---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sat, 07 Jul 2001 15:24:24 EDT
From: Brad Mills <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: [pctoolbin] WinXP etc.
S.M.Kelly,
>I wondering how copies can be burned and distributed of WinXP with the
new Activation requirements? I've been testing since Beta 1, 2, and
now RC1 and all require activation. After you install once, every
install after that bombs internet activation and requires a call to MS
to activate. (they ask you a bunch of questions regarding why they see
you've already installed it once.) Believe me I've been through at
least a dozen times between WinXP and the OfficeXP copy I received from
MS. (snip)
Have a look at
http://www.win2kpowerusers.com/
middle of text, click hyperlink "Windows 2000 Power User newsletter "
May require you to sub to their E-zine, or try ...
( [EMAIL PROTECTED] )
but this ex-winmag writer is on top of XP, and 2K - he just did a
lenghty article about the recent conf. in NYC, and where things are
currently at. Here's a snip:
" Product Activation is Microsoft's anti-piracy mechanism. When you
first install Windows XP, it creates a checksum string of fifty digits,
part of which is derived from the code you punch in from the sticker on
your disk jacket and part of which is hashed from a quick tabulation of
your hardware.
I don't know if they use truly unique identifiers such as the MAC
address of one's network adapter (provided you have one), or the
processor serial number -- but it would be hard to use the latter since
most systems these days don't even have it turned on. The MAC address
question is still open, but given that not every computer has one, I
suspect they resorted to more conventional hardware.
Once XP derives this string, it encrypts it and sends it to Microsoft,
and gets back a response code. Once the response code is in place, the
machine is activated. End of story. If you don't activate at first,
you get 30 days to do as you will (in the betas, it's 15). In theory,
you could install XP, leave your machine on continuously, and never
activate -- and given how stable the system is, I suspect there are
people who would do exactly that.
Several other things were pointed out. One, activation can be done by
phone as well as over the Internet in the event you don't have a
working connection. The process takes about five to ten minutes tops
(someone I knew online went through the process and reported that this
is about right; it took him about five minutes to get going). Also,
there is no limit to the number of times a given copy can be activated
on one machine. If you're tearing down and rebuilding a given machine
over and over again, you don't get penalized for re-reactivating it.
Then came the criticisms. "
Yeah, Linux looks mo' better every day ;) Nothing against M$ protecting
their bottom line, but there's more than one way to skin a cat, or do
up a document, aye?
regards,
/b
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