Hardware changes requiring re-activation

[Guest]

Running XP Home SP-1. I want to change my old Soundblaster sound card to a
newer better one. Will this require re-activating my XP ? The reason I ask is
because earlier I changed my RAM from a single 512 Mb DDR-PC2700 to add
another of the same kind of memory and it DID require re-activation. Pretty
darn bad when a person can't even upgrade the memory in the same computer
without having to go through the activation process again.

Redwagon...

 

[Anando [MS-MVP]]

Hi,

Normally upgarding your sound card would not require you to re-activate. I upgraded the RAM on my
laptop and my tablet PC, but was never asked to re-activate. You can find more helpful information
here:

Windows Product Activation on Windows XP
http://aumha.org/win5/a/wpa.htm

--

Anando
Microsoft MVP- Windows Shell/User
http://www.microsoft.com/mvp
http://www.mvps.org

In memory of Alex Nichol
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/meetexperts/nichol.mspx

Folder customizations
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Protect your PC!
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[Guest]

Thanks Anando for the web site regarding Windows Activation. Some time ago I
placed this same web site in my IE Favorites so I could refer to it as
needed. I think my original necessity to re-activate after changing my RAM
was do to xP being an OEM copy. And, the oEM is me. I custom build about a
dozen computers a year for friends etc. and have always purchased an OEM copy
of the operating system for each one. After referring to your suggested web
site again, it's pretty apparent that OEM copies have different priorities
than retail versions. Anyway, thanks for the info.

Redwagon...

 

[kurttrail]

Running XP Home SP-1. I want to change my old Soundblaster sound card
to a newer better one. Will this require re-activating my XP ? The
reason I ask is because earlier I changed my RAM from a single 512 Mb
DDR-PC2700 to add another of the same kind of memory and it DID
require re-activation. Pretty darn bad when a person can't even
upgrade the memory in the same computer without having to go through
the activation process again.

Redwagon...

You shouldn't need to re-activate, but then again a simple change of RAM
shouldn't have required it either.

Sometimes PA doesn't work as it is supposed to, and RAM changes seem to
be a common trigger to PA failing to work as it is supposed to.

For some explanations on how XP is supposed to work:

http://aumha.org/win5/a/wpa.htm
http://www.microsoft.com/piracy/activation_faq.mspx

--
Peace!
Kurt
Self-anointed Moderator
microscum.pubic.windowsexp.gonorrhea
http://microscum.com/mscommunity
"Trustworthy Computing" is only another example of an Oxymoron!
"Produkt-Aktivierung macht frei"

 

[kurttrail]

Thanks Anando for the web site regarding Windows Activation. Some
time ago I placed this same web site in my IE Favorites so I could
refer to it as needed. I think my original necessity to re-activate
after changing my RAM was do to xP being an OEM copy. And, the oEM is
me. I custom build about a dozen computers a year for friends etc.
and have always purchased an OEM copy of the operating system for
each one. After referring to your suggested web site again, it's
pretty apparent that OEM copies have different priorities than retail
versions. Anyway, thanks for the info.

There is no difference between PA between generic OEM and Retail. The
top 20 Major OEM's copies of XP require phone activation, but the number
and type hardware changes that trigger reactivation are the same as
generic OEM, and Retail.

Of course, all that is assuming that PA is working as it is supposed to,
which as you have eXPerienced, it doesn't always work like it is
supposed to.

--
Peace!
Kurt
Self-anointed Moderator
microscum.pubic.windowsexp.gonorrhea
http://microscum.com/mscommunity
"Trustworthy Computing" is only another example of an Oxymoron!
"Produkt-Aktivierung macht frei"

 

[Yves Leclerc]

Changing sound cards, hard drives and RAM should not "force" a re-activation
of XP, UNLESS:

1) Other updates/upgrades were done before and the upgrade activation count
was not reached. This can include driver updates (personal experience with
video card drivers).

2) Bad time and you also got a corrupted PA data base. Can be caused by
viruses/spywares.

 

[kurttrail]

Changing sound cards, hard drives and RAM should not "force" a
re-activation of XP, UNLESS:

1) Other updates/upgrades were done before and the upgrade activation
count was not reached. This can include driver updates (personal
experience with video card drivers).

2) Bad time and you also got a corrupted PA data base. Can be
caused by viruses/spywares.

A corrupted database can be caused by many things, and one of them is
that databases are easily corruptable. There ain't a bullet proof
database file, and that MS based it copy-protection technology on top of
a database, was just asking for problems.

But MS doesn't care what it's customers have to do to troubleshoot their
totally worthless and error-prone PA schemes!

