Certification #

[kim]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.win98.gen_discussion (More info?)

My computer rebooted, now I need the product ID#. Don't have the book, so I
called Microsoft. They gave me 2 different sets of numbers. Neither will
work. Suggested I take off my antivirus first. Can't do that, because I
can't even get to my desktop. The screen will not move from the Windows
Setup screen until I type in the correct numbers. Don't have the book, so I
am stuck.
Anyone have any suggestions on how to proceed from here?
--
Kim

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.win98.gen_discussion (More info?)

What you're looking for is Product Key, not Product ID. The Product Key
consists of five sets of five characters each.

I'm trying to understand how you got to the place where you are now.
Your computer was working fine, but then you had a spontaneous reboot
and when it came back it asked for the Product Key? If that's the case,
if this isn't an intentional Setup procedure that went awry, if
everything was fine until all of a sudden...

Try this. Restart, and hold down the Ctrl key until you get the Startup
Menu--it offers Normal, Logged, Safe Mode, Command Prompt Only, etc.
(Sometimes F8 key works better, and sometimes you need to repeatedly
press the key instead of holding it down, in order to avoid a "Stuck
Key" error.) When you get to the Startup Menu, choose "Command Prompt
Only". At the C:\> prompt, run the following, pressing <Enter> at the
end of each line:

SMARTDRV
SCANREG /RESTORE (space after SCANREG)

Choose a backup to restore by date, the most recent one will probably
work (probably dated the same day as this problem first appeared.) If
that one doesn't get you back in, try a backup from the previous day
(one day older.) If you don't have any current backups, it would
probably be best not to restore anything. Let us know how this goes, OK?

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS MVP Shell/User
http://www.grystmill.com/articles/cleanboot.htm
http://www.grystmill.com/articles/security.htm

"Kim" <Kim@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:5F2B2A84-237B-480A-A95A-8C870E90D57B@microsoft.com...
> My computer rebooted, now I need the product ID#. Don't have the book,
so I
> called Microsoft. They gave me 2 different sets of numbers. Neither
will
> work. Suggested I take off my antivirus first. Can't do that,
because I
> can't even get to my desktop. The screen will not move from the
Windows
> Setup screen until I type in the correct numbers. Don't have the
book, so I
> am stuck.
> Anyone have any suggestions on how to proceed from here?
> --
> Kim

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.win98.gen_discussion (More info?)

Excerpted from past posts by MVP Ron Badour......

If the system is working in either safe or normal mode:

Open regedit.exe to this key and look in the right pane for the entry ProductKey:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion


If the system is not working, start the computer with a floppy startup disk.

At the A: prompt, type: C:\Windows\Command\Find /N "ProductKey"
C:\Windows\System.dat
(Note: ProductKey must be typed in upper and lower case letters as shown and there
is a space after: "Find" after: "/N" and after: "ProductKey"
--
Glen Ventura, MS MVP Shell/User, A+
~ In memory of our friend, MVP Alex Nichol ~
http://aumha.org/alex.htm
http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm


"Kim" <Kim@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:5F2B2A84-237B-480A-A95A-8C870E90D57B@microsoft.com...
> My computer rebooted, now I need the product ID#. Don't have the book, so I
> called Microsoft. They gave me 2 different sets of numbers. Neither will
> work. Suggested I take off my antivirus first. Can't do that, because I
> can't even get to my desktop. The screen will not move from the Windows
> Setup screen until I type in the correct numbers. Don't have the book, so I
> am stuck.
> Anyone have any suggestions on how to proceed from here?
> --
> Kim

 

[kim]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.win98.gen_discussion (More info?)

Thanks Gary, it worked great. What happened was, I was running a Norton
Anitvirus option that lets you open pages faster. When that was done, it
said I had to reboot. When it rebooted, that's when the screen came up about
needing my certification #. No one at Microsoft could help me, but you did.
Thank You very much!!!! My kids are greatful!!!

