1. A method for utilizing a mangled installation key for invalidating an illegally produced key in a computer license validation system having an encoder and decoder, the method comprising the steps of: storing a master set comprising a plurality of predetermined key obfuscation algorithms on a non-transitory computer-readable medium in the computer license validation system; designating a combination code that specifies selected ones of the predetermined key obfuscation algorithms stored in the master set to be included in a subset and providing the combination code to the encoder and the decoder before any installation key is obtained, the key obfuscation algorithms in the subset being selected from among the predetermined key obfuscation algorithms in the stored master set and not including all of the predetermined key obfuscation algorithms of the master set; obtaining an installation key; generating, by a microprocessor functionally executing the encoder, a combination key by processing seed data with the subset of key obfuscation algorithms specified by the combination code; generating the mangled installation key by processing the installation key with the combination key; and decoding, by a second microprocessor functionally executing the decoder, the mangled installation key by processing the mangled installation key with the algorithms specified by the combination code.