If I reformat my hard drive how do I save my original activation?

Users who reformat their hard drive and perform a clean installation of the operating system will find that they need to reactivate the product. But, as long as the new installation is on the same system and there won't be any hardware changes it is possible to transfer the existing product activation and skip having to go through the product activation process again. Follow the steps below to save the activation status information and restore it once your system is rebuilt:

1. Double-click My Computer
2. Double-click on the "C" drive
3. Go to the C:\Windows\System32 folder (you may have to click on the link that says "Show The contents of this folder")
4. Find the files "wpa.dbl" and "wpa.bak" and copy them to a safe location. You can copy them on a floppy drive or burn it onto a CD or DVD.
5. After you have reinstalled Windows XP on your reformatted hard drive, click "No" when asked if you want to go ahead and go through the activation process
6. Reboot your computer into SafeMode (you can either press F8 as Windows is booting up to see the Windows Advanced Options menu and select SAFEBOOT_OPTION=Minimal or follow the instructions in Starting Windows XP in SafeMode
7. Double-click My Computer
8. Double-click on the "C" drive
9. Go to the C:\Windows\System32 folder (you may have to click on the link that says "Show The contents of this folder")
10. Find the file "wpa.dbl" and "wpa.bak" (if it exists) and rename them to "wpadbl.new" and "wpabak.new"
11. Copy your original "wpa.dbl" and "wpa.bak" files from your floppy disk, CD or DVD into the C:\Windows\System32 folder
12. Restart your system (if you followed the directions in Starting Windows XP in SafeMode you may need to go back into MSCONFIG to turn off booting into SafeMode)

Remember though. This won't work for transferring activation information from one computer to another or if you alter the hardware because the information contained in your "wpa.dbl" file will not match the configuration of the computer. This trick is only for reinstalling Windows XP on the exact same computer after formatting the hard drive.

From Microsoft: Microsoft is committed to the protection of intellectual property rights and the reduction of software piracy. Everyone in the economic chain—not just the software manufacturer—is hurt by piracy, including the reseller, the support provider, and you, the end user. Authentic Microsoft software assures you of high-quality, virus-free software. Pirated software does not.

Windows XP retail products contain software-based product activation technology, which means you need to activate your copy of Windows XP in order to use it. Some new PCs purchased with Windows XP pre-installed will also require activation. If your organization licenses Windows XP through one of Microsoft's volume licensing agreement programs such as Open License and Select License, you will not be required to activate those Windows XP licenses.

Service Pack 1 Changes to Product Activation

Software piracy continues to be a worldwide problem and Microsoft is committed to a long-term strategy of protecting intellectual property through innovative technologies. Microsoft will introduce additional technical measures in Service Pack 1 for Windows XP, to ensure legally licensed customers receive the full benefits of owning their valid license. These changes include denying access to the Windows XP SP1 update for computers with pirated installations, validating product keys during activation, and repairing cracks to activation. Additional features have been added to provide a better customer experience, including an additional three-day grace period to re-activate after significant hardware changes and the ability for volume license customers to encrypt their volume license product key in unattended installations

Product Activation Overview

Microsoft Product Activation is an anti-piracy technology designed to verify that software products have been legitimately licensed. This aims to reduce a form of piracy known as casual copying. Activation also helps protect against hard drive cloning. Activation is quick, simple, and unobtrusive, and it protects your privacy.

Product Activation works by verifying that a software program's product key has not been used on more personal computers than intended by the software's license. You must use the product key in order to install the software and then it is transformed into an installation ID number. You use an activation wizard to provide the installation ID number to Microsoft either through a secure transfer over the Internet, or by telephone. A confirmation ID is sent back to your machine to activate your product.

The installation ID number includes an encrypted form of the product ID and a hardware hash, or checksum. No personally identifying data is included or required. The confirmation ID is simply an unlocking code for the Windows XP installation on that particular PC.

If you overhaul your computer by replacing a substantial number of hardware components, it may appear to be a different PC. You may have to reactivate Windows XP. If this should occur, you can call the telephone number displayed on the activation screen to reactivate the software

Activate Windows XP Right Away

If you have not activated Windows XP, you will be reminded each time you log in and at common intervals until the end of the activation grace period of 30 days. If you have not activated Windows XP within this timeframe, you will need to do so to continue using it.

If you choose to activate your product over the Internet, upon your submission the activation wizard will detect your Internet connection and connect to a secure server to transfer your installation ID to Microsoft. A confirmation ID is passed back to your computer, automatically activating Windows XP. This process normally takes just a few seconds to complete. No personally identifiable information is required to activate Windows XP.

