Windows Product Activation

To combat software piracy, Microsoft has introduced a little number called Windows Product Activation (WPA). The standard Windows XP licence agreements lets you install your copy of XP on a single computer. WPA is designed to ensure you stick to that agreement.
After installing XP, you'll have a period of a number of weeks in which to activate it. If you don't activate your computer within the specified time, you will have only limited access to your system until you do activate it.

Who must activate?

Anyone who buys the retail boxed version of Windows XP will need to activate their copy.

If you buy XP pre-installed on a new computer, you probably will not have to activate your copy, as most suppliers will pre-activate XP for you.

In addition, anyone who buys XP on a volume licence will not have to activate their copies. Volume licences are mostly used by companies, but anyone can purchase a volume licence for as few as five copies of qualifying Microsoft products (note, the five copies can be a mix of products, such as three copies of Windows XP and two copies of Microsoft Office). You can get more information on licensing from Microsoft's sites in the US and Australia.

Is it a Microsoft plot?

Ever since Microsoft announced WPA, the rumours have flown thick and fast about its dire consequences.

While there's certainly little joy for consumers in WPA and Microsoft's rigid one-copy-one-computer licence is tough to swallow, WPA is not the huge bugbear you might think. Provided it works as designed, WPA is a minimal inconvenience.

Despite any doubts about the actual implementation of WPA, WPA in itself is likely to have a minimal impact on most users. Some points to note:

Activation and registration are not the same thing. Activation is mandatory; registration is entirely optional, and is used to give you access to support options and to put your name into Microsoft's customer database.
WPA doesn't require any personally identifiable information, nor does it reveal information about your computer setup to Microsoft.
You can complete WPA either by phone or over the Internet.
You will still be able to alter many elements of your system's hardware without triggering the need to reactivate.

How does it work?

That last point brings us to the question of how WPA works.

To activate your product, you must submit an Installation ID. This Installation ID is a combination of two pieces of information: the Product ID and a hardware hash. The 20-digit Product ID (click Start -> My Computer -> View System Information to see it)
is created from the unique Product Key during installation. The Product Key is the 25-character code, located on the XP CD folder or the Certificate of Authenticity, which you enter during Setup.

The hardware hash is a number derived from 10 different pieces of information about your PC's hardware configuration. Items included in the hash are the processor serial number, hard drive type, network adaptor MAC address, RAM amount, and so on. (For the full list, read the Technical Marketing Bulletin. The hardware hash is created in a one-way process: Once the hash is created, there's no way to 'reverse engineer' the hash to discover what type of hardware is in a system.

The Product ID and hardware hash are then combined into the Installation ID. You, or your computer, provide this ID to Microsoft during the activation process, and the Microsoft activation server returns an activation key.

You can alter six of the hardware elements (or the network card plus three other elements) without triggering the need to reactivate. If you alter more components, you'll need to contact Microsoft, persuade them you're not trying to install XP on a second computer, and get a new activation key.

How do I activate?

When you run Windows XP, you'll receive pop-up reminders urging you to activate your copy. Simply click the pop-up to initiate activation. Alternatively, you can click Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> Activate Windows.

Activation is a simple, step-by-step process and you'll be given the chance to choose Internet or phone-based activation. You may also register your copy of XP at the same time. Registering is entirely optional, and does little more than place you on Microsoft's marketing database.

If you have an Internet connection, you'll find it's far simpler to activate online. Microsoft claims the process should take no more than a few minutes using either method, but activating via phone involves reading the 50-digit Installation ID to the Microsoft representative and taking down the 42-digit confirmation ID, which includes the activation key. That's a lot of digits to be flinging around, especially when accuracy is essential, and a good reason to avoid phone activation if possible.

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