Neowin News Feed for: Activation

Activation flaw gifts pirates legitimate Windows 8

Tim Schiesser — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 06:25:02 +0000

Through the use of an illegitimate KMS activation and a free Windows Media Center upgrade, it's apparently possible to turn your pirated copy of Windows into a fully activated "legitimate" copy Read more...

Windows 8 activations made possible by Belarus Customs

Steven Parker — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 11:27:11 +0100

New information that was sent into Neowin shows that the leaked Windows 8 RTM activations were made possible, at least in part, by the Belarus government. Customs workers likely to blame. Read more...

Windows 8 RTM leaked ISOs activations now blocked [Update]

Steven Parker — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 12:19:28 +0100

If you were thinking of going ahead and grabbing a leaked RTM image of Windows 8 and illegally activating it before the media became officially available, you could run into issues. Read more...

Report: Microsoft to change Windows 8 OEM activation

Anthony Tosie — Sun, 05 Aug 2012 21:12:32 +0100

Microsoft's activation requirements for Windows operating systems may be changing with the October 26 release of Windows 8, according to a new report, which the company hopes will reduce piracy rates. Read more...

Windows Phone 7 Live activation issues

Byron Hinson — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 15:56:23 +0100

A small number of UK Windows Phone 7 users have been held back from using their new mobile phones due to an activation problem relating to their Live accounts showing up within the operating system.... Read more...

IE Automatic Component Activation Now Available

Steven Parker — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 10:27:54 +0100

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Jefferson Fletcher: The IE Automatic Component Activation (IE ACA) update is now available as part of the April 2008 Internet Explorer Cumulative Update. The "click to activate" behavior, formerly required for ActiveX controls embedded in... Read more...

Microsoft to ease XP activation with SP3

Steven Parker — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 09:36:31 +0000

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Microsoft Corp. will change how users activate Windows XP when Service Pack 3 launches in the first half of 2008, a company white paper said. New installations of Windows XP SP3 will give users the... Read more...

iPhone launch marred by activation delays

Daniel Fleshbourne — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 14:20:07 +0100

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Apple's iPhone launch has been marred by delays in AT&T's phone activation system, leaving some people unable to use their new toy throughout the weekend. People who buy the iPhone, which went on sale in... Read more...

Apple Announces iPhone Rate Plans, iTunes Activation

Slimy — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 23:41:44 +0100

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On launch day (June 29, 2007), 400,000 Apple iPhones are expected to be available from 162 Apple Stores and roughly 1,800 AT&T locations. The iPhone will ship with YouTube integration along with a higher-capacity battery... Read more...

OneCare Activation Explained

Slimy — Sat, 26 May 2007 18:22:13 +0100

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Our customers have a lot of questions about OneCare activation and want to know exactly what it is all about. We commonly hear feedback from customers who say that activation is only for the... Read more...

Vista Activation Cracked By Brute Force

Slimy — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 01:36:00 +0000

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Thanks to voidunknown for submitting this to the Front Page. It appears that Keznews forum member Computer User has discovered a method that effectively obtains a Windows Vista key which can then be activated. The... Read more...

Official Way to Use Vista without Activation 120 Days

Gabriel — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 11:08:00 +0000

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Official Way to Install and Use Windows Vista without Activation for Free for 120 Days By default, Windows Vista can be installed, used and run without any license, product key or the need of activation... Read more...

Another Vista Activation Crack Appears

Daniel Fleshbourne — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 12:34:18 +0000

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Buzz about a Windows Vista zero-day vulnerability is troubling enough (although probably overblown). Now, there appears to be a second product activation hack, this one designed to fool the activation timer into not counting down.... Read more...

Volume Activation 2.0: Another Potential Vista Gotcha?

Steven Parker — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 12:45:46 +0100

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Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) isn't the only Microsoft anti-piracy scheme that might raise the hackles of future Vista customers. Volume Activation 2.0 is worrying some Vista testers who've had a chance to dabble with early... Read more...

Changes in Windows XP Product Activation

j91 — Wed, 23 Feb 2005 06:29:42 +0000

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On February 28, Microsoft® will disable Internet activation for all Microsoft Windows® XP product keys located on the Certificates of Authenticity (COA) labels distributed by large, multinational OEMs. Direct OEMs of Microsoft (large... Read more...

Adobe adopts product activation

malebolgia — Fri, 08 Aug 2003 22:57:56 +0100

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Adobe Systems Inc. has completed tests on product activation, and plans to roll out the technology soon. Microsoft quietly introduced product activation — a method of registering software so that it cannot be installed on... Read more...

Inside Internet-based Windows Product Activation

Mon, 28 Jul 2003 13:53:59 +0100

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A while ago the telephone-based product activation process of Windows XP was independently analyzed by tecCHANNELSince then the information that is revealed by the installation ID, which users are required to supply to Microsoft during... Read more...

Microsoft: No Activation Changes Until Longhorn

Daniel Fleshbourne — Tue, 08 Apr 2003 12:26:34 +0100

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As leaked copies of Windows Server 2003 begin to surface before its launch, Microsoft says not to expect many changes to product activation in the new operating system - indicating the anti-piracy technology has met... Read more...

Microsoft Windows Activation Servers Down

Arnaudt — Sat, 25 Jan 2003 22:18:53 +0000

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It shall be a fun weekend at Redmond! Nick Roberts has emailed us saying, "Microsoft Windows Activation servers have been down all day. A call to the activation number is no help either.... Read more...

Rumors About XP SP1 Product Activation Changes Not True

Steven Parker — Thu, 25 Jul 2002 21:44:03 +0100

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Thanks Paul Thurrott for clearing this rumor up. Read on! A bizarre rumor about Microsoft making sweeping changing to its Product Activation technology in Windows XP Service Pack 1 (SP1) is completely untrue. The rumor,... Read more...