Product Activation Questions

[Knack]

I know that you can activate WinXP without registering it. Hmmm... I suppose
though, if you activated but didn't register it, and then your computer's
HDD failed, then you wouldn't be able to reactivate that same copy of WinXP
after reinstalling it on a fresh HDD? Is that true? And what if you did
register it first; how would you ever be able to activate a reinstalled
WinXP on replacement hardware?

 

[Knack]

Then how does the activation process know that you're not installing the OS
on a standalone computer in addition to a preexisting system that's already
been activated ?

--
Remove the antispam letter 'x' in my address to send mail to my Inbox

1, Registration and Activation have nothing to do with one another.
Registration is for marketing, Activation is for the enforcement of the
EULA, a legally binding agreement.

2. There is no activation problem resulting from replacing a HDD, or any
other component of your system.

 

[cimex]

1, Registration and Activation have nothing to do with one another.
Registration is for marketing, Activation is for the enforcement of the
EULA, a legally binding agreement.

2. There is no activation problem resulting from replacing a HDD, or any
other component of your system.

 

[Knack]

Ahh... now I'm getting somewhere. So how how much of a system can be
rebuilt/replaced without disqualifying activation? HDD only? HDD + CPU? CPU
+ mainboard?

 

[Steve C. Ray]

Because the activation process logs details of the system, such as
processor,chipset, MAC addresses, etc.

--
Steve C. Ray
Replace "mail" with "36db"

Then how does the activation process know that you're not installing the OS
on a standalone computer in addition to a preexisting system that's already
been activated ?

 

[cimex]

There is a large grey area. It appears that as long as you ARE dong the
legal and honorable thing, and are willing to explain it over the phone to a
MS rep, you will be safe. Personally, I would change the MB separately from
other components just to be safe.

 

[Steve C. Ray]

If the MB is not identical to the old one you will have to do a repair
installation, which may cause a reactivation. It is not a problem, just tell
them what you did. Drive changes (HD, CD-ROM, DVD, etc) usually won't
require reactivation. One item that seems to trigger reactivation is the
changing of the NIC, probably because of the MAC address.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings --

There's no limit to the number of times you can reinstall and
activate the same WinXP license on the same PC. If it's been more
than 120 days since you last activated that specific Product Key,
you'll most likely be able to activate via the Internet without
problem. If it's been less, you might have to make a 5 minute phone
call.

Here are the facts pertaining to activation:

Piracy Basics - Microsoft Product Activation
http://www.microsoft.com/piracy/basics/activation/

Windows Product Activation (WPA)
http://www.aumha.org/a/wpa.htm

Registration is entirely voluntary, and has absolutely no bearing
upon how many times you can reinstall or activate the OS.

Bruce Chambers

--
Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on
having both at once. -- RAH

 

[Alex Nichol]

I know that you can activate WinXP without registering it. Hmmm... I suppose
though, if you activated but didn't register it, and then your computer's
HDD failed, then you wouldn't be able to reactivate that same copy of WinXP
after reinstalling it on a fresh HDD? Is that true?

Yes you would be able to. The important thing is activation, which
associates the copy of he system with particular hardware. Registration
is a quite separate matter, and is entirely voluntary, If you do it at
all, do it once only. All it does (aside from being for the marketing
dept) is to record the serial number for free support calls.

Read more on activation at www.aumha.org/win5/a/wpa.htm - and the bit on
formatting a hard drive in particular

 

[Ron Martell]

Ahh... now I'm getting somewhere. So how how much of a system can be
rebuilt/replaced without disqualifying activation? HDD only? HDD + CPU? CPU
+ mainboard?

See MVP Alex Nichol's article on Activation at
http://aumha.org/win5/a/wpa.htm

He identifies the specific hardware components that are monitored for
activation and the extent of changes that are necessary in order to
trigger the requirement to reactivate.


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

"The reason computer chips are so small is computers don't eat much."

 

[Exiddor]

Read more on activation at www.aumha.org/win5/a/wpa.htm - and the bit on
formatting a hard drive in particular

I've studied all these articles and I'm still not sure if I'm allowed to do
what I want.

I have an OEM version of XP Home installed on drive C. I now want to
install, additionally, another copy on drive D which is a second partition
on the same drive. In other words, I want to boot to either of two copies
of XP Home on the same machine/drive.

Is this permitted? I suppose the obvious answer is "try it and see", but
maybe someone can give me some guidance first.

 

[Alex Nichol]

I've studied all these articles and I'm still not sure if I'm allowed todo
what I want.

I have an OEM version of XP Home installed on drive C. I now want to
install, additionally, another copy on drive D which is a second partition
on the same drive. In other words, I want to boot to either of two copies
of XP Home on the same machine/drive.

Is this permitted? I suppose the obvious answer is "try it and see", but
maybe someone can give me some guidance first.

It will work. In a strict reading of the license it is not allowed
(without buying a second license), but my own feeling is that this is a
matter of the license not having been properly thought through. It will
give no trouble with activation

 

[Knack]

I've studied all these articles and I'm still not sure if I'm allowed to do
what I want.

I have an OEM version of XP Home installed on drive C. I now want to
install, additionally, another copy on drive D which is a second partition
on the same drive. In other words, I want to boot to either of two copies
of XP Home on the same machine/drive.

Is this permitted? I suppose the obvious answer is "try it and see", but
maybe someone can give me some guidance first.

It will work. In a strict reading of the license it is not allowed
(without buying a second license), but my own feeling is that this is a
matter of the license not having been properly thought through. It will
give no trouble with activation

I'm considering putting in a parallel WinXP like Exxidor is thinking about
doing. According to your excellent article at http://aumha.org/a/wpa.htm me
and Exxidor would both lose 1 "vote" each, because the activation process
would interpret the volume ID as having changed, when in fact there's an
additional volume ID for the parallel WinXP?

Another possibility that I'm thinking about; how about if I :

1) Wipe the HDD clean (containing an activated OEM WinXPP)
2) Install a barebones WinNT4W on the 1st partition (in order to stay within
NT's 7.87GB limit; and instead of a parallel WinXP)
3) Change the drive letter of the first partition from C: to D:
3) Install WinXPP on the 2nd partition, which WinXP setup would see as C:
4) Copy the files of WPA.DBL and WPA.DBL saved from the original WinXPP
setup to the new installation of WinXP
5) Using a freeware utility, change the volume ID for the new WinXPP
installation to the number assigned to the original installation of it.

Could I reactivate the reinstall of WinXPP without having to make a phone
call? And without losing that 1 vote for volume ID that I mentioned earlier?

 

[Alex Nichol]

I'm considering putting in a parallel WinXP like Exxidor is thinking about
doing. According to your excellent article at http://aumha.org/a/wpa.htmme
and Exxidor would both lose 1 "vote" each, because the activation process
would interpret the volume ID as having changed, when in fact there's an
additional volume ID for the parallel WinXP?

There is no reason why you should not set the VSN of the second instance
be the same as the first one. Make a note of what that is, and use
VolID to change it on the second before activating it