To activate Windows XP over the telephone, you can simply call a toll-free* number displayed on your screen. A customer service representative will ask for the installation ID number displayed on the same screen, enter that number into a secure database, and return a confirmation ID to you. Once you have typed the confirmation ID, the activation process is complete.

Product Registration

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.

Product Activation Protects Your Privacy at Every Step

Activation data and any optional registration data provided to Microsoft is stored in a secure facility. Microsoft's privacy statement is displayed during the activation process.

* Toll-free telephone numbers are available in all countries whose telephony infrastructures provide for them. The telephone numbers to call are displayed when telephone activation is chosen.

The goal of Product Activation is to reduce a form of piracy known as "casual copying" or "softlifting." Casual copying is a form of piracy characterized by the sharing of software between people in a way that infringes on the software's end user license agreement (EULA). For instance, Windows XP is primarily licensed for use on a single PC and without purchasing additional licenses cannot be installed on other machines. If someone were to obtain a copy of Windows XP and load it on his or her PC, then share it with a second person who loaded it on his or her PC, they would be guilty of casual copying.

Most licenses allow for software to be re-installed and activated on the same PC an unlimited number of times. To ensure that you are using your license properly, please see your end user license agreement or product use rights for details on a specific product.

Casual copying accounts for a large portion of the economic losses due to piracy. Over time, reduced piracy means that the software industry can invest more in product development, quality and support. This ensures better products and more innovation for customers. Ultimately, customers will benefit from the economic impact of reduced piracy through increased job opportunities and higher wages.

OK! So how does activation works:

Software bought "off the shelf" or on new PCs sold by OEMs requires activation. However, the OEM may activate the software at the factory before delivery to the end user. Once activation is completed, most users will never have to activate their installation again.

Product Activation is a simple, straightforward and anonymous process. In most cases, the only information required to activate is an Installation ID created by the software. No personally identifiable information is required.

Product Activation takes less than one minute when completed over the Internet. If activation is completed in this way, the product will take care of most of the work and will require very little user participation.

Activation can also be completed by speaking with a Microsoft customer service representative. If activation is completed by telephoning Microsoft, a customer service representative will assist with the activation.

To make activation convenient, the products do not require activation immediately after installation. Office XP and Office 2003 and their components will allow up to 50 launches before requiring activation. Visio 2002 will allow up to 10 launches before requiring activation. Windows XP will allow 30 days from first boot before requiring activation.

Which MS Products will require activation?

Product Activation is included in several versions of Microsoft software, including the Microsoft ® Office 2003 System (including Office 2003 Suites and applications such as Word 2003, Visio ® 2003, and Project 2003, Windows ® XP , and Office XP (including applications such as Word 2002, Frontpage 2002, Visio 2002, and Project 2002) ® . Product activation will be required in retail packaged products and in new PCs purchased from a PC manufacturer. In most instances. product activation will not be required for licenses acquired by a customer through one of Microsoft's volume licensing programs such as Open License or Select License.

Which customers will be required to activate?

All customers who purchase retail packaged products or a new PC from an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) will be required to activate the software. The software on a new PC from an OEM may be activated in the factory. Product activation will not be required for licenses acquired by a customer through one of Microsoft's volume licensing programs such as Open License or Select License. Volume licensing programs can scale to even the smallest of businesses, as customers can qualify for the Microsoft Open License program by acquiring as few as five product licenses. More information is available at Microsoft's volume licensing Web site.

How does Microsoft Product Activation work?

Product Activation works by validating that the software's product key, required as part of product installation, has not been used on more PCs than is allowed by the software's end user license agreement (EULA). In general, Windows XP can be installed on one PC and Office 2003 or Office XP can be installed on one PC and the laptop computer used by the user of the one PC. (For specifics, please see the EULA accompanying your product.) Product key information, in the form of the product ID, is sent along with a "hardware hash" (a non-unique number generated from the PC's hardware configuration) to Microsoft's activation system during activation. In Windows XP SP1, the product key itself is sent in addition to the product ID. Activation is completed either directly via the Internet or by a telephone call to a customer service representative. Activations on the same PC using the same product key are unlimited. Product Activation discourages piracy by limiting the number of times a product key can be activated on different PCs. The activation process is pretty simple. After XP is installed and running there are two ways to get to the activation screen.

How does product activation determine tolerance? In other words, how many components of the PC must change before I am required to reactivate?

Common changes to hardware such as upgrading a video card, adding a second hard disk drive, adding RAM or upgrading a CD-ROM device will not require the system to be reactivated.

