Windows XP Product Registration - the facts

Several recent threads either asking about XP registration or posting some strange information (mis-information) on the topic. There are a couple of great articles here that give the whole story and give it accurately.

Take a look at Microsoft Windows XP Product Activation

and

More On Windows XP Product Activation.

Well written and factual. Read them on order if you have time or just the 2nd one if you must.

 

Thank you, Newt.

 

And this from Paul Thurrott's Wininfo update that explains the ramifications of the XP SP1 release and WPA. On an earlier thread I suggested a certain product key that is possibly one (if not the) most wildly circulated Corporate key. What hasn't been substantiated is if SP1 will disable a number of leaked keys or as the article suggests ONE leaked key...

* RUMORS ABOUT XP SP1 PRODUCT ACTIVATION CHANGES NOT TRUE
A bizarre rumor about Microsoft making sweeping changes to its Windows Product Activation (WPA) technology in Windows XP Service Pack 1 (SP1) is completely false, the company told me Thursday. The rumor, which was started by a small Web site for technology enthusiasts, had Microsoft changing the product keys for all its customers who use volume licensing. This rumor has spread across the Internet and become embellished en route. One version that I came across Thursday morning claimed that Microsoft was making the change so that it could charge licensees yet again for SP1. Not so, says Microsoft.

"There is no truth in this rumor," Allen Nieman, the lead technical product manager for licensing technologies at Microsoft told me Thursday. "We are not changing the way volume licensing customers install or deploy Windows XP. We are not issuing volume licensing customers new product keys. Volume licensing customers are not impacted by any of the changes we are making to activation in SP1. The only folks impacted by the changes we are making in SP1 are people with illegal copies of Windows. "

"As I first reported in May 2002, the WPA feature in XP SP1 will get two minor modifications, neither of which will affect legitimate users. First, Microsoft discovered that most pirated XP copies are tied to one company's volume-license product key. So, Microsoft alerted the company about the problem, changed the company's key, and disabled it for use after SP1. Anyone who uses this pirated key will be unable to upgrade to SP1 or any future updates through Windows Update. Second, Microsoft is adding a 3-day grace period for people who use one product key to install XP on a second system. In the past, users who wanted to install a copy of XP on a second system had to immediately activate by phone. This new policy will give users some breathing room if disaster strikes and they need to install XP on a new system. "

 

activation of XP

Thanks fer your input and went to the articles that you suggested. They were really informative. Don't know what happened with unit I was working with but the dumb thing wanted re-activation even though it was an original unit supplied with XP. Oh well, was just something else to learn abooout all this stuff and was an interesting lesson learned..Thanks again guys fer all you advice and appreciate it....Den.................