Visual Basic 5.0 (VB5), released in February 1997, is often remembered for a famous "logic loophole" in its installation process that became a legendary piece of software history among developers. The Story of the "Zero-Key"
Subscribers received a single master CD key that worked for every product on the disc: Visual Basic 5, Visual C++ 5, Visual InterDev, Visual J++, and even Windows NT 4.0 SDKs. These keys were usually 10 digits starting with a specific prefix (e.g., 1234 series).
123-1234567
The Evolution and Impact of Visual Basic 5: Understanding the Role of CD Keys