# Is there a legal way to get a serial #? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [January 22, 2009, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-legal-way-to-get-a-serial/482429 "2009-01-22T09:35:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-legal-way-to-get-a-serial/482429/1 "2009-01-22T09:35:20Z")
I have a storebought copy of Medieval Toal War II. I had played it for a while, but uninstalled it to make room on my computer. Now, I want to re-install it, but I can’t find the serial number. It’s supposed to be on the back of the game manual, which I can’t find. I have the game box with bar code number, the tech tree chart and the discs. Is there any legal way to get a new serial number? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-legal-way-to-get-a-serial/482429/2 "2009-01-22T20:28:03Z")
Contact the publisher. They will usually send you a new copy of the game, provided you send them the old one. ---
**Author:** ![Collaborator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Collaborator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Collaborator)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-legal-way-to-get-a-serial/482429/3 "2009-01-22T23:59:16Z")
Usually they won’t even make you go that far. Often they’ll just email you a new serial, or ask for you to make a photocopy of the discs and email it to them. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-legal-way-to-get-a-serial/482429/4 "2009-01-23T01:01:36Z")
Thanks, I had no idea they would do that. ---
**Author:** ![Vlad\_Igor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Vlad\_Igor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vlad_Igor)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-legal-way-to-get-a-serial/482429/5 "2009-01-23T02:32:59Z")
Once you get it, download [Belarc](http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html). It’s a free system auditor that will display keys and serial numbers, among other useful system information. Vlad/Igor ---
**Author:** ![PopeJewish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@PopeJewish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PopeJewish)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-legal-way-to-get-a-serial/482429/6 "2009-01-23T04:40:32Z")
just crack it. Faster and easier, and you can get a no-CD crack while you’re at it so you don’t have to have the disc in your computer to play. You paid for it, it’s a legal copy, don’t worry if you go _around_ certain legalities for ease of use 😉 seriously though, I have no problem with cracks and no-cd keys so long as you have purchased a legal copy. I’ve even gone so far as to buy a game and, due to DRM, not install my legal version at all but download a pirated version of said game. I figure I bought the game, the devs/pubs got their profits so all is fair, I just don’t want their crap DRM on my computer so I’ll get the better version (which is the DRM-free, pirated one) ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-legal-way-to-get-a-serial/482429/7 "2009-01-23T05:07:17Z")
I live in Indonesia, so if I wanted, I could buy a pirated version of any game for $1, but as I said, I’m looking for legal work arounds. Not just for ethical reasons, but also because other solutions often come with spyware and virus. ---
**Author:** ![Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uosdwis_R.Dewoh)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-legal-way-to-get-a-serial/482429/8 "2009-01-23T08:30:04Z")
If you’re not interested in online play, just type 1111-1111-1111-1111 when it asks for the CD key. This should work. ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-legal-way-to-get-a-serial/482429/9 "2009-01-23T16:25:20Z")
Folks, just a reminder that we do NOT discuss how to do illegal activities on this board. Any additional comments along these lines will generate a warning and potentially a thread closure. ---
**Author:** ![Discordia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Discordia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Discordia)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-legal-way-to-get-a-serial/482429/10 "2009-01-23T16:31:05Z")
> [@fluiddruid](#): > > Folks, just a reminder that we do NOT discuss how to do illegal activities on this board. Any additional comments along these lines will generate a warning and potentially a thread closure. Out of interest, have cracks even been deemed illegal? ---
**Author:** ![Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uosdwis_R.Dewoh)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-legal-way-to-get-a-serial/482429/11 "2009-01-23T17:20:53Z")
> [@Discordia](#): > > Out of interest, have cracks even been deemed illegal? Don’t know about American law, but here in Finland, circumventing “effective technical” copy protection is illegal. The law is a bit unclear on what is defined as effective copy protection. Cd keys probably don’t count. > [@fluiddruid](#): > > Any additional comments along these lines will generate a warning and potentially a thread closure. Won’t happen again. ---
**Author:** ![Tool\_of\_the\_Conspiracy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@Tool\_of\_the\_Conspiracy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tool_of_the_Conspiracy)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-legal-way-to-get-a-serial/482429/12 "2009-01-23T22:06:34Z")
> [@Collaborator](#): > > > [@Ethilrist](#): > > > > Contact the publisher. They will usually send you a new copy of the game, provided you send them the old one. > > Usually they won’t even make you go that far. Often they’ll just email you a new serial, or ask for you to make a photocopy of the discs and email it to them. It may not even take that much. Back in the days when games came on floppies, I accidentally erased my Lemmings disk, and the company sent me a new one after just a phone call. I think that I had registered my copy, so they had me in their database. > [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](#): > > If you’re not interested in online play, just type 1111-1111-1111-1111 when it asks for the CD key. This should work. Or use a friend’s key. Or one that you find on-line. I think that would be legal, as long as you’re using an authentic disc that you’ve bought. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-legal-way-to-get-a-serial/482429/13 "2009-01-23T22:46:24Z")
I don’t know about Creative Assembly, but when my serial number for Star Wars Galaxies turned out to have already been used/cracked, a simple photo of the CDs emailed to the customer service was enough “proof of purchase” to get me a new serial. It did take about a week of back-and-forth dialogue to establish a modicum of trust though. On the whole, I think gaming companies would be rather lenient when it comes to that kind of thing - an honest to Og pirate wouldn’t contact them when there are cracks and keygens galore. And they certainly wouldn’t want to piss off a possible future customer, either.