The first question was whether I even needed to activate. I had noticed that WinXP would put a keyring icon in the system tray (at the lower right corner of the screen) and also at various places in the Start Menu, such as at the top of the Start > All Programs list. But it seemed that that icon would disappear, sometimes, after even an unsuccessful activation effort.
The alternate activation method I tried first was mentioned by Lifehacker and detailed by Online Tech Tips. The latter explained that I could activate WinXP simply by copying C:\Windows\System32\wpa.dbl from the previous installation of Windows XP on this same computer. They warned that it would not work on a different machine. I had already activated WinXP on a previous VirtualBox VM, identical in all regards except that, this time, I set the virtual hard disk drive (HDD) to be 20GB rather than 10GB. I was not sure whether that difference would make this appear to be a different machine.
Crack windows xp activation
Normally, I would have 30 days after installing WinXP before activation would be compelled. In this case, it seemed that I had triggered this message by trying to activate in the normal way and getting that message (above) that I had used this product key too many times. When I clicked No at this point, I expected to be locked out of the system. But instead, I was allowed to proceed into WinXP as usual.
I guessed that this method had not worked, for me, because of that change from a 10GB to 20GB system drive in the VM. It was also possible that my previous activation efforts had somehow muddied the waters.
You can bypass the activation process by editing the Windows registry and using an OEM key, though this technically violates your license agreement with Microsoft. Only use the following if you are unable to activate and you have a legally-purchased copy of Windows XP.
From that point, the advice offered by WikiHow was, in effect, to go to Start > Run or WinKey-R. Either way, that gave me a Run box. There, I typed rundll32.exe syssetup,SetupOobeBnk and clicked OK. Nothing seemed to happen. I hoped it had done something. I went to Start > Turn Off Computer > Restart. This time, Windows XP started up normally, without an activation barrier. The methods described above confirmed that Windows was now activated, and I had no further problems after rebooting.
I did not explore further, except that I did develop a search to help me find methods other than those described above. It tentatively appeared that there might be a number of alternate activation methods. There may also be something useful for this purpose in my separate post on Windows 7 activation in a virtual machine.
I have now managed to get XP working in VM for just over 3 months with no problem, hopefully it will last. Instead of keep reinstalling XP from an old CD I decided to use an ISO image of XP Pro (I have windows 10 Pro) downloaded from the USA Microsoft site. When the installation asked for a key I used the first one from a Google search and it worked ok and has been good ever since.
A Windows XP activation key is required to activate and engage the operating system. The key is essentially proof of ownership and it connects the operating system to the buyer. Purchasing a computer with Windows XP or installing XP on a new system may require a key that is lost or not immediately available. Activating Windows XP without a key is still possible using a few different approaches.
Look for the original key by searching the physical computer. In some cases, the key is written or taped to the monitor, laptop or somewhere on the actual computer. In this situation, the original key is easy to find and use for the activation process.
You can install Windows XP without a key using the regedit method for an XP activation crack, and the option to change the original key also follows these steps closely. Go ahead and click the Start or Windows button then click Run to open a dialogue box. Type "Regedit" in the box and click Enter to run the program to generate the files associated with the run. Click the folder labeled HKey_Local_Machine and choose the + symbol to expand and reveal the contents of the folder, then expand the Software folder to reveal the contents within this specific label.
Now open the run dialogue box again and type %systemroot%system32oobemsoobe.exe/a to open the setup wizard. Follow the steps in the wizard and use the new key to activate Windows XP. If the setup does not automatically accept the key, choose the Change Product Key option on the activation specific step and enter the new key in that location.
Activating without a key is often necessary because Windows XP is no longer in production and does not offer customer support to locate old keys for activation. The original key is encrypted and locating without finding the original sticker or receipt is difficult. In this situation, finding the original key is not possible and pairing a different key is necessary to activate Windows XP.
Since Microsoft introduced Windows Product Activation (WPA) the crackers have gone through a series of WinXP beta builds, finding new ways to at least circumvent the protection system. But now, taking an entirely different approach, Germany's Tecchannel has demonstrated that WPA as shipped in RC1 is full of gaping holes, and can be fooled almost completely.
This file stores information on the nature of the hardware at the time of activation, and when Windows XP notices more than three items of hardware have changed, it deletes it. Then you need to activate again. You'll also, Tecchannel notes, need to activate immediately if you installed more than 30 days (or 14 with RC1) ago, as that's when the clock starts ticking. This, incidentally, is also the case if you do a 'repair' to fix a bust system - not exactly friendly.
This technology is also used in Microsoft Office products during activation. To activate volume-licensed versions of Office, including Project and Visio, one must have a Key Management Service (KMS) host computer. One can configure a Windows Server computer to be a KMS host computer[4] by installing the Volume Activation Services role and then running the Volume Activation Tools wizard.
When installing a retail copy of Windows or Office, the user is asked to input a unique product key supplied on a certificate of authenticity included with the program, which is later verified during activation.[1] Immediate activation is not required following installation, but the program must be activated within a specific period of time in order to continue to function properly. Throughout this grace period, the user will be periodically reminded to activate the program, with warnings becoming more frequent over time.[5]
Certain versions of Windows and Office are available under a volume license, where a single product key is used for multiple installations. Programs purchased under this license must still be activated, with the exception of Windows XP and all versions of Office released prior to Office 2010.[6][7][8][9] Businesses using this licensing system have the option of using Microsoft's activation servers or creating and managing their own.[10]
If Windows is pre-installed on a computer by an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), the operating system is automatically activated without the need for interaction from the user.[11] In this case, the copy of Windows installed does not use the product key listed on the certificate of authenticity, but rather a master product key issued to OEMs called a System Locked Pre-installation (SLP) key. On each boot, Windows confirms the presence of specific information stored in the BIOS by the manufacturer, ensuring the activation only remains valid on that computer, even if the product key is used on another machine.[6]
When activation takes place, the program saves a record of the verification data in the user's computer. If the system is booted up with significant hardware changes, the application will likely require reactivation to prevent the same copy of the program being installed on two different systems.[23]
Activation is performed with a utility supplied with Windows and Office called the Activation Wizard. It can be performed either over the Internet or by telephone.[1] When activating over the Internet, the Activation Wizard automatically transmits and receives verification data to and from Microsoft servers, completing the process without any interaction by the user.[26] Activation by telephone requires that a user and a Microsoft agent verbally exchange activation information. In this case, an installation ID is generated, which is then read to the agent. The agent verifies the information and replies with a confirmation ID, which is then typed into the Activation Wizard.[26]
Every time a PC is booted, Windows XP checks the hardware configuration against that which existed at the time of installation. From the above list, six or more items must change for the reactivation to be required. The position is complicated in that the network card MAC address is regarded as three items. Therefore, if the network card is not changed, a change to six or more other items will trigger a reactivation. If the network card is changed, then just three other changes will trigger a reactivation.
PCs that are considered dockable are treated more leniently as hardware will, by definition, regularly change. A dockable PC is one that is equipped with a docking port that connects to an expansion unit that features extra ports or hardware (these are usually ancillary units custom designed for some laptop PCs). A dockable PC is allowed three extra changes beyond a non-dockable PC before reactivation is required.
Certain retail copies of Windows and Office sold in certain countries classified as emerging markets have geographical activation restrictions, which only allow the user to activate the product within the indicated region.[28] 2ff7e9595c
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