Quam Fenestra Uber Activation Officina – Inside WPA Bulla Paper

Inside Fenestra Uber Activation vulgo July 2001

>> INTRODUCTION 
 current  publicus  sermo of  Fenestra  Uber Activation (WPA)  estcharacterized  per  error  quod  theoricus. Huic paper  nos  suggero  ars  retineo of WPA  ut implemented  in  Fenestra XP  utMicrosoft should have  vulgo  porro.

Dum  nos  vehementer  puto  ut  sulum software  Vendolius has   vox  utfoveo   licentia terms  rectum   utor of a piece of  licentia software  per  ars  opes,  nos  quoque  operor  puto  ut  sulum  uniquehas   vox  ut  retineo  scientia  super   plenus implications of utor  opes  quod possible limitations  speciosus  per  is  in software ritus

Huic paper  nos  refero  quis  nos  reputo  es currently   duos  plurimusmaximus  patefacio questions  finitumus  Fenestra  Uber Activation.

  * Exigo  quis  notitia  est  trado  per activation?

  * Quam  operor hardware modifications  motum an  iam activated     installation of  Fenestra XP?

Nostrum  refero  illis questions  es  substructio  in  Fenestra XP  SolvoCandide 1 ( constructum 2505). Laxus  constructum  pariter  ut   denique  poema poematis of Fenestra XP  vires  distinctus  ex  constructum 2505, e.g. in   utor cryptographic keys  vel  layout of  nonnullus of   notitiacompages

Vero,  ultra  talis  pupillus modifications  nos  specto Microsoft  cohaereout   imperator architecture of  suum activation mechanism. Sic,  noses convinced  ut   refero  dummodo  hac paper  mos  etiam  exsistoutilis  ut   denique  poema poematis of  Fenestra XP  traba.

Is paper  victualia  in-depth  ars  notitia  super   penitusworkings of WPA. Etiam,   sermo  est  aliquantulus vague  procul  nonnulluscuspis  ne facilitate   negotium of an  tentatio  rudimentum ut circumvent   licentia enforcement  instructus  per  activation mechanism.

XPDec, a  to order  versus  utilitas  aptus  pro verifying   tendo notitia, can  exsisto  sumo  ex http:/www.licenturion.com/xp/./ Isimplements  algorithms  tendo  huic paper. Lectio  suus  radixcode,  quod  est available  ex  idem eadem idem  locus,  est  altus suadeo

Nos have  semotus an  maximus cryptographic key  ex  XPDec  radixcode. Recompiling   radix code  mos  sic  deficio  exhibeo exibeo a  opus executable.  XPDec executable  in  nostrum website,  vero,  postulo is key  quod  est  copiose  muneris.

Sic, download   radix code  disco  super   penitus workings of WPA, tamen  sumo  executable  ut experiment  per  vestri installation of Fenestra XP.

Nos  specto   lector  futurus familiar  per   imperator  ratio of Fenestra  Uber Activation.

>> INSIDE  INSTALLATION ID 
Nos focused  nostrum research  in  uber activation via telephone. Nos did sic,  quoniam  nos  specto  is  varius of activation  futurus  plurrimirectus- porro  ut analyze.

Prothoplastus step  in activating  Fenestra XP via telephone  est  suggero dico-center  procurator  per  Installation ID  propono  per msoobe.exe,  application  ut  rector a user  per  activation  processus. Installation ID  est a  numerus  consisto of 50  constituo digits  ut  estribuo  in  humus of six digits  sulum,  ut  in
      002666-077894-484890-114573-XXXXXX-XXXXXX-XXXXXX-XXXXXX-XX 
Huic  auctorizo Installation ID  nos have  subpono digits  ut  nosantepono  non  patefacio  per 'X' characters.

Si msoobe.exe  est  precor  praeter  quondam,  is  suggero a  diversusInstallation ID  sulum  vicis.

Rursus,   dico-center  procurator  suggero a Confirmation ID  compositus  donatus Installation ID. Ingressus  Confirmation ID  universa activation  processus.

Utpote  Installation ID  est  solus piece of  notitia  ostendo  sum per activation,   supremus question  super   notitiatrado  per  activation  processus  est equivalent  ut question 
               'How  est  Installation ID  ingenero?' 
Ut  reperio an  refero  ut  is question,  nos  vestigium  tergum  sulum digit of Installation ID  ut  suus  satus.

>>> Reprehendo digits 
 rightmost digit  in  sulum of   humus  est a  reprehendo digit  custodioobviam  simplex  erroris  talis  ut   dico center  procurator mistyping of  unusof  digits  lego  ut him  vel  suus.   pendo of   reprehendo digit  estcomputus  per  consummatio  ceterus  quinque digits  in   humus,  consummatio digits  procul  vel  positus  iterum,  quod  tribuo   summa  perseptem   reliquum of   divortium  est   pendo of   reprehendodigit. In   supremus  exempoator   reprehendo digit  pro   primoris  humus (6)  estcomputus  ut  insisto.