--
Peace!
Kurt
Self-anointed Moderator
microscum.pubic.windowsexp.gonorrhea
http://microscum.com/mscommunity
"Trustworthy Computing" is only another example of an Oxymoron!
"Produkt-Aktivierung macht frei"

 

[Anando [MS-MVP]]

You are welcome !

--

Anando
Microsoft MVP- Windows Shell/User
http://www.microsoft.com/mvp
http://www.mvps.org

In memory of Alex Nichol
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/meetexperts/nichol.mspx

Folder customizations
http://newdelhi.sancharnet.in/minku

Protect your PC!
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

 

[ClippertyClop]

Hi,

Normally upgarding your sound card would not require you to re-activate. I upgraded the RAM on my
laptop and my tablet PC, but was never asked to re-activate. You can find more helpful information
here:

Windows Product Activation on Windows XP
http://aumha.org/win5/a/wpa.htm

What happens if you lose your system disk and borrow a a friends XP disk
to re-install on your machine, a different hardware configuration to
your friend's. Would the installation succeed or remain functional?

 

[Rock]

What happens if you lose your system disk and borrow a a friends XP disk
to re-install on your machine, a different hardware configuration to
your friend's. Would the installation succeed or remain functional?

The disc makes no difference as long as it matches the type of license
key you have, ie retail v Generic OEM (or Manufacturer's OEM), Home v.
Pro. You would use the license key for your system and their
installation CD.

 

[ClippertyClop]

The disc makes no difference as long as it matches the type of license
key you have, ie retail v Generic OEM (or Manufacturer's OEM), Home v.
Pro. You would use the license key for your system and their
installation CD.

But I thought each disk comes with its own particular license key. If
that's not the case, if I bought a 2nd hand machine with XP loaded, with
no system disk to hand, and I went out and bought a retail version of
XP, presumably on a re-install,(a) I'd still have to register the
license key and (b) the license key is supplied with the disk. If not
where do I get the license key details from?

 

[kurttrail]

Anando [MS-MVP] wrote:

Hi,

Normally upgarding your sound card would not require you to
re-activate. I upgraded the RAM on my laptop and my tablet PC, but
was never asked to re-activate. You can find more helpful
information here:

Windows Product Activation on Windows XP
http://aumha.org/win5/a/wpa.htm

What happens if you lose your system disk and borrow a a friends XP
disk to re-install on your machine, a different hardware
configuration to your friend's. Would the installation succeed or
remain functional?

The disc makes no difference as long as it matches the type of
license key you have, ie retail v Generic OEM (or Manufacturer's
OEM), Home v. Pro. You would use the license key for your system
and their installation CD.

But I thought each disk comes with its own particular license key. If
that's not the case, if I bought a 2nd hand machine with XP loaded,
with no system disk to hand, and I went out and bought a retail
version of XP, presumably on a re-install,(a) I'd still have to
register the license key and (b) the license key is supplied with the
disk. If not where do I get the license key details from?

An OEM Key won't work with a Retail CD, but should work with any generic
OEM CD.

--
Peace!
Kurt
Self-anointed Moderator
microscum.pubic.windowsexp.gonorrhea
http://microscum.com/mscommunity
"Trustworthy Computing" is only another example of an Oxymoron!
"Produkt-Aktivierung macht frei"

 

[Rock]

But I thought each disk comes with its own particular license key. If
that's not the case, if I bought a 2nd hand machine with XP loaded, with
no system disk to hand, and I went out and bought a retail version of
XP, presumably on a re-install,(a) I'd still have to register the
license key and (b) the license key is supplied with the disk. If not
where do I get the license key details from?

When you buy XP either as OEM or retail it comes with a CD and a license
key. That key will work with any XP installation CD of the same type.
They are not a unique matched set. So you buy a retail XP Pro CD with
key. That key will work with _any_ retail Pro XP CD. IOW there is
nothing uiquie about the CD, except that it has to match the type of
license key. The money you pay is really for the key, not the CD.

 

[ClippertyClop]

When you buy XP either as OEM or retail it comes with a CD and a license
key. That key will work with any XP installation CD of the same type.
They are not a unique matched set. So you buy a retail XP Pro CD with
key. That key will work with _any_ retail Pro XP CD. IOW there is
nothing uiquie about the CD, except that it has to match the type of
license key. The money you pay is really for the key, not the CD.

So if an XP user borrows another CD of the same type for an
installation, according to you they don't need to worry about the
license key. So where's the anti-piracy measures? I thought the idea was
that users could not beg, borrow or steal another XP system disk, but
had to buy one then register their license key. IOW the system disk was
set up for their particular machine.

 

[R. McCarty]

You purchase the License Key and get the disk as part of the
deal.

 

[kurttrail]

So if an XP user borrows another CD of the same type for an
installation, according to you they don't need to worry about the
license key.

As long as you use your Product Key.

So where's the anti-piracy measures?

