win9X: Windows95B OR Windows 98SE did those OS's need an activation?

Question

This is very old but with the older Microsoft Windows 9X like Windows 95B and Windows 98 Second edition OS's did they also have to be activated? The Microsoft activation page does not support the older 9X OS's. I just did not remember with the OEM version of Windows 95 or 98SE if they required an activation?

Answer 1

Windows 95B and Windows 98 Second Edition (SE) did not require activation in the way that modern versions of Windows do. These older operating systems were typically sold without the need for a product activation process. Instead, they used a simpler licensing model where users would enter a product key during installation, but there was no online or telephone activation required after installation.

The activation process that we see in later versions of Windows, starting with Windows XP, was not implemented for these earlier operating systems. Therefore, OEM versions of Windows 95 and 98SE did not have an activation requirement.