Member Avatar for johnny80

I have lost my product key. I am using a windows 98 PC, and it has office 2000 pro installed. I have tried several programs to recover my serial key #, but some just give me the Productl ID #, some don't give me anything.

Is there a good program that recovers Office 2000, Serial Key # or Installation Key # from a windows 98 machine?


I would appreciate any help.

thanks,

  • 4 Contributors
  • 13 Replies
  • 376 Views
  • 2 Weeks Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by hotmatrixx

Dani AI

Generated

Short answer up front: in most real-world cases you will not be able to extract the full Office 2000 CD key from a Windows 98 installation. Microsoft’s older Office releases commonly did not write a readable CD-key value where modern key‑finder tools expect it, so those tools typically show only a ProductID (or nothing). This is why the key‑finders you ran didn’t help and why ’s point about pre‑XP behavior is correct. (nirsoft.net)

A few exceptions exist but they’re unreliable. Some utilities (for example WinKeyFinder) advertise limited Office 2000/SP2 support and sometimes succeed when the installer left a recoverable value; success depends on the exact build and service‑pack state. Also note many key‑finder programs offer a “load hive” or “select external source” feature — useful for reading another installation’s registry — but those hive loaders usually expect NT‑based registries (Windows 2000/XP+) and may not work with a Windows 98 registry. Test carefully and only use official downloads. (winkeyfinder.com)

Practical checklist (in order):

  1. hunt for the original CD/case, invoice or any vendor account that might contain the key;
  2. if you want to try software, run a tool that explicitly lists Office 2000/SP2 support on the Win98 box (or on a modern PC pointed at the old drive);
  3. look in the registration branch (e.g. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Registration{GUID}) for ProductID/DigitalProductID — it may exist but won’t necessarily decode to a usable CD key. Expect hit‑or‑miss results. (learn.microsoft.com)

If those attempts fail, contacting Microsoft with proof of purchase is an option to explore, but Office 2000 is out of support (extended support ended July 14, 2009) and official help may be limited; buying a replacement license or moving to a supported Office product is often the fastest, safest path. (learn.microsoft.com)

Notes: avoid sketchy “keygens” or cracked installers (legal and security risks). If you want, try WinKeyFinder or other reputable key‑finder tools that explicitly list Office 2000 support, but treat success as unlikely rather than guaranteed.

Recommended Answers

All 13 Replies

Member Avatar for jbennet

try the program Magic Jellybean

Member Avatar for johnny80

try the program Magic Jellybean

I have tried majic jelly bean, but that does not reveal the office 2000 Serial Key#.

I also tried keyfinder.

Member Avatar for jbennet

Did some googling and it appears you cant recover the key for versions less than office XP

Member Avatar for johnny80

Did some googling and it appears you cant recover the key for versions less than office XP

Correct, I did some googling too, for 2 days, but nothing, but I was wondering if someone in here might have a hack or something to get the key. I guess this is something that no one is interested in hacking, nor figuring out. I guess, I will have to buy new key.

Member Avatar for jbennet

The key itself isnt stored. Prior to office XP there was no activation so any key which was valid would work. It was only checked to see if it was valid at install time.

Member Avatar for johnny80

try this program i use it all the time ,but not sure if it still runs on win 98.
http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html

It works with win98, but still does not give the serial number for office. I guess will just leave it alone.

Thanks everyone.

Member Avatar for caperjack

It works with win98, but still does not give the serial number for office. I guess will just leave it alone.

Thanks everyone.

then it didn't work ,it should give the key in software licenses near the bottom

Member Avatar for jbennet

like i said, its not possible

office versions prior to 2002(xp) did not store the key as there was no need to (no product activation), they merely checked if it *seemed* to be a valid key at install time

Member Avatar for caperjack

like i said, its not possible

office versions prior to 2002(xp) did not store the key as there was no need to (no product activation), they merely checked if it *seemed* to be a valid key at install time

Oh,my version is 03

Member Avatar for jbennet

its the same with win98. A key will work so long as it passes the check (for a long time it was something like the key was valid ifs sum divided by 7 or something) which meant made up keys would work.

Member Avatar for johnny80

Well, I am marking it as solved, even though nothing got solved.

Member Avatar for hotmatrixx

I know I am a bit late, but if ou go to Ms support, they can retrieve the key for you. she had to do it over the ph for me but it was a weird install anyway. they have an online tool that does it but i cannot remember where.

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.