Specifically, product activation determines tolerance through a voting mechanism. There are 10 hardware characteristics used in creating the hardware hash. Each characteristic is worth one vote, except the network card which is worth three votes. When thinking of tolerance, it's easiest to think about what has not changed instead of what has changed. When the current hardware hash is compared to the original hardware hash, there must be 7 or more matching points for the two hardware hashes to be considered in tolerance. If the network card is the same, then only 4 additional characteristics must match (because the network card is worth 3, for a total of 7). If the network card is not the same, then a total of 7 characteristics other than the network card must be the same. If the device is a laptop (specifically a dockable device), additional tolerance is allotted and there need be only 4 or more matching points. Therefore, if the device is dockable and the network card is the same, only one other characteristic must be the same for a total vote of 4. If the device is dockable and the network card is not the same, then a total of 4 characteristics other than the network card must be the same.

What is "reduced functionality mode" in Office XP, the Office XP family products (e.g. Visio 2002, FrontPage 2002), and the Office 2003 System (Office 2003 suites and apps such as Visio 2003, Frontpage 2003, etc)?

Application products will go into reduced functionality mode if the user does not activate before the end of the grace period, which is the 50th launch for Office XP and its component applications and 10th launch for Visio 2002. The Office 2003 System allows 50 launches before the product will go into reduced functionality mode. In this mode, users will not be able to save changes to documents or create new documents, and additional functionality may be reduced. Existing files are not altered and can be edited or saved with an activated installation of Office XP, Visio 2002, or a product from the Office 2003 System. Users may regain full functionality of the product at any time by activating.

How do I know if my product installation is activated?

In all Office XP family products and Office 2003 System products, users can choose Activate Product from the help menu to determine the installation's activation status. In Windows, users can choose Activate Product from the Start menu under Programs, Accessories, System Tools.

How does Product Activation connect over the Internet?

For Office XP family products and Office 2003 System products, activation over the Internet requires users to have their own Internet service provider (ISP) connection. Users who do not have an ISP connection must activate by telephoning a customer service representative. For Windows XP, users who do not have an ISP may make use of Microsoft's ISP network to activate. Users who do not have an ISP and cannot make use of Microsoft's ISP network must activate by telephoning a customer service representative.

What if I'm outside the United States and need to activate my installation over the telephone?

Microsoft has regional and, in some locations, local customer service centers to process activation requests. Telephone access numbers to these customer service centers are toll-free where available. Some countries can only be serviced with local toll numbers due to their telephony infrastructure or other issues. For very few countries, users will need to contact Microsoft by calling collect.

Why are the installation and confirmation IDs so long when I activate by telephoning a customer service representative?

Microsoft did usability testing of both numeric and alphanumeric installation and confirmation IDs. Though the IDs could have been made shorter using alphabet characters, Microsoft learned through usability testing that users' interactions with the customer service representatives were substantially more error-free when the IDs were all numeric. There were fewer misunderstandings with numerals than with alphabet characters. Because the conversations were more error-free, the calls were shorter and customer satisfaction with the telephone activation process was improved. In addition, all languages use numerals, whereas not all languages use Latin-based script characters.

How many installations can be made with one product license? Has this changed with the introduction of Product Activation?

The underlying principles of Microsoft's software licenses have not changed. Microsoft's End User License Agreements (EULAs) have always stipulated the number of PCs that software can be installed on. Product Activation does not change that. Office XP or Office 2003 may be installed on one PC. The primary user of Office may also install one copy on a laptop computer for their exclusive use. To install Office XP or Office 2003 on more than these two devices, another license of the product must be acquired. Licenses for Office XP or Office 2003 acquired preinstalled on a new PC are single-PC licenses that cannot be transferred or installed a second time on another PC or laptop computer. Windows XP may be installed on one PC. There are no secondary use rights (e.g. no "laptop clause") in the Windows XP EULA. The aforementioned licensing terms have not been changed due to Product Activation. Some special licensing programs (such as the Microsoft Developer Network) provide additional licensing terms. Please check your specific license agreement or EULA for specifics. Re-installation and re-activation on the same PC can be done an unlimited number of times. Pricing and licensing details are available for Windows XP and Office 2003 .

Does Microsoft Product Activation allow customers to install products on a laptop as well as on a PC?

Consumers should refer to the terms of the product's End User License Agreement. In some cases, the Microsoft EULA allows customers who are the primary user of Microsoft applications such as Office and Word to install one additional copy on their laptop computer for their exclusive use. This does not apply to product licenses acquired with the purchase of a PC. These OEM licenses are single-use licenses that cannot be transferred to another PC. Windows XP can also only be installed on a single computer. Installation and subsequent activation on a different computer requires a new license.

If a reinstallation of the software is needed, must I purchase a new license?

