Windows 98
Windows 98
I understand it might seem old-fashioned, but there are options to obtain Windows 98 at no cost.
To obtain it legally with a valid license, there are options available for free, though not guaranteed. You can usually locate the necessary key on archive.org if you have a proper license. If you need a specific format, I can provide a disc image for Windows 98 Second Edition. Regarding copyright, using keys after 25 years might be permissible, but I’m not sure about that. In any case, it would likely be around 19 years since the original release according to Wikipedia.
Review your messages. Additionally, consider using VirtualBox for a computer emulator; you might install W98 in a virtual machine before switching to a physical one.
Prior to Windows XP there was no activation, and with XP it could be turned off using a registry entry. Back then, trying different operating systems was my go-to method for getting into the PC. I think they included a key in their setup. It’s unclear what would happen if you simply looked up a key online.