Also when you get updates it is quietly checked for authenticity..--Phyllis
----- Original Message ----- From: "Jim Purcell" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, November 11, 2005 12:20 PM Subject: Re: [A-1-Computer_Tech] Installing Windows XP on my second computer? > Janet, > >> Apparently a computer that doesnt have an activated O/S may >> eventually stop working. I watched this programme a week or so back. > > Exactly! >> Activation is Microsoft's way of making sure you have a valid copy >> of Windows XP; without it, XP only works for a month and then stops >> working. > > It is possible to copy your own wpa.dbl file from Windows\system32 > folder of an activated copy of XP to a floppy etc. then reinstall XP > then copy the wpa file back to that folder. I have tried this a few > times and it seems to have worked sometimes. > >> To activate, you type in the Product Key > > Actually you don't need the CD Key to activate unless possibly if you > have activated too may times and you have to do so by phone. You > activate by choosing that option from the activation icon on the > notification area near the clock. Unless you have activated too many > times. It is a painless process. > >> code which is on a sticker on the side of your computer or, > > That's where you get it from an OEM machine where XP is already > installed. Even then if you use your restore disks you probably don't > even have to enter the product code or activate. > > One thing that might be of interest re: repairing XP without > affecting your settings. I have had computers that allowed me to just > reinstall XP without disturbing my settings or installed > applications. I checked today to see if that was an option with my > older VAIO P4 and it was not. I'm not sure about my newer Sony. OTOH, > on another machine, a VIA, I had installed Linux on the second HD of > that machine, when I removed Linux I thought I would see whether the > XP install disk would fix the master boot record. It did not, as I > figured. I had to use a boot floppy. I ran fdisk /mbr which fixed > that problem I learned about that long ago but couldn't remember > whether it work on NTFS partitions. > >> if you bought a boxed copy of XP from a shop, in the box. Every one >> of those numbers should be different, so it's easy to tell if >> someone pirates a copy. > > You mean if you try to activate and it fails? What if the pirate > included the correct product key. I don't know whether MS will know > anything but whether the product key you enter matches the one on the > disk. And you would know this long before you tried to activate XP. > >> If you do not have an internet connection handy you will be able to >> phone up and someone on the phone will give you the activation code >> there. > > I only had to 'phone home' once, after I had reinstalled my first XP > copy many times on the same machine. They gave me a new, longer > product code. But later I was able to reinstall that copy with the > original code. I think that MS must have moderated their stance > slightly and made the process a wee bit easier. > >> However, there are a couple of other scenarios I want to make you >> aware of. >> If you have bought a completely new computer, or if you have made >> substantial upgrades to your old one, maybe you needed to replace >> broken components, or upgrade the graphics card, you may have to >> ring Microsoft to re-activate Windows XP. > > That is the standard assumption but I only once had to make the phone > call, see above. And I have had those copies of XP on several > machines. For one thing if I reinstall it I sometimes can't recall > which copy I used previously. But I never have a problem when I > activate after reinstalling with a different copy. Considering the > size of the XP activation data base, I think that the process may not > be quite as stringent as we've been made to believe. > >> There is one very important exception, which counts if you have >> bought a computer with Windows already installed, and that is >> probably most XP users. That copy is only valid for use on that >> computer alone. > > That seems to be so. > >> According to Microsoft's rules, you are not allowed to transfer >> that copy of Windows over to a new computer, even if you're not >> using the old one anymore. > > One thought has come to mind related to this. What if you use drive > copy and copy your HD to the one on another computer that doesn't > have XP installed? I guess you could test that by moving the whole > drive to another computer to see what happens. > > Jim > > > > > If you have any questions or problems with any aspect of this site, please > feel free to contact me directly [EMAIL PROTECTED] Please do not post > personal issues directly to the group. > > To unsubscribe from this list, send an email to > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Thank you for using A-1 Computer Tech > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > > > ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Get Bzzzy! (real tools to help you find a job). Welcome to the Sweet Life. http://us.click.yahoo.com/A77XvD/vlQLAA/TtwFAA/67folB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> If you have any questions or problems with any aspect of this site, please feel free to contact me directly [EMAIL PROTECTED] Please do not post personal issues directly to the group. To unsubscribe from this list, send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Thank you for using A-1 Computer Tech Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/A-1-Computer_Tech/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
