turn on these 2 clones and they have Dell win98 on them. Apparently
we installed win98 on the Dell's that had blank drives in them and if we
had used these drives instead we would have been done already. So if I
boot these in safe mode it's OK, but boot normally and get something
like " OS is only for Dell BIOS ". These have Nero and and other apps
already on them, so rather than reinstalling everything again, I'd like
to be able to just enter/ regedit the license info to make it a new
win98 ( we do have extra win98 CD's with licenses). Any way to do this
or will we have to wipe and reinstall it all again ?

Bobb

Re: win98 modify license vs reinstall
 

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\ Windows\CurrentVersion.

You'll see ProductID and ProductKey string values (among others) in the
right pane.
ProductID will match the ID in My Computer's properties. The ProductKey is
the product
key entered during installation.

You should be able to change the product key there to one that will work.
For Win 98 any valid key should work

Re: win98 modify license vs reinstall
 

"- Bobb -" <bobb@noemail.123> wrote in message
news:F-idnbc95rR2oOLYnZ2dnUVZ_tadnZ2d@comcast.com
> I'm configuring old parts to donate pc's to local charities and on the
> last two here's what I've got : the disks in the PC's aren't original.
> So I turn on these 2 clones and they have Dell win98 on them.
> Apparently we installed win98 on the Dell's that had blank drives in
> them and if we had used these drives instead we would have been done
> already. So if I boot these in safe mode it's OK, but boot normally
> and get something like " OS is only for Dell BIOS ". These have Nero
> and and other apps already on them, so rather than reinstalling
> everything again, I'd like to be able to just enter/ regedit the
> license info to make it a new win98 ( we do have extra win98 CD's
> with licenses). Any way to do this or will we have to wipe and
> reinstall it all again ?

Am I following you Bobb? These were installed on different machines? And
now the hard drives are in different machines? If so, oh no Bobb! That
would be a big mistake. As when Windows installs, it loads the drivers
for the chipsets and in that machine at the time.

Trying to get it working in another computer is just futile. It will
probably work in safe mode, but normal mode it won't. Nor have I ever
heard anybody ever getting this is work (unless it was the same
motherboard). The only thing you can do is to reinstall on the same like
machine it is going to be used on.

--
Bill

Re: win98 modify license vs reinstall
 

"BillW50" <BillW50@aol.kom> wrote in message
news:emdlma$5uf$1@aioe.org...
> "- Bobb -" <bobb@noemail.123> wrote in message
> news:F-idnbc95rR2oOLYnZ2dnUVZ_tadnZ2d@comcast.com
>> I'm configuring old parts to donate pc's to local charities and on
>> the
>> last two here's what I've got : the disks in the PC's aren't
>> original.
>> So I turn on these 2 clones and they have Dell win98 on them.
>> Apparently we installed win98 on the Dell's that had blank drives in
>> them and if we had used these drives instead we would have been done
>> already. So if I boot these in safe mode it's OK, but boot normally
>> and get something like " OS is only for Dell BIOS ". These have Nero
>> and and other apps already on them, so rather than reinstalling
>> everything again, I'd like to be able to just enter/ regedit the
>> license info to make it a new win98 ( we do have extra win98 CD's
>> with licenses). Any way to do this or will we have to wipe and
>> reinstall it all again ?
>
> Trying to get it working in another computer is just futile. It will
> probably work in safe mode, but normal mode it won't. Nor have I ever
> heard anybody ever getting this is work (unless it was the same
> motherboard). The only thing you can do is to reinstall on the same
> like machine it is going to be used on.
>
> --
> Bill
We did wipe them and reinstall, but I still don't get why we couldn't do
a new install over them with a "store-bought version of Win98" (not an
upgrade) without formatting them first. Anyway, they are done and were
given to folks that needed a PC. (yeah it's old but if they didn't have
one, it at least gets them on the internet /email ...)
Thanks to everyone.

Re: win98 modify license vs reinstall
 

"- Bobb -" <bobb@noemail.123> wrote in message
news:kZidnTJ3rLOD4xfYnZ2dnUVZ_tCtnZ2d@comcast.com
> "BillW50" <BillW50@aol.kom> wrote in message
> news:emdlma$5uf$1@aioe.org...
>> "- Bobb -" <bobb@noemail.123> wrote in message
>> news:F-idnbc95rR2oOLYnZ2dnUVZ_tadnZ2d@comcast.com
>>> I'm configuring old parts to donate pc's to local charities and on
>>> the
>>> last two here's what I've got : the disks in the PC's aren't
>>> original.
>>> So I turn on these 2 clones and they have Dell win98 on them.
>>> Apparently we installed win98 on the Dell's that had blank drives in
>>> them and if we had used these drives instead we would have been done
>>> already. So if I boot these in safe mode it's OK, but boot normally
>>> and get something like " OS is only for Dell BIOS ". These have Nero
>>> and and other apps already on them, so rather than reinstalling
>>> everything again, I'd like to be able to just enter/ regedit the
>>> license info to make it a new win98 ( we do have extra win98 CD's
>>> with licenses). Any way to do this or will we have to wipe and
>>> reinstall it all again ?
>>
>> Trying to get it working in another computer is just futile. It will
>> probably work in safe mode, but normal mode it won't. Nor have I ever
>> heard anybody ever getting this is work (unless it was the same
>> motherboard). The only thing you can do is to reinstall on the same
>> like machine it is going to be used on.
>>
>> --
>> Bill
> We did wipe them and reinstall, but I still don't get why we couldn't
> do a new install over them with a "store-bought version of Win98"
> (not an upgrade) without formatting them first. Anyway, they are done
> and were given to folks that needed a PC. (yeah it's old but if they
> didn't have one, it at least gets them on the internet /email ...)
> Thanks to everyone.

Yeah I tried that trick as well as many others. It doesn't work. Nor is
there a way to make it work AFAIK. <sigh>

--
Bill