Kim

"Gary S. Terhune" wrote:

> What you're looking for is Product Key, not Product ID. The Product Key
> consists of five sets of five characters each.
>
> I'm trying to understand how you got to the place where you are now.
> Your computer was working fine, but then you had a spontaneous reboot
> and when it came back it asked for the Product Key? If that's the case,
> if this isn't an intentional Setup procedure that went awry, if
> everything was fine until all of a sudden...
>
> Try this. Restart, and hold down the Ctrl key until you get the Startup
> Menu--it offers Normal, Logged, Safe Mode, Command Prompt Only, etc.
> (Sometimes F8 key works better, and sometimes you need to repeatedly
> press the key instead of holding it down, in order to avoid a "Stuck
> Key" error.) When you get to the Startup Menu, choose "Command Prompt
> Only". At the C:\> prompt, run the following, pressing <Enter> at the
> end of each line:
>
> SMARTDRV
> SCANREG /RESTORE (space after SCANREG)
>
> Choose a backup to restore by date, the most recent one will probably
> work (probably dated the same day as this problem first appeared.) If
> that one doesn't get you back in, try a backup from the previous day
> (one day older.) If you don't have any current backups, it would
> probably be best not to restore anything. Let us know how this goes, OK?
>
> --
> Gary S. Terhune
> MS MVP Shell/User
> http://www.grystmill.com/articles/cleanboot.htm
> http://www.grystmill.com/articles/security.htm
>
> "Kim" <Kim@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:5F2B2A84-237B-480A-A95A-8C870E90D57B@microsoft.com...
> > My computer rebooted, now I need the product ID#. Don't have the book,
> so I
> > called Microsoft. They gave me 2 different sets of numbers. Neither
> will
> > work. Suggested I take off my antivirus first. Can't do that,
> because I
> > can't even get to my desktop. The screen will not move from the
> Windows
> > Setup screen until I type in the correct numbers. Don't have the
> book, so I
> > am stuck.
> > Anyone have any suggestions on how to proceed from here?
> > --
> > Kim
>
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.win98.gen_discussion (More info?)

Glad you got it back. I'm curious as to what really happened, but with
Norton involved, I'm not about to ask you to repeat the scenario, <s>.

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS MVP Shell/User
http://www.grystmill.com/articles/cleanboot.htm
http://www.grystmill.com/articles/security.htm

"Kim" <Kim@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news2F67204-8156-441F-9367-9E5F5027A8CE@microsoft.com...
> Thanks Gary, it worked great. What happened was, I was running a
Norton
> Anitvirus option that lets you open pages faster. When that was done,
it
> said I had to reboot. When it rebooted, that's when the screen came
up about
> needing my certification #. No one at Microsoft could help me, but
you did.
> Thank You very much!!!! My kids are greatful!!!
>
> Kim
>
> "Gary S. Terhune" wrote:
>
> > What you're looking for is Product Key, not Product ID. The Product
Key
> > consists of five sets of five characters each.
> >
> > I'm trying to understand how you got to the place where you are now.
> > Your computer was working fine, but then you had a spontaneous
reboot
> > and when it came back it asked for the Product Key? If that's the
case,
> > if this isn't an intentional Setup procedure that went awry, if
> > everything was fine until all of a sudden...
> >
> > Try this. Restart, and hold down the Ctrl key until you get the
Startup
> > Menu--it offers Normal, Logged, Safe Mode, Command Prompt Only, etc.
> > (Sometimes F8 key works better, and sometimes you need to repeatedly
> > press the key instead of holding it down, in order to avoid a "Stuck
> > Key" error.) When you get to the Startup Menu, choose "Command
Prompt
> > Only". At the C:\> prompt, run the following, pressing <Enter> at
the
> > end of each line:
> >
> > SMARTDRV
> > SCANREG /RESTORE (space after SCANREG)
> >
> > Choose a backup to restore by date, the most recent one will
probably
> > work (probably dated the same day as this problem first appeared.)
If
> > that one doesn't get you back in, try a backup from the previous day
> > (one day older.) If you don't have any current backups, it would
> > probably be best not to restore anything. Let us know how this goes,
OK?
> >
> > --
> > Gary S. Terhune
> > MS MVP Shell/User
> > http://www.grystmill.com/articles/cleanboot.htm
> > http://www.grystmill.com/articles/security.htm
> >
> > "Kim" <Kim@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> > news:5F2B2A84-237B-480A-A95A-8C870E90D57B@microsoft.com...
> > > My computer rebooted, now I need the product ID#. Don't have the
book,
> > so I
> > > called Microsoft. They gave me 2 different sets of numbers.
Neither
> > will
> > > work. Suggested I take off my antivirus first. Can't do that,
> > because I
> > > can't even get to my desktop. The screen will not move from the
> > Windows
> > > Setup screen until I type in the correct numbers. Don't have the
> > book, so I
> > > am stuck.
> > > Anyone have any suggestions on how to proceed from here?
> > > --
> > > Kim
> >
> >