         1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5  <- position="" ---+---+---+---+---="" 0="" |="" 2="" 6="" <-="" digits="" +="" (step="" 1:="" add="" all="" digits)="" 14="20" 2:="" even="" again)="" step="" 3:="" division="" 20="" /="" 7="2," remainder="" is="" -="" (2="" *="" 7)="6"> reprehendo digit  est 6 
Consummatio   vel digits  bis  est  forsit intended  custodio  obviam cognatus  obsideo  erroris of  fortuitus swapping  duos digits  dumtyping,  ut  in 00626 vs. 00266, quod  concedo  diversus  reprehendo digits.

>>> Decoding 
Amotio   reprehendo digits  praecessi  in a 41-digit  constituo  numerus. A constituo  numerus  illae  tractus  truculenter  cohaereo  ut a 136- frenum binary numerus Verum,  41-digit  numerus  est  iustus   constituo encoding of talis a 136- frenum multi- subtilitas  penitus,  quod  est  repono  in  parumendian byte  ordo  ut a byte array. Hinc,   supremus Installation ID can  quoque  exsisto  reddo  ut a  series of 17 bytes  ut  in
               0xXX 0xXX 0xXX 0xXX 0xXX 0xXX 0xXX 0xXX                0x94 0xAA 0x46 0xD6 0x0F 0xBD 0x2C 0xC8                0x00 
Huic  responsal of   supremus Installation ID 'X' characters iterum  subpono  digits  ut  nos  antepono  non  patefacio.  '0x' prefix  volo hex notation  per  is paper.

>>> Decryption 
Ut decoding  ludicer Installation IDs  is can  exsisto  animadverto  ut plurimus significant byte  usquequaque  videor  futurus 0x00  vel 0x01,  quod alius bytes  vultus random.   causa  huic  est  ut   summitto 16 bytes of  Installation ID  es encrypted,  quod  plurrimisignificant byte  est kept  in  postulator.

 cryptographic algorithm  utor  ut encrypt  Installation ID  esta proprietary  quattuor- rotundus Feistel cipher. Utpote   clausus of input bytes  obduco  ut a Feistel cipher  est  tribuo  in  duos  clausus of  paramplitudo,  is  ordo of ciphers  est typically  pomum  ut input  clausus consisto of an  vel  numerus of bytes  huic  theca   summitto 16 of  17 input bytes.   rotundus  muneris of  cipher  est  SHA-1 nuntius digest algorithm keyed  per a  quattuor-byte  series.

Permissum +  volo  concatenation of  duos byte  series, ^  XOR operation, L  quod R  left  quod  vox  duodeviginti-byte input  dimidium  pro  unusrotundus, L'  quod R'  output halves of said  rotundus,  quod  Primoris-8() a muneris  ut  reverto   primoris  duodeviginti bytes of an SHA-1  nuntiusdigest. Tunc  unus  rotundus of decryption  vultus  ut  insisto.

          L' = R ^  Primoris-8SHA(-1L( + Key))           R' = L 
  praecessi of  decryption  est 16 bytes of  postulator,  quod  es 
una  per  17th unencrypted byte  ex  iam  in  verto  utquattuor  geminus  lacuna  in  parum endian byte  ordo  secuutus  per a  singulusbyte  ut  in
                     nomen |  amplitudo |  suboles                      -----+-------------+-------
                      H1 | geminus  vox | 0                       H2 | geminus  vox | 4                       P1 | geminus  vox | 8                       P2 | geminus  vox | 12                       P3 | byte | 16 
H1 quod H2  proprius  hardware configuration  ut  Installation ID est linked  ut. P1 quod P2  pariter  ut  ceteri byte P3  postulo Uber ID  socius  per  Installation ID.

>>> Uber ID 
  Uber ID  consisto of  quinque  humus of  constituo digits,  ut  in
                       AAAAA-BBB-CCCCCCC-DDEEE 
Si  vos  quaero  vestri  subcriptio  parumper  pendo  nomen 'ProductID',  vos  mosexpiscor  ID  ut  pomum  ut  vestri installation.  'About'  fenestraof  Penitus  Rimor should  quoque  concedo  vestri  Uber ID.

