Re-installing OEM versions of Windows XP

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Microsoft extends anti-piracy initiative

This initiative is a bit controversial and will likely lead to a lot of criticism. In brief, if you re-install an OEM version of Windows XP you will need to phone Microsoft to get it activated and will not be able to activate it over the internet. Initially this will only apply to new systems sold after February 28th for the top 20 PC sellers.

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Tony,
Probably a silly question but ………. I have Windows XP (Home) OEM (Packard Bell). I also have Acronis True Image – If I should ever have to completely reinstall from TI (eg, should my hard disk crash and I used TI to reload my OS and all files) having replaced the disk) am I likely to hit the same problem do you think? – or would something like that be transparent to MS? – Apologies if I’m asking questions to which there are not yet answers – appreciate it’s early days. Worrying all the same.
Keith

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Keith
My understanding of the article is that it only applies to computers from the 20 sellers sold after 28th February. I may be wrong (that happens occasionally, especially after a few drinks)

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The article stated only China, Norway and the Czech Republic are the countries where this will occur. Currently, if you buy let us say a Dell with an XP Pro disc it is authenticated in the BIOS and will only install on a Dell. When I had to put a new HD in my wifes’ laptop a year or so ago I did not even have to put in the serial number . At this point there is no online or otherwise registration.

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I have a home-built machine and not an OEM, so I can’t “really” answer your question, but… I’m pretty sure that if you make a TI image of your disk and then restore it after a crash, there would be no problems or need to re-activate. The partition would be exactly as it was before. What I don’t know on an OEM machine is the ramifications of replacing a drive and re-creating whatever little secret/hidden partition or tracks that they put on there. You’d have to follow the OEM’s instructions to at least get started. Someone might jump in here who has more first hand experience with an OEM and TI.

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I restored a True Image backup to my Dell 8250 just before Christmas because my profiles had become corrupt and I couldn’t access the C: partition on the drive. To preserve the data on the drive, I bought a new 120 GB Maxtor HD to replace the original Seagate drive and restored the image to the Maxtor drive. The whole process took about two hours and I didn’t have to do a thing after the restore except to verify my data and continue on my merry way.

I also had to reinstall the OS on this system 3 months after I got it because the HD failed. Dell provided a new Seagate drive to replace the failed one, and I did the restore from scratch using the disks Dell provides for drivers and the XP install disk. Never was asked either time, by the computer or via email or phone request, to re-activate my installation. My copy of Office, however, generated a request from MS to verify that I was indeed the owner of that software. HTH

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Must admit, I’d had similar thoughts along the same lines – What would be the implications re all the ‘hidden bits’ – However, I note that PB give me the option, using their ‘recovery program’, of creating a set of Master CDs which, in effect, takes all the recovery data (effectively, this is just a factory restore) from the hidden partition and put it all on CD – the system then frees up the hidden partition in the form of a virtual hard disk drive with its own drive letter assigned. I’m assuming (perhaps hoping would be a better word) that if I do this then there will not be any awkward ‘hidden’ bits remaining to give me problems should I need to use TI. That’s my theory, anyway!!!
Thanks for the input – and please let me know if you think my thinking is ‘way off’.
Keith

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Tony,

In the USA (can’t say for the rest of the world) this is only if you have made enough changes to the system to warrant re-activation. OEM versions of XP are already tied to a PC and pre-activated. If you restore/reload an OEM XP and have not changed your system or have not changed you system to cause re-activation you won’t get hit by this. See all the articles, threads in various forums and threads in newsgroups about activation from the original XP release and you will have a good idea about when re-activation is called for.

Joe

--Joe

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