I can run it, but I am worried that after I have to reinstall it on my desktop after the OS switch, I might encounter problems with the missing serial key. Also, I think I had some issues with the serial key when I did a trial install of the 1.2/Justine update. Though that was probably due to the fact that I installed the English language version of the update - it might have clashed a bit with my localized version, as English is not the default language in it anymore. But outside of a lot of text reverting to English and the update asking me to reenter the serial key, there weren't any clear problems with running the game. Currently, it runs well, despite the language in the menus reverting to English.
I'll be in need of new, clean install of the game anyway, so that's part of my worries about losing the serial key. Well, maybe your experiment with the files will work. I'm hoping for it.
In the meantime, I'll try to check all the non-disk materials to my copy that I can find. I'm still hoping the box hasn't been lost completely and that it's just burried elsewhere in my flat. Wish me luck with the search.
BTW, the official Czech translation of the 1.2 update can be found
here.
I'll probably use that one in the near future, just to avoid text reversions in my translated retail copy. We'll see. Finding the 1.1 version's serial key is more of a priority for me now. I can bother with reinstalling the update later, once I'm sure I won't have to worry about a clean reinstall of 1.1 in my new OS.
"You... silly Billy !" (Clarence, Penumbra : Black Plague)