>>>> Decoding 
 mapping  inter   Uber ID  in  constituo  responsal  quod  suusbinary encoding  in   geminus  lacuna P1  quod P2  quod  byte P3  estsummarized  in  sequens  traba.

       digits |  tractus | encoding       --------+---------+---------------------------------------
        AAAAA | 17 bits |  frenum 0  ut  frenum 16 of P1           BBB | 10 bits |  frenum 17  ut  frenum 26 of P1       CCCCCCC | 28 bits |  frenum 27  ut  frenum 31 of P1 ( summitto 5 bits)               | | frenum 0  ut  frenum 22 of P2 ( summus 23 bits)         DDEEE | 17 bits |  frenum 23  ut  frenum 31 of P2 ( summitto 9 bits)               | | frenum 0  ut  frenum 7 of P3 ( summus 8 bits) 
  voluntas of  sulum of   quinque  humus of digits  est  tabellae  obviustunc  traba.

       digits | voluntas       --------+-------------------------------------------------
        AAAAA |  promptus  usquequaque 55034 ( in  Fenestra XP RC1)           BBB |  plurimus significant three digits of  Rudis  Uber Key               | (animadverto  subter supter)      CCCCCCC |  minimus significant six digits of  Rudis  Uber Key               | plus  reprehendo digit ( animadverto  subter supter)           DD |  iudex of  medium key  adsuesco assuesco  quin               | Uber Key ( animadverto  subter supter)          EEE | random  pendo
Ut can  exsisto seen,  ( rudis)  Uber Key  lascivio an  maximus  persona  iningenero   Uber ID.

>>>> Uber Key 
  Rudis  Uber Key  est  seputus inside   Uber Key  ut  est  procer in   virga  dididi  per  sulum  Fenestra XP CD. Is  consisto of quinque alphanumeric  ligamen  singulus  per '-' characters,  qua  sulumligamen  est  scriptum of  quinque characters,  ut  in
                    FFFFF-GGGGG-HHHHH-JJJJJ-KKKKK 
Sulum character  est  unus of  sequens 24  tabellae  quod digits:

           B C D  RESURRECTIO G H J K  ASTUS P Q R T V W X Y 2 3 4 6 7 8 9 
Valde  similis  ut   constituo encoding of  Installation ID  25 characters of   Uber Key  vultus a  substructio-24 encoding of  binary responsal of   Uber Key. Decoding   Uber Key  concedo a multi- subtilitas  penitus of  truculenter 115 bits,  quod  est  repono  iterumin  parum endian byte  ordo  in an array of 15 bytes. Decoding supremus  Uber Key  praecessi  in  sequens byte  series.

               0x6F 0xFA 0x95 0x45 0xFC 0x75 0xB5 0x52                0xBB 0xEF 0xB1 0x17 0xDA 0xCD 0x00 
Illorum 15 bytes   minimus significant  quattuor bytes  postulo   RudisUber Key  in  parum endian byte  ordo.   minimus significant  frenum  estsemotus  per  amoveo  is 32- frenum  pendo (0x4595FA6F  memor parum endian byte  ordo)  ut  left  per  unus  frenum  positus,  praecessi in a  Rudis  Uber Key of 0x22CAFD37,  vel
                              583728439 
in  constituo notation.

  undecim  super bytes  vultus a digital  subcriptio,  sino verification of   auctorizo of   Uber Key  per a ferreus-coded  publicus key.

>>>> Uber Key >  Uber ID 
 three  plurimus significant digits, i.e. 583, of   Rudis  Uber Key's novem-digit  constituo  responsal  directus map  ut  BBB component of   Uber ID  exsequor  supremus.

Usurpo  CCCCCCC component, a  reprehendo digit  est appended  ut super six digits 728439.   reprehendo digit  est  electus  talis  ut summa of  totus digits  comprehendo   reprehendo digit  est  divortium  perseptem In   donatus  theca,   summa of  six digits  est
               7 + 2 + 8 + 4 + 3 + 9 = 33 
quod  praecessi  in a  reprehendo digit of 2,  utpote
               7 + 2 + 8 + 4 + 3 + 9 + 2 = 33 + 2 = 35 
quod  est  divortium  per  septem.  CCCCCCC component of   Uber ID est  proinde 7284392.

Pro verifying a  Uber Key,  praeter  unus  publicus key  est available. Siverification  per  prothoplastus  publicus key  deficio,  alter  est  exertus,quicumque  DD component of   Uber ID specifies  quod of  mediumkeys  huic  series  eram successfully  adsuesco assuesco  quin   Uber Key.

Is mechanism  vires  exsisto intended  suffrago  plures  diversus  secui ingenero  fortis  Uber Keys  per  diversus  unique  secretum keys.

Vero,   diversus  secretum keys  vires  quoque  reddo  diversusversions of a  uber. A  Uber Key  pro  'professional'  solvocould  tunc  exsisto  subcribo  per a  diversus key  quam a  Uber Key  pro 'server'  solvo.  DD component would  tunc  reddo   uberpoema poematis

Denique, a  fortis  Uber ID  traho  ex  nostrum  exempoator  Uber Key  viresexsisto
                       55034-583-7284392-00123 
quod  testimonium  ut  prothoplastus  publicus key (DD =  iudex = 0)  compositus  quod123 eram  electus  ut  random  numerus EEE.

 randomly  lego EEE component  est   causa  pro msoobe.exe praesagium a  diversus Installation ID  procul  sulum  invocatio. Propter  pomum encryption  is  vegrandis change  praecessi  in a  plenediversus Installation ID.

