The whole point is that if you have a full version of Win2k, and you follow the instructions, it \"should\" work just fine. There\'s exceptions to the rule sure, but nothing is 100%. We get enough questions about the guide as it is, without people being concerned about adding extra files to the cd which they should already have.
All I\'m saying is if you have a warez version, and you can\'t make the cd bootable, don\'t bother asking for help. If you have a fullversion and are having problems, we\'ll try to help you out.
As far as the serial number, it\'s merely editing a simple text file. Now if it involved hex editing, or replacing files, we would not get into that (that would be in a grey area at best, and illegal at worst). Besides, like you said if you want to install a pirated version, you\'d have no problems anyways.