
- #DISABLE WINDOWS XP ACTIVATION ON STARTUP SERIAL NUMBER#
- #DISABLE WINDOWS XP ACTIVATION ON STARTUP INSTALL#
- #DISABLE WINDOWS XP ACTIVATION ON STARTUP CODE#
- #DISABLE WINDOWS XP ACTIVATION ON STARTUP LICENSE#
It then calculates and records a number based on the first device of each type that was found during setup, and stores this number on your hard drive.

More is said below about OEM copies provided preinstalled on a new computerĪt subsequent boots, Windows checks to see that it is still running on hardware that it can recognise as being the same.
#DISABLE WINDOWS XP ACTIVATION ON STARTUP CODE#
This involves the computer dialing in and giving some information about the hardware on which Windows is installed, receiving in return a release code which will be recorded on the system. So, within the first 30 days after installing Windows XP, you must get the system ‘activated’ if you are to be able to go on using it. WPA is a means of ensuring that a single copy is not installed on more than a single machine.

Microsoft believes that this has been subject to much casual abuse.
#DISABLE WINDOWS XP ACTIVATION ON STARTUP LICENSE#
The Microsoft License for use of Windows has always been limited to allowing installation on only a single machine (and that excludes having the same copy installed on a laptop as well as a desktop machine: only MS Office is licensed for the combination). This page tries to fill that gap by explaining WPA in a straightforward, detailed way - and to show that it will be a lot less trouble to most people than many have feared. But the rampant misinformation is understandable, because it is hard for the general consumer to find a simple yet comprehensive explanation of just what WPA is. WPA is a fairly easy-going check when Windows boots, confirming that it is still installed on the same computer as last time it checked. There are a great many rumors, and much misinformation, from which you might be led to think that WPA is going to call Microsoft every day and say just what you are doing with your computer that, if you make any changes at all to your computer hardware, the machine will be instantly disabled and that WPA is a sneaky way for Microsoft to store personal information about you or your computer, or to begin charging you a monthly fee for your continued use of Windows XP.

#DISABLE WINDOWS XP ACTIVATION ON STARTUP INSTALL#
When you try to install the same copy of Windows on more than one machine and then try to activate online or by phone, the activation will fail.One new feature in Windows XP that has caused great concern is Windows Product Activation (WPA). No two computers should have the same hardware signature.
#DISABLE WINDOWS XP ACTIVATION ON STARTUP SERIAL NUMBER#
Creating such a link in theory should prevent the same copy of Windows from being installed on more than one machine, as was possible with earlier versions of the operating system.įollowing installation, Windows takes information from your video display adapter, SCSI and IDE drive adapters, processor type and serial number, hard drive serial number and your network adapter Media Access Control address to form a unique identity for your computer. Instead, the goal of Windows activation is to establish a link between a licensed copy Windows and a specific computer system. It is also different from post-installation registration. Activation differs from the installation process that requires a product code. Windows activation is part of Microsoft's "Windows Product Activation" process.
