XP Activation Process (was Extra RAM installation)

Having finally got my extra bits of hardware installed (most notably
my extra RAM modules) I need to return to the issue of Activating my
new version(s) of XP Home on which the 30 days grace is about half
used up.
Before I do that I wanted to be sure I understood the basics of how

pmj...

Good idea, cos then you can make sure that what you do fits in with
that & you can also make sure that you don't need to un-necessarily
have to do any more Installs & Faffing around than you need to.

Activation works.I then need to understand how the basic system is
complicated by my desire to have two versions of XP on my pc.

pmj...

It isn't complicated by that at all, really...

That all works fine!!!
It's if you tried to Install it (& Activate it) on 2 *different*
PCs, that there would be complications.

From what I have read I think it works like this but I could be wrong
as it seems to me that MS are deliberately rather vague about it.

pmj...

Well ,they don't want to make it too easy for people to work around
the fact that the whole intention of it is to stop people from
Installing, Running, using & Activating it on more than one PC.

When you install XP on your machine from the CD,some bit of XP starts
a 30 day clock ticking which if it runs will Self Distruct your
version of XP in some way that I don't understand the specifics of.

pmj...

Well, yes, there is a sort of Timer.
& it doesn't "Self Destruct" the Installation.
It just won't let you Log on top it, other than to Activate it.

If that happens, you can either Activate it, or just Wipe it
& Re-Install it & start the 30 day Countdown all over again.

In order to prevent that happening you need to contact MS either on
the internet or over the phone in order to Activate your version of
XP.By either method you provide MS with a long multidigit number which
is composed of two elements.The first is based on the Product Key that
came with your XP Software CD.The second is constructed in a general

pmj...

Or that was used by the OEM manufacturer, when they Installed the
Factory Image on the PC.

sort of way from the Hardware Configuration of your machine at the
time that you do the Activation Process.

pmj...

Yep.
See the Licenturion Website for Info about that (& also the micro$oft
Website)...

The Activation Process is then completed by MS sending you back
another multi digit number which you put in your machine in some way .

pmj...

Yep.
if you do it over the Phone, you Enter it in by hand.
& if you do it over the Internet, the Activation Process Enters it
for you.

This then stops the 30 day clock countdown to self destruct on an
almost permanent basis.It is certainly the only contact between your

pmj...

Yep.

Subject to you not making more changes than are allowed by the
process which checks what Machine it is Installed on.
& you can actually make quite a few changes, over a period of time,
without upsetting it.

Besides, M$ only keep the Activation Records for 120 Days, so after
that period you can start afresh, with another Machine, or major
changes of Hardware, such as (several of) Motherboard, Processor,
Network Card, Graphics Card, Hard Disk, CD/DVD Rom Drives RAM etc.

pmj...

As far as the *Activation* goes - but there is *plenty* of other
Contact between your Machine & the micro$oft Servers subsequently.
Many parts of the Operating System (& also various M$ Applications,
such as Internet Explorer, & WMP - windoze Media Player etc,
regularly Contact the M$ Servers for various reasons, not just to
check for Updates, but also (in the case of things like WMP) to
collect Info about what you are Playing, so as to Display things
like Album, Track & Artist Info.

& when you try to Download certain things from the M$ Website,
it Runs a Check, to see that the Installation is properly Activated
(& Validated)

machine and MS.
But apparently the Activation software within XP checks on an
'occasional basis' to check the Hardware Configuration part of the
number has not 'changed significantly'.If it detects that it restarts

pmj...

Yes.
It does that every time you ReBoot.
It may well also do it in between times as well, but I don't know
about that.

the countdown clock to self distruct and you have about 3 days to
recontact MS and convince them that the XP software is still installed
on the same machine.Exactly what you have to do that is not clear to

pmj...

Yep.

pmj...

I have only had one prob with any of that.
& all you have to do is to explain to them that you have been
mucking around with (Re-)Installing the Operating System & various
bits of Hardware.

They then ask you for the Product Key from the CD (or the the Label
on the Machine itself, if it's an OEM Installation).

You have to Enter the Page in the Activation Wizard which allows you
to Change the Product key & Enter it in there.
Then you tell them the Number that is generated.

Then they give you another Number to Enter in.

me.
And that is as far as I understand it.If I understand it wrong I hope

pmj...

I think you have understood (& explained!) the basics of the Process
pretty well!
:-)

you will tell me.
Then beyond that when you get to the situation where you want to
install two version of XP from the same CD on to different partitions
of the same machine I am completely lost - other than that I am told
by those that know that it can be done.

pmj...

Yep.
Just do another installation, choosing the Partition that you want
to Install it on.

I assume that when you attempt the second installation you will be
asked for the Product Key again and you will supply the same Product

pmj...

Yep.

pmj...

Well ,it doesn't really need to!!!
So long as it (the second Installation) *is* actually on the same
Machine, then there's no prob!
:-)

The whole point is that it checks the *hardware* of the Machine,
to make sure that it's on the same machine.

It doesn't care about whether or not there are any (& how many)
*other* Installations of it on the *same* machine.
Cos you can only Run *one* installation (on the same Machine) at
any one time.
So that's all perfectly within the terms of the EULA - End User
License Agreement.

Key again.But how it distinguishes between a second install on the
same machine from a second install on a different machine I have no
idea.
Then going back to Activation,I assume the second installation will
start the same 30 day countdown to self destruct and that therefore a
second Activation process and contact with MS is required.

pmj...

Yep.
& that is no prob.

But again how they can distinguish between a second insatallation on
the same machine and a second installation on the same machine
entirely escapes me.

pmj...

See above.

They aren't trying to distinguish between Installations on the *same*
Machine!!!
They are only trying to make sure you don't Install (& try to Activate
it) on *different* Machines!
:-)

And this as I understand it is the purpose of the Activation Process
ie to prevent what MS calls 'Casual Copying'.

pmj...

Yep.
That's the idea of it.
It doesn't stop determined Pirates.
& it doesn't actually stop anybody from Installing it on as many
different Machines as they want...
All that it does is stop it from being *Activated* on other Machines,
so you would have to Re-Install it every 30 Days if you Installed it
on other Machines.

It's designed to stop people buying (or borrowing or otherwise
obtaining) just one Copy & then passing it around their Family
& Friends, Installing it on all the various *different* Machines.

I have no doubt that it will be explained to me.And for that I am most

pmj...

See above!
:-)

grateful.