Activating The Windows XP


Windows XP includes an antipiracy feature called Windows Product Activation (WPA). As in previous Windows versions, you must enter a 25-character product key during the setup process. However, WPA adds a new requirement: After Setup completes, you must activate your installation within 30 days, either by connecting to a Microsoft activation server over the Internet, or by making a toll-free call to an interactive telephone activation system.

WPA is a mechanism designed to enforce license restrictions by preventing the most common form of software piracy: casual copying. Typically, a Microsoft Windows XP license entitles you to install the operating system software on a single computer. If you use the same CD and product key to install Windows XP on a different system, you’ll be unable to activate the software automatically. Here’s what you need to know about WPA:

● Under most circumstances, activation is automatic and instantaneous: If you buy a shrink-wrapped copy of Windows XP and install it on a new computer, you can activate over the Internet, and the process must take not more than a few seconds. If you want to use the phone, the process takes longer, because you have to enter a 50-digit identification key (or by using the phone’s dial pad or by talking to a customer service representative) and then input the 42-digit confirmation ID supplied in reply, as shown in Figure.



Figure: Activating a copy of Windows over the phone is considerably more complex than doing it over the Internet.

● Within 30 days of installing Windows XP, you must activate the software: If you choose the phone option, you’ll see a list of toll-free numbers.

● Activation is not registration: The activation process is completely unknown and does not need that you reveal any personal information. If you choose to register your copy of Windows XP, this is a completely separate (and optional) task.

● You’re allowed to reinstall Windows an unlimited number of times on the same hardware: Throughout the activation process, Windows XP broadcast an encrypted file that serves as a “fingerprint” of key components in your system. If you reinstall Windows XP on the same hardware, the activation server checks the new fingerprint against the one stored in its database. If they match, activation is automatic.

● Multiple hardware upgrades may require you to reactivate Windows: The activation software is designed to prevent attempts to “clone” an activated copy of Windows and install it on another computer. If you replace or upgrade four or more components from a list of 10 components on your computer in a period of 120 days or less, the activation mechanism may mistakenly assume that you’ve installed the operating system on a new computer. In that case, you’ll be required to call the WPA clearinghouse and get a new activation code. The list of components included in the hardware “fingerprint” includes your display adapter, primary hard disk, volume serial number, SCSI adapter, IDE disk controller, CD-ROM drive, network adapter (based on its MAC address), CPU type, CPU serial number, and the amount of installed RAM. It does not include Zip drives, digital cameras, or similar peripheral devices. If the computer is marked as dockable, however (as most notebook computers are), the requirements are relaxed significantly, and you can safely upgrade seven of the components on the list (including the network adapter) or nine components (if the network adapter remains unchanged) before being forced to activate Windows again.

● Copies of Windows XP sold with new computers may be exempt from WPA: If you buy a new computer on which Windows XP is pre-installed, the activation process might have been completed before you take delivery. In addition, copies of Windows sold this way are often tied via software to the BIOS of that computer (this method of installation is called System Locked Pre-Installation, or SLP). You may reinstall that copy of Windows XP an unlimited number of times on the computer it came with, regardless of how many upgrades you make, as long as you don’t change the BIOS. In fact, you can replace the motherboard on a system activated with SLP as long as the new part is from the same manufacturer and uses the same BIOS identifier. However, you may be prohibited by the license agreement from transferring that copy of Windows to another computer.

● Many corporations are also exempt from WPA requirements: Businesses that purchase as few as five copies of qualified Microsoft software, including Windows XP, through a Microsoft Volume Licensing (VL) program receive VL media and product keys that do not require activation. Under the terms of a volume license agreement, each computer with a copy of Windows XP must have a valid license.