In general, no. If the same version of the software is reinstalled on the same machine or is not concurrently installed on any other machine, no new license is required. Additional licenses are generally required for installations above and beyond those allowed by the product's EULA.

If a reinstallation of the software is needed, is reactivation required?

Not always. If the same version of the software is reinstalled on the same machine and the hard disk is not reformatted prior to reinstalling, the software will remain activated. Reactivation will be required if the hard disk is reformatted and the software is reinstalled. This is because the software's activation status is stored on the hard drive and reformatting the hard drive erases that status.

What happens when you try to install and activate on more PCs than the end user license agreement (EULA) allows?

Per the EULA, installing on more PCs than the EULA allows would be in violation of the EULA. Technically, product activation does not limit the number of PCs the software can be installed on. It would be possible technically to install the software on, for example, 100 PCs. Activation would fail though on 99 (98 for Office XP or Office 2003) of those 100 PCs thereby limiting the usefulness of the illegal installation. Outside of an activation attempt, Microsoft does not know how many PCs Windows XP, Office XP family product, or Office 2003 System product have been installed on.

Is it possible to transfer a license to another computer?

Consumers should refer to the terms of their license agreement to determine whether or not it is legal to transfer a license to another computer. But in those cases where it is allowed, the product must first be removed from the previous computer. Users may be required to complete the activation on the new computer by placing a call to the Microsoft Activation Center.

I do not want to activate. What can I do to turn this off?

Activation is required for continued use of the product. Businesses and other customers that need to acquire multiple licenses for an organization should contact their software reseller regarding eligibility for purchasing licenses through one of Microsoft's volume licensing programs.

If I bought a new PC from an OEM with Windows XP Home Edition pre-activated on it and then upgraded to a retail upgrade of Windows XP Professional, what would happen with the Home Edition's pre-activation?

Since the upgrade to Windows XP Professional is a retail upgrade, it over-rides the OEM's pre-activation of Windows XP Home Edition. You will be required to activate the Windows XP Professional upgrade.

How does Microsoft identify the computer's hardware?

Microsoft Product Activation detects the hardware configuration on which the product is being installed and creates hash values for that configuration. A hash is a value mathematically derived from another value - in this case hardware configuration values. Product Activation does not scan the customer's hard drive, detect any personal information, or determine the make, model or manufacturer of the PC or its components. Microsoft uses hash values out of respect for users' privacy. A hash value cannot be backwards calculated to determine the original value. In addition, Microsoft only uses a portion of the original hash values. Together, these hash values become the complete hardware hash that is included in the installation ID.

Can hardware components be changed and upgraded?

Product Activation is able to tolerate a certain degree of change in a hardware configuration by allowing a current hash value to have a degree of difference from the hash value that was originally activated. As a result, users can change their hardware without the product believing it is on a different PC than the one it was activated on. If the user completely overhauls the hardware making substantial hardware changes (even over long periods of time), reactivation may be required. In that case, users may need to contact to contact a Microsoft customer service representative by telephone to reactivate.

Are the changes cumulative? In other words, if I change one component today and one tomorrow, is that two component changes?

The changes are cumulative; however, if a user is asked to reactivate, the hardware profile is reset to that new configuration.

What are the 10 hardware characteristics used to determine the hardware hash?

The WPA system checks ten categories of hardware:

1. Display Adapter
2. SCSI Adapter
3. IDE Adapter (effectively the motherboard)
4. Network Adapter (NIC) and its MAC Address
5. RAM Amount Range (i.e., 0-64mb, 64-128mb, etc.)
6. Processor Type
7. Processor Serial Number
8. Hard Drive Device
9. Hard Drive Volume Serial Number (VSN)
10. CD-ROM / CD-RW / DVD-ROM

Does product activation deter hard disk cloning by comparing these hard disk hashes?

One of the forms of piracy that Product Activation guards against is hard disk cloning. Not all forms of hard disk cloning are illegal. However, by comparing the hardware hash originally activated to the current hardware hash, hard disk cloning can be deterred by requiring re-activation if the hardware hashes are substantially different.

If I reformat my hard disk, is reactivation required?

If the hard disk is reformatted and the software is reinstalled, reactivation will be required. The same grace periods for activation apply in this situation. Reactivation on the same PC can be completed as many times as required. The activation can be completed via telephone or Internet. Two things are recorded for disks: the number of the disk drive itself, and the Volume Serial Number (VSN) of the partition on it.

