Re: Clean install of XP Home; What I learned.

Re: "It looks
> like I spent $99 for a new XP OS when I could have just burrowed
> somebodies XP disk and used the original key (sticker on back of
> computer)."

Yes, you blew $100. All you needed was a CD but, note, OF THE RIGHT EDITION ***AND*** VERSION. (Edition = Home, Pro, Media Center, tablet; Version = OEM, Retail Upgrade, Retail Full product).

The requirements for Visio are similar. In some cases, the fact that the OS product key has changed may trigger problems reactivating applications software installed on that OS. In other words, by spending $100 that you didn't need to spend .... you have made things WORSE, not better.


ghelf wrote:
Thanks for the great overview of what Product Key is all about. It looks like I spent $99 for a new XP OS when I could have just burrowed somebodies XP disk and used the original key (sticker on back of computer). All I replaced was the Hard Drive but I was confused by the whole concept and just decided to buy a new XP Home disk. Now I will be installing other software that also has activation requirements. In particular I am about to reinstall Visio, a $500 software package. I assume that activation requirements are pretty much the same as the OS.

"Barry Watzman" <WatzmanNOSPAM@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:h7kfjs$ugi$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Microsoft has never been able to define "machine" for this purpose.

Look, Microsoft is trying to do something that is fundamentally illogical and impossible. For "OEM" copies, they want to tie a copy of XP to a particular computer such that it can never be moved to another computer AND when the computer dies, the copy of XP dies. Yet they recognize that they must allow repairs (but, in their mind, not upgrades) to that machine. At various times, they have tried to define "machine" using the motherboard, the CPU, the hard drive and even, at times, the case (the sheet metal or laptop).

What is definitely allowed: Replacing a failed component with a new component of the SAME model (even though that will require reactivation).

What is not allowed: Upgrades other than RAM or Hard drive (but CPU upgrades seem to be allowed, from a practical if not a theoretical perspective, if they go onto the same motherboard).

Where things get sticky is when a motherboard needs to be replaced and the same model is not available. Even Microsoft doesn't seem to have a clear answer on that one.

However, all of these activations will require speaking to an "activation specialist" in person. And, as a practical matter, that person has the physical power to allow or deny reactivation. What you say, your words, ultimately can effect the outcome (along with what the person had for dinner last night and which side of the bed they woke up on this morning). While Microsoft would like this to be totally objective, it's not. It becomes, in fact, at times quite subjective.

The good news: FOR THE MOST PART, Microsoft is pretty "liberal" and tends to err on the side of allowing reactivation when there is doubt. The exception will be if there are indications that a given product key has been "widely used". The "activation specialist" can see the activation history of the product key (this includes "phone home" interactions that end users are not even aware are occurring). What they don't want to see is indications that the same product key has been on multiple computers, that will kill you (always with an OEM key, and sometimes even with a retail key).

There are ten items that the activation system looks at. In most cases, reinstallation on the same machine will be recognized as just that ... reactivation on THE SAME MACHINE. Some items are "weighted" much more aggressively than others. Ram size is looked at but is almost ignored. However, the MAC address of the NIC card is given VERY serious attention and is weighted very heavily, since that is "unique in the entire world" and today, the NIC card is often on (part of) the motherboard. They can also see if the manufacturers serial number of the hard drive has changed.

[I should note that they don't get any of the actual information (e.g. they don't get either your MAC address or your drive serial number), but, rather, they get a "hash" created from them. They can't go "backwards" to the original data .... but the point is that if the hash changes, then so has the underlying parameter (and, conversely, if it hasn't changed, then neither has the underlying item).]


Dave Martindale wrote:
Barry Watzman <WatzmanNOSPAM@xxxxxxxxxx> writes:

Product keys are tied to the machine that they are installed on. This gets VERY complex, because the rules are different for different types. OEM keys are tied to that machine forever (in theory, if the machine dies, so does the XP license),

What does "that machine" mean, for an OEM licence? What are you allowed
to change and still have an existing installation remain activated? If
you re-install the OS and use the same key, how much variation is
tolerated before automatic activation of the new install will fail?

I've added RAM and disk (while keeping CPU and motherboard the same) to
running XP and Vista systems without problems. I've also reinstalled XP
and Vista on the same hardware and the new installs activated normally.
But these are very simple and common situations - what if I replace the
CPU with a faster one, or the boot drive with a larger one?

Dave

.

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