XP Pro OEM recent re-activation failures

[David B.]

We have a few hundred identical PC's we built for many clients back in 2004,
on various occasions due to malware or general corruption we format and
reload them. Up until a month ago they were reactivating just fine, now
every one of them is requiring that I call in to get them activated. Almost
all of them have been running for years since their last activation. These
are XP Pro OEM licenses being reinstalled with a genuine OEM SP2 CD onto the
original PC.
Any ideas? Did MS change something in the activation scheme?

 

[farid]

If the reinstall is within 120 days you will be required to activate on
phone. Over 120 days its normal internet activation. This policy has been in
vogue since the beginning. Please check with your local Microsoft for
confirmation.
Cheers,
Farid

 

[David B.]

Did you even read my post before replying? I'll quote the relevant part,
"Almost all of them have been running for years since their last activation"

 

[Alias]

Did you even read my post before replying? I'll quote the relevant part,
"Almost all of them have been running for years since their last
activation"

With no hardware changes? Did they have the WGA tool installed?

Alias

 

[Malke]

We have a few hundred identical PC's we built for many clients back in
2004, on various occasions due to malware or general corruption we format
and reload them. Up until a month ago they were reactivating just fine,
now every one of them is requiring that I call in to get them activated.
Almost all of them have been running for years since their last
activation. These are XP Pro OEM licenses being reinstalled with a genuine
OEM SP2 CD onto the original PC.
Any ideas? Did MS change something in the activation scheme?

Yes. MS changed the activation requirements for generic OEM installs quite a
while ago. They made the requirements more stringent and that's why you're
having to call. Since these installs are on many computers for different
clients, having a volume site license isn't going to work for you. It's a
pain, I know.

Malke

 

[Alias]

Yes. MS changed the activation requirements for generic OEM installs quite a
while ago.

How long ago? I reinstalled an OEM XP Pro back in late May and it
activated on line with no problems. Can you provide documentation?

Alias

 

[Jordan]

WPA is designed to create hash key of the computer hardware so each time you
install XP, that hardware hash should be the same unless you changed a
component. Even the same model computer will create a unique hash because
of serial numbers in the CPU and disk drive serial numbers as well.
Supposedly no matter how many times you install XP (OEM or other non VL
version) on a computer it is supposed to activate just fne over the net
because of the harware hash anonymously identifying the computer. Kind of
like a finger print with no name attached.

Several times I had to build a bunch of computers at a time and lost track
of the key code I was on in my list. I mistakenly put the code on a second
computer and it took. I corrected the problem and put the right code on the
second computer and shortly aftrer had to rebuild the first and was forced
to call in. MS did whatever they did when I called in and now I can redo
that test computer as often as I want with the OEM verions on it. I have
not had to call back in since they updated their records on the phone.

If there is an issue at the time with the MS activation server you could get
denied and told to call in.....Or it could be what I have complained to MS
about before. That is their policy of forcing you to place your OEM tag on
the computer for anyone in the building to get a gander at. It could be
that you have an employee giving out your OEM numbers to friends and family
or just posting them on the Internet to stick it to the company.

I don't mind the activation part, but I really hate having to keep the code
on the computer for all the world to see because anyone working in the
building could rip you off.

 

[David B.]

I doubt it's a stolen key issue, 3 different clients, 6 different PC's.

 

[David B.]

Pain is an understatement, have 2 that I have to call in today, but this
behavior just started within the last month or 2.

 

[Klaus Jorgensen]

Alias formulated the question :

How long ago? I reinstalled an OEM XP Pro back in late May and it activated
on line with no problems. Can you provide documentation?

It applies to preactivated OEM installations only:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb457078.aspx

Installations from a Microsoft OEM CD should not be affected by this.

