Microsoft restricts online activation

Soon many Windows XP users will need to phone Microsoft to reactivate the OS after a reinstall. In a move to clamp down on piracy, the company will turn off online activation for owners of systems using Windows XP product keys from the world's 20 largest PC manufacturers. Characterizing the move as a response to piracy, Microsoft said the new policy will take effect starting on February 28 and may move beyond OEM product keys to all preinstalled versions.

"The main reason (for the change) is to address piracy in this area," a Microsoft representative said on Thursday. "Microsoft has found various people selling the labels of authenticity that they have copied or have pulled off other PCs."

The issue arises primarily from the resale of unused Certificates of Authenticity from OEM PCs. Those COAs contain product keys that have never been used by an end-user, meaning that an unscrupulous reseller could sell unactivated keys from Dell machines, or reuse the same key for an entire group of PCs. With the change in policy, customers who reinstall XP from an OEM installation CD (rather than a manufacturer-supplied reinstallation kit) and use a key from a COA issued to one of the top 20 manufacturers will call in and need to answer a series of questions from a Microsoft representative to determine whether or not it is a legitimate install.

Most OEMs preactivate Windows prior to shipping PCs to retailers, however a few of us have been prompted to reactivate Windows XP after upgrading hardware. With online activation no longer an option, some Windows users will be required to phone Microsoft to reactivate the OS after upgrades.

This new measure is the latest action taken by Microsoft to clamp down on piracy. Last month, the software giant announced that they will begin using the Windows Genuine Advantage program to keep users of pirated XP versions from getting updates to the OS via Windows Update. Taken together, the moves will help Microsoft rein in pirates somewhat, especially those who sell multiple machines using the same key. Phone activation is almost always quick and easy, but these changes may slow down the process for those legitimate users who will be forced to pick up the phone to reactivate Windows XP.