# OS discs: certificate of authenticity **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 21, 2015, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/os-discs-certificate-of-authenticity/728457 "2015-08-21T18:39:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/os-discs-certificate-of-authenticity/728457/1 "2015-08-21T18:39:46Z")
I have some computer hardware and software I want to sell. My customer wants a “certificate of authenticity” for an OS disc, in particular Windows 95 (which he specifically requested). I have never heard of such a thing. Aren’t there special markings on the disc to show it is the genuine article? ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/os-discs-certificate-of-authenticity/728457/2 "2015-08-21T18:41:50Z")
It’s been a while but I vaguely remember some kind of official looking certificate attached to the cover of the CD from Microsoft. I think they want to see that the disks originally came from Microsoft versus being pirated, but who really cares at this point? ---
**Author:** ![BorgHunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@BorgHunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BorgHunter)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/os-discs-certificate-of-authenticity/728457/3 "2015-08-21T20:22:27Z")
A Windows 95 certificate of authenticity [looks like this](http://www.oldsoftware.com/95licenseb.html). Why such a thing would be relevant as anything more than a curiosity in 2015 is something I’d like to hear, though. ---
**Author:** ![MindsEye\_Watering](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindseye_watering/32/3619_2.png) [@MindsEye\_Watering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MindsEye_Watering)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/os-discs-certificate-of-authenticity/728457/4 "2015-08-21T20:28:26Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > I have some computer hardware and software I want to sell. > My customer wants a “certificate of authenticity” for an OS disc, in particular Windows 95 (which he specifically requested). I have never heard of such a thing. Aren’t there special markings on the disc to show it is the genuine article? Yes, there are - starting with Win95, the CD itself would have an “Inner Mirror Band Hologram”, in addition to the paper COA that would have been part of the packaging. The “hologram” (not a hologram at all) is similar to the ones found on XBOX discs, but for Win95, they would be only 180 degrees around and not as tall as an XBOX hologram. Note that these IMB Holograms were sometimes counterfeited, though a genuine IMB Hologram could be distinguished from fake using a microscope. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2015, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/os-discs-certificate-of-authenticity/728457/5 "2015-08-22T09:54:10Z")
For Windows 95, I believe the certificate was attached to the manual. **BorgHunter** ’s link seems to confirm this. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2015, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/os-discs-certificate-of-authenticity/728457/6 "2015-08-22T10:05:38Z")
Doesn’t matter, back in the day that was another way of saying “a receipt.” Long story short, congress passed a law, businesses had to show receipts, certs were one way to show you had a legit copy. My advice: if you have to pay more than $50 per cert, get windows 7. It’s far superior to anything that came before and you can use more than 4 gb ram. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2015, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/os-discs-certificate-of-authenticity/728457/7 "2015-08-22T18:58:49Z")
Also to clarify: Before Windows XP and product activation the only security Microsoft (and most software companies) had to prevent ‘casual sharing’ of software was a serial number printed on the disk or CD’s envelope. But the serial numbers were not linked to anything, they were just a long series of digits. You could use any valid serial number from any Windows media to install it onto any machine. So by about the time Windows 98 was the standard all you had to do was do a web search for ‘Windows serial number’ and dozens of valid numbers would appear. Now that everything uses online product activation the actual physical discs are meaningless in terms of security. You can legally download .iso images of them, including right from [microsoft.com](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/home) (though they ask you to put in your key first). > [@dougie\_monty](#): > > I have some computer hardware and software I want to sell. > My customer wants a “certificate of authenticity” for an OS disc, in particular Windows 95 (which he specifically requested). I have never heard of such a thing. Aren’t there special markings on the disc to show it is the genuine article? Other than the ‘honor’ system I can’t really see why they would care. Microsoft long ago stopped supporting 95 so the potential validity on an install CD is kinda moot at this point (it’s twenty years old…) ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2015, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/os-discs-certificate-of-authenticity/728457/8 "2015-08-22T21:34:23Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > Other than the ‘honor’ system I can’t really see why they would care. Microsoft long ago stopped supporting 95 so the potential validity on an install CD is kinda moot at this point (it’s twenty years old…) Requiring a COA is still the right thing to do. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2015, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/os-discs-certificate-of-authenticity/728457/9 "2015-08-23T13:56:26Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Requiring a COA is still the right thing to do. I suppose it \*could \*be a Chinese knock-off, but as long as it’s not a CD-R I really think insisting on being able to produce a COA for software that old is overkill… ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2015, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/os-discs-certificate-of-authenticity/728457/10 "2015-08-23T13:58:55Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > I suppose it \*could \*be a Chinese knock-off, but as long as it’s not a CD-R I really think insisting on being able to produce a COA for software that old is overkill… Not if you are a collector.