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

Please contact Microsoft support directly:
https://support.microsoft.com/oas/default.aspx?gprid=9860

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows Desktop Experience -
Windows Vista Enthusiast

---------------------------------------------------------------

We have a few hundred identical PC's we built for many clients back in 2004,
on various occasions due to malware or general corruption we format and
reload them. Up until a month ago they were reactivating just fine, now
every one of them is requiring that I call in to get them activated. Almost
all of them have been running for years since their last activation. These
are XP Pro OEM licenses being reinstalled with a genuine OEM SP2 CD onto the
original PC.
Any ideas? Did MS change something in the activation scheme?

 

[David B.]

Guess I'll have to, I asked the first person I talked to when I called to
activate, it apparently confused her because she hung up on me, second
person gave me the canned response, you can only activate a certain amount
of times, bla bla bla, didn't really expect them to have a clue.

 

[Jordan]

They should not be telling you that you can only activate a certain amount
of times especially in this virus infested world. Most of my fellow
employee's kids are downloading viruses and spyware left and right and if I
don't have the spare time to give them a hand they have to blow away their
computer and start from scratch. Not all of them have pre-activated
recovery disks like Dell's and that would be a royal screw over if they are
only able to re-install twice or something.

The whole point of WPA was so they could detect that you are installing on
the exact same computer as before. If they changed the activation system to
only allow you to install your OEM copy on the same hardware just once even
though they know it is the same hardware that would mean if you got a
serious virus you would have to throw out your copy of Windows if you get a
serious virus. That is complete BS if they are trying to tell you that or
even if they now have a system that hounds you when you install it on the
same PC.

You tell them there is no way you will tolerate that and badger the operator
into activating your legit copy even if you have to go to the managers.
Enough complaints will get them to stop that BS.

 

[Alias]

Alias formulated the question :

It applies to preactivated OEM installations only:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb457078.aspx

Installations from a Microsoft OEM CD should not be affected by this.

I was confused because Malke wrote "generic OEM installs", not "pre
activated OEM installs".

Alias

 

[David B.]

I think you read something into my post that wasn't there, the issue is not
that they won't activate it.

--

----
Crosspost, do not multipost http://www.blakjak.demon.co.uk/mul_crss.htm
How to ask a question http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555375

 

[Fat Kev]

In 2030 Microsoft will be releasing a patch so that activation won't be
necessary and they can find other ways to keep their activation servers
busy. I guess by that time you will be using some other operating
system or you may be dead.

Good luck in your finding a solution to your immediate problem!

 

[Jordan]

It looks like they are busting chops on people with non-big PC
manufacturers. I purchase white boxes all the time with standard windows
OEM's becasue I hate getting Dell's and other computers loaded with a bunch
of junk.

There have been times in the past where our Test department that uses
special program had required an update that required formatting the drive
and starting from scratch. The last thing I want to do is sit on the phone
with MS for 40 computers just to activate a computer that their servers know
is the same one I installed on already.

 

[Klaus Jorgensen]

Jordan submitted this idea :

I purchase white boxes all the time with standard windows OEM's becasue I
hate getting Dell's and other computers loaded with a bunch of junk.

You can build a "normal" installation CD from an OEM branded
installation using this guide:
http://www.howtohaven.com/system/createwindowssetupdisk.shtml

I recently did that with a new Lenovo laptop that came with an XP
recovery CD.

 

[Anteaus]

There may be changes in SP3 that affect activation.

That said, what method are you using to reinstall? I generally find that an
image taken with Acronis/DriveImage etc. after activation will not need
re-activation when it is reloaded. The best arrangement here is split the
disk into two partitions, and image to the second. This allows for a much
quicker restore than from CD/DVD.

 

[Doum]

There may be changes in SP3 that affect activation.

That said, what method are you using to reinstall? I generally find
that an image taken with Acronis/DriveImage etc. after activation will
not need re-activation when it is reloaded. The best arrangement here
is split the disk into two partitions, and image to the second. This
allows for a much quicker restore than from CD/DVD.

The best arrangement??? And if the hard disk fails you also lose your
backup.

IMO a better arrangement would be an external hard disk only connected
when creating or restoring a backup, along with a copy of the backup on
CD/DVD.

Doum