Rashed said:
Recenlty i bought a hp compaq brand pc with licence
copy of windows xp professional. But during my registration period
of windows i skip my registration with windows because i have no net
connection that time. Now i can use internet on my PC and i want to
register my windows with microsoft. But i don,t know how can i do
this. So could u plse tell me how can i register my windows with
microsoft without reinstalled O/S.
You don't need to register your copy; this is optional. I can
recall 'ever' registering any copy of Windows that I have used.
How do you get updates if you didn't register?
You don't need to 'register' the product to obtain updates. To
obtain updates you need to activate. Activation and Registration
are two different things.
What do you think the information is, that MS gets when you
'activate'?
Persistent, if not uninformed and incapable of searching/comprehending the
information about the topic... ;-)
How to activate Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307890
Quotes from said web page 'of relevance to this discussion'...
"Activation is anonymous, and no personal information is required to
activate. The installation ID records an association of the product ID to
your computer and a confirmation is sent back to Microsoft."
"During activation, you can also register your copy of Windows. Product
activation is different from product registration because activation is
required and registration is optional. If you want to register Windows XP by
providing your name, e-mail address, and other contact information, you can
also choose to receive information about product updates and other special
offers."
Product Activation FAQs
http://www.microsoft.com/piracy/activation_faq.mspx
Quote from said web page 'of relevance to this discussion'...
"How does Microsoft Product Activation respect customer privacy?
Microsoft highly values respect for and protection of customers' private
information. User privacy was a paramount design goal in building the
Product Activation technology. Microsoft Product Activation is completely
anonymous, and no personally identifiable information is collected.
Activation is different from product registration. If they wish, customers
may voluntarily register their product by providing their name and contact
information. Registration is for those customers who want to receive future
communications on product updates, service releases and other special
offers. Any information provided to Microsoft remains secure and private and
is used only for the purposes specified by the customer. Further, the
hardware hash used during activation is a combination of hash values of
various PC components and cannot be used to determine the make or model of
the PC, nor can it be backward-calculated to determine the raw PC
information."
Windows XP Product Activation
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/evaluation/features/activation.mspx
Quote from said web page 'of relevance to this discussion'...
"Product activation is not the same as product registration. As discussed
above, product activation is required and is completely anonymous. Product
registration, on the other hand, is completely optional. You may opt to
provide personal information, such as your e-mail address, for product
registration purposes. Registration entitles you to receive information
about product updates and special offers directly from Microsoft. All
registration information provided is stored securely and no information is
ever loaned or sold to third parties."
Windows Product Activation (WPA) for Windows XP
(non-microsoft web page)
http://www.baselinemag.com/print_article2/0,2533,a=11103,00.asp
Quote from said web page 'of relevance to this discussion'...
"Windows Product Activation is not registering. Unlike the other products
mentioned here, Windows XP activation does not require you to divulge any
personal information. When you go through the activation process, whether by
phone or Internet, you are asked if you want to register, but it's optional,
and has nothing to do with activating your copy of Windows XP. If you want
to activate anonymously, just say "no" to registration."
How Microsoft Product Activation (WPA) Works in Windows XP and Windows Vista
(non-microsoft web page)
http://www.pcbuyerbeware.co.uk/ProductActivation.htm
Quote from said web page 'of relevance to this discussion'...
"Many people have been led to believe that WPA contacts Microsoft on a daily
basis to inform the company what the user has been doing with his or her
computer, and that if the user makes any changes at all to the computer's
hardware, it will be rendered unusable immediately. In short, that WPA is
merely a way for Microsoft to gain and store personal information about the
people who use Windows XP for commercial purposes. Fortunately, all of these
rumours are false."
Windows Product Activation (WPA) on Windows XP
(non-microsoft web page)
http://aumha.org/win5/a/wpa.htm
Quote from said web page 'of relevance to this discussion'...
"WPA does not send any personal information at all about you to Microsoft.
There is still an option to register the product with Microsoft, but that is
separate and entirely voluntary."
What's the Deal with Windows XP?
http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-3672_7-5020547-11.html
Quotes from said web page 'of relevance to this discussion'...
"Activation itself isn't a difficult process, and it isn't intrusive, as it
requires no personal information (unlike the optional registration
process)."
"While you have the option to register your copy of XP (that is, send
personal information to Microsoft separately from activation) during the
activation process, Fully Licensed verified that no personal information is
gathered, stored, considered, or transmitted during activation. The
registration process, on the other hand, does collect personal data, such as
your name, address, and e-mail address, but as a separate process that is
not required for activation."
I hope you understand the difference between Product Activation and Product
Registration now. ;-)
