SP2 ACTIVATION

[macmax 14]

If you have a less-than-legit copy of Windows XP, you WILL be locked out of your computer if you install SP2

This only applies to Windows XP Pro with a Volume License Product Key (VLK). XP Home is not affected. At all. If you got XP Pro with your computer (OEM) or purchased it (Retail), you're legit and therefore OK. If you have a pirated copy of XP you will find after applying SP2 you will not be able to log on.

Here's why:

If you go into the system control panel, you'll see a number of the format 11111-222-3333333-44444. This is your Product ID, generated from your CD Key. The three-digit group identifies what product this ID is for. On XP Pro Corp the three digit group will be 64x, where x might be number. Legit copies will be 640. In the Gold release of XP anything from 640-649 is valid. When MS found out XP Pro Corp was being pirated, they blocked the two most commonly used product keys from being able to install Service Pack 1.

With SP1, only the two known leaked keys were blocked. They both generated 640, and crackers assumed ALL 640 keys were blocked. Key generators making corporate keys will always generate codes of 641-649. These keys worked... until now. Microsoft has never used 641-649 in any keys so they disabled them. Service Pack 2 RC1 (current Technical Preview) is unaffected, but all builds after v.2111, including the soon-to-come RC2 and the final public release, will not let you log on if your product ID contains 641-649.

To reiterate, and hopefully spare people some grief: If you are using a pirated or keygen-made CD-Key, you will be locked out of your computer after installing SP2!

You will be presented with the windows activation dialog. XP Pro Corp does not have activation, but if you click "Activate" you will be told your key is invalid and be prompted for a new one. After entering a valid key you can log on. In case you're wondering, it doesn't try to phone home. You can change your key and proceed even with no connection to the Internet. If this fails, you can use the old "Telephone" > "Change Product Key" trick.

[CoLdFuSi0n 21]

:/

[John 7]

So... why are you telling anyone? Let all the pirates find out the hard way... :shifty: :devil:

[OSUKid7 0]

all I have to say is HA

ya pirate, ya pay. HA

[secretforce 0]

Does it mean 641 and 649 is not legit or 641,642,643...ect ?

[Muffzilla 0]

Does it mean 641 and 649 is not legit or 641,642,643...ect ?

Why? Worried? :whistle:

[secretforce 0]

Why? Worried? :whistle:

Nope I dont have anything to worry about, but I bet some of my friends do :pinch: .

[+BeLGaRaTh 43]

[Nelson voice]

HaHa

[/Nelson voice]

Microsoft should hav done this a lot earlier :)

[Ivand 0]

[nelson voice]Ha! Ha! I bought it! [/nelson voice]

[oldaccount1 3]

lol! so funny how easy microsoft makes things.

[rvbfan 6]

About time I tired of paying the freight for pirates

[ThunderRiver 2]

I see a lot of people running into problem, but since I am using the key from my university (they have contract with Microsoft, so student can rent out VLK version with legit VLK key without activation), I am not expericing any problems yet.

Do you know that it is really hard to decativate Windows XP SP1? I meant it was easy to deactivate Windows XP RTM, but in SP1, the OOBETimer method doesn't work anymore. Someone actually suggested that I should forward the BIOS timer over 30 days, and so on. Well, if anyone truly figured out a very simply way to deactivate Windows, let me know :)

Thanks for the information though.

Edited May 8, 2004 by ThunderRiver

[tlogank 1]

hmm, I can't even remember if I did mine legit or not. Where is the system control panel...it different from the regular control panel? I have built like 10 machine's, so I usually just use the closest availabe cd that has xp on it, I have 2 legit, but don't think this is one of them.

[eversor 0]

source?

I know my key is valid (got my copy through msdnaa) and there is a 646 in my product id....

[ThunderRiver 2]

Why question your key is legit or not? If you see that your key is in xxxxxxx-640-xxxxxx you should be fine unless you are still using 1 of the 3 blocked 640 keys.

[benge 0]

I got mine through MSDN and I got 649 in my Serial

[tlogank 1]

where do you go to view it?

[RadishTM 315]

Control Panel > System.

Radish?

[benge 0]

where do you go to view it?

System Properties

[tlogank 1]

so this is bad, huh?

[TheNay 1]

It will be cracked eventually, just like SP1 was. I don't see why anyone is worrying. :p

[ThunderRiver 2]

Thenay, How long have you been inside the scene? We never crack it. We just circumvent it by changing keys. It has been done this way ever since Sp1 came out.

Never once was a crack released to address such specific problem.

[ZiUL 0]

That's why 12345-OEM-1234567-12345 rox!

[TheNay 1]

Thenay, How long have you been inside the scene? We never crack it. We just circumvent it by changing keys. It has been done this way ever since Sp1 came out.

Never once was a crack released to address such specific problem.

I know, but I'm sure there will be a way around it. There always will be. :p

[DELTA75329 0]

Uhh...this seems a little rash. Are they going to block keys issued from MSDN now...?

Even so, a source would be helpful. This doesn't really mean anything right now.