Recommendation #1: The VSN is part of the data in the partition's first sector, so it is changed when you reformat the drive. There is a Freeware utility call Volume ID that restores the original VSN. So before you reformat you can run VOL from a Command Prompt and then write down the VSN number ( e.g., 1F3E-4C5BD which is in second line). Then, after you reformat anda new Windows XP installation, do not activate until you have run Volume ID to restore the old VSN, and rebooted. This is not essential — but it will save one of the ‘Yes votes' against any future hardware change. (If you don't wish to run this utility, the next best way to obtain the same result would be to delete the old Win XP files from the hard drive before reinstalling, rather than actually reformatting.)

Recommendation #2: Converting a FAT 32 partition to NTFS also changes the the VSN. So, if you upgrade a system using FAT 32 to Windows XP and intend to convert to NTFS, do the conversion before activating the system. Remember, you can wait a while: you have 30 days before you need to activate. The machine's hardware at the time of the first activation is what counts. Or, if you have already activated, use Volume ID as described in Hint No. 1. If you are doing this after activation, also first back up the WPA.DBL and WPA.BAK files, as described in Hint No. 3 below, and, after completion of the conversion, restore these files and reboot again.

Recommendation #3:: It is valuable to back up the two files WPA.DBL and WPA.BAK from the Windows\System32 folder.Then, should they get damaged, or should you do a ‘Repair' reinstallation of Win XP, these files can be copied back to restore the prior activation status. However, this only works in those limited circumstances. The contents of these two files is matched to the specific Windows setup; therefore, contrary to what many journalists and members of the user community have written in recent months, restoring these files will not restore your activation status following a reformat and clean install.

The disk drive and partition recorded will be the ones that the system has found first when doing the initial activation: normally the one from which the system booted. So, if you change that disk and reinstall Windows to a new partition, you have lost two of the Yes votes. If, though, you add a new hard disk, copy the original partition onto it with an imaging program, and retain the original hard drive as a secondary data disk, it will still be found by a later check. This is because it searches for all disks, and the vote will be Yes in both categories if it finds the original one, with the partition not reformatted.

Changing the motherboard

Installing a different motherboard will change the IDE controller, and usually will mean that you change to a new, faster, processor. If the processor is one with a serial number (Pentium III), then you lose a third vote — including when you change to a processor with no serial number, such as an Athlon. If you also add RAM, or if the motherboard is one with an on-board SCSI adapter, that makes four or five categories now voting No — you would need an unchanged NIC to avoid having to call in for reactivation. If the new motherboard also has inbuilt video (and possibly even a NIC of its own!), you run right out of Yes votes with this one hardware change.

Again, this doesn't stop you from making such a hardware change, nor from using Windows XP thereafter. The phone-in reactivation option was created for just this type of situation. Also, this is an extreme example. Due to the onboard features of some motherboards, this one hardware change is equivalent to several changes at once.

Are cookies placed on my computer when I activate?

No. Product Activation does not place any cookies on the PC as part of activation.

What happens to a customer who tries to install SP1 onto a Windows XP install made with one of these pirated keys? Are there any exceptions to this?

They will be unable to install the update until they have acquired genuine software and installed that software with a valid product key. Nothing will happen to their underlying Windows XP installation. Access to upgrades and service releases is a benefit that Microsoft offers to those who have acquired and use genuine Microsoft products only. There are no exceptions to this.

What should a customer do if they find they unwittingly acquired a pirated copy of Windows XP? How can a customer acquire a legitimate license for Windows XP if they find that theirs is pirated?

The customer should go back to the point of purchase and demand a refund or a genuine copy of Windows XP. Customers can also contact Microsoft directly at http://www.microsoft.com/piracy/reporting/default.asp and report the piracy.

Customers can acquire a legitimate copy of Windows XP from a trusted retailer or PC manufacturer.

What are the product keys that are affected by this?

We are not publishing the product keys themselves, however the product IDs generated from these product keys are (where X may be any numeric value):

• XXXXX-640-0000356-23XXX
• XXXXX-640-2001765-23XXX

The product ID can be found by right clicking on My Computer and choosing Properties and viewing the General tab.

What about the Windows Update check of the product key? And also during activation the product key is now provided? How does Microsoft know whether a customer is using pirated or genuine product key in these instances? And what about privacy in these matters, as the check is occurring on the Microsoft end?

For Windows Update, the product key and product ID are verified by Windows Update. There is no link to the activation system. Once the product key and product ID are validated, they are discarded; neither the key nor the ID are maintained after the validation check.

For activation after SP1 has been installed, Microsoft uses the product key as part of the Installation ID to determine if it is legitimate. If it is not legitimate, the activation request is denied. In this case, the product key (along with the entire installation ID) is kept as part of the error record. Remember that no personally identifiable information is required to activate.