It is tied to your Product Key and your hardware hash.

I thought the idea
was that users could not beg, borrow or steal another XP system disk,
but had to buy one then register their license key. IOW the system
disk was set up for their particular machine.

Yes, but not to a specific CD. Just to a CD family, like Retail, OEM,
or VL.

If you received XP pre-installed from one of the top 20 OEMs, then you
should try to "borrow" a install CD from a friend that got it from the
same OEM, and then you probably wouldn't have to activate at all.

PA is more behavior modification, than an anti-piracy measure. MS is
just getting people confortable with jumping through their hoops.
Pirates get around any anti-piracy measure they want to get around. PA
is more about getting MS's paying customers to JUMP, when MS tells them
to JUMP.

--
Peace!
Kurt
Self-anointed Moderator
microscum.pubic.windowsexp.gonorrhea
http://microscum.com/mscommunity
"Trustworthy Computing" is only another example of an Oxymoron!
"Produkt-Aktivierung macht frei"

 

[ClippertyClop]

Yes, but not to a specific CD. Just to a CD family, like Retail, OEM,
or VL.

If you received XP pre-installed from one of the top 20 OEMs, then you
should try to "borrow" a install CD from a friend that got it from the
same OEM, and then you probably wouldn't have to activate at all.

PA is more behavior modification, than an anti-piracy measure. MS is
just getting people confortable with jumping through their hoops.
Pirates get around any anti-piracy measure they want to get around. PA
is more about getting MS's paying customers to JUMP, when MS tells them
to JUMP.

Talking of OEM, do I understand it correctly than an OEM copy of a XP
disk will only work for a specific machine manufacturer's model. Ie Dell
OEM XP will work with any Dell machine, but not a different brand?

 

[kurttrail]

Talking of OEM, do I understand it correctly than an OEM copy of a XP
disk will only work for a specific machine manufacturer's model. Ie
Dell OEM XP will work with any Dell machine, but not a different
brand?

As long as it is a valid install disk, not a recovery image, most of
those CDs can be edited and reburned so that they work like generic OEM
install CDs.

But unmodified, most of the major OEM CDs will only work with that OEMs
computers.


--
Peace!
Kurt
Self-anointed Moderator
microscum.pubic.windowsexp.gonorrhea
http://microscum.com/mscommunity
"Trustworthy Computing" is only another example of an Oxymoron!
"Produkt-Aktivierung macht frei"

 

[Rock]

ClippertyClop wrote:

So if an XP user borrows another CD of the same type for an
installation, according to you they don't need to worry about the
license key. So where's the anti-piracy measures? I thought the idea was
that users could not beg, borrow or steal another XP system disk, but
had to buy one then register their license key. IOW the system disk was
set up for their particular machine.

The borrowed CD can be used but they must provide their own license Key.
It's the key that has value not the CD. I don't understand why you
can't understand this.

 

[Ron Martell]

Talking of OEM, do I understand it correctly than an OEM copy of a XP
disk will only work for a specific machine manufacturer's model. Ie Dell
OEM XP will work with any Dell machine, but not a different brand?

There are several different sub-species of OEM disks, such as:
- generic OEM CDs supplied by Microsoft to the smaller manufacturers
and assemblers. These CDs have only the Microsoft name and logo on
them and are marked "for sale or distribution with a new computer
system only" or words to that effect.
- customized OEM CDs created by the major computer manufacturers under
license from Microsoft. These have the name and logo of the OEM
printed on the CD, usually have custom drivers added for that
manufacturer's specific hardware, and may not include some of the
option Windows components. These CDs may also be "BIOS Locked".
- System Recovery CDs created by the major computer manufacturers.
These CDs do not contain the individual Windows files and the
installation programs that are found on a regular CDs. Instead they
contain a compressed Disk Image of the finished installed Windows on
that specific hardware, plus a utility to copy that image onto the
hard drive. System Recovery CD images are generally BIOS locked.

Note that many manufacturers, including Dell, are no longer providing
CDs with new systems but instead are putting the "System Recover"
image onto the hard drive in a hidden hard drive partition which can
be accessed through a special function in the BIOS setup.

BIOS Locked OEM versions, which includes those provided by most major
computer manufacturers, are designed to be self-activating provided
the computer BIOS in the computer they are installed on is the proper
version for that specific OEM. Prior to March 1, 2005 if a BIOS
Locked OEM version was installed on a computer from a different
manufacturer then it reverted to being a normal OEM version requiring
activation. Since March 1, 2005 these BIOS Locked OEM versions will
no longer activate over the Internet if they are installed on a
different computer, and telephone activation requests will be
declined.

Hope this clarifies the situation.

Good luck


Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca

In memory of a dear friend Alex Nichol MVP
http://aumha.org/alex.htm