Sic,   Uber ID  trado  per activation  mos  plurimus  forsitdistinctus  in   permaneo three digits  ex  vestri  Uber ID  ut  propono  perPenitus  Rimor  vel  ut  repono  in   subcriptio.

>>> Hardware  Notitia
Ut  confero  supremus,  hardware configuration linked  ut Installation ID  est  reddo  per   duos  geminus  lacuna H1  quod H2.

>>>> Frenum- ager
Huic  voluntas,   geminus  lacuna  es  tribuo  in  duodecimbit-fields.   affinitas  inter  computer hardware  tuncfrenum- ager  est  donatus  in  sequens  traba.

    geminus  vox |  suboles |  tractus |  frenum- agri  pendo  substructio  in    ------------+--------+--------+----------------------------
         H1 | 0 | 10 | volubilis  serius  numerus  ligamen                | | | of  ratio  volubilis          H1 | 10 | 10 | network  ingeniosus MAC  oratio                | | |ligamen          H1 | 20 | 7 | CD-ROM  coegi hardware                 | | | identification  ligamen         H1 | 27 | 5 | graphics  ingeniosus hardware                 | | | identification  ligamen         H2 | 0 | 3 | novus,  paro  ut 001          H2 | 3 | 6 | CPU  serius  numerus  ligamen         H2 | 9 | 7 | harddrive hardware                 | | | identification  ligamen         H2 | 16 | 5 | SCSI  populus  ingeniosus hardware                 | | | identification  ligamen         H2 | 21 | 4 | IDE  imperium hardware                 | | | identification  ligamen         H2 | 25 | 3 | processus  forma  ligamen         H2 | 28 | 3 | RAM  amplitudo         H2 | 31 | 1 | 1 = dockable                 | | | 0 = non dockable 
Frenum 31 of H2 specifies,  utrum   frenum- ager  reddo a notebook computer  ut  suscipio a  navale  constituo. Si  navale  est possible, activation mechanism  ero  magis tolerant  per  veneratio  ut  posterushardware modifications. Hic,   informatio  est  ut plugging a notebook in  suus  navale  constituo possibly  praecessi  in changes  ut  suus hardware configuration, e.g. a SCSI  populus  ingeniosus  constructum  in   navale  constituomay  fio available.

Bits 2  per 0 of H2  es  novus  quod  usquequaque  paro  ut 001.

Si  hardware component  cohaereo  ut  unus of  ceteri ten frenum- ager  est  tendo,   veneratio  frenum- agri  postulo a non-zero pendo  exsequor  component. A  pendo of zero  vestigium  hardware component  ut  non  tendo.

Totus hardware components  es identified  per a hardware identification ligamen  sumo  ex   subcriptio. Atrocitas  is  ligamen  suggero pendo  pro   cohaereo  frenum- agri.

>>>> Atrocitas 
  atrocitas  praecessi  est  sumo  per  nutritor  hardware identification ligamen  in  MD5  nuntius digest algorithm  quod picking   numerus of bits  postulo  parumper  frenum- agri  ex predetermined  locus  obviuspraecessi  nuntius digest. Diversus predetermined  locus  es  adsuesco assuescopro  diversus  frenum- ager. In addition, a  atrocitas  praecessi of zero  estparco  per  computus 
                   Atrocitas = ( atrocitas % BitFieldMax) + 1 
qua BitFieldMax  est  maximal  pendo  ut may  exsisto  repono  obviusfrenum- agri  in question, e.g. 1023 pro a 10- frenum  frenum- agri,  quod 'x % y' volo   reliquum of   divortium of x  vobis. Is  praecessi  inpendo  inter 1  quod BitFieldMax.   sumo  pendo  est  tunc  repono  in  veneratio  frenum- agri.

>>>> RAM  frenum- agri
  frenum- agri  finitumus  amount of RAM available  ut  operating ratio  est  computus  diversus.   septem  fortis  pendo  proprius inter amount of available RAM  ut  tabellae  in  sequenstraba

                  pendo | amount of RAM available                   ------+---------------------------
                      0 | (frenum- agri  novus)                       1 | subter supter 32 MB                       2 | inter 32 MB  quod 63 MB                       3 | inter 64 MB  quod 127 MB                       4 | inter 128 MB  quod 255 MB                       5 | inter 256 MB  quod 511 MB                       6 | inter 512 MB  quod 1023 MB                       7 | supremus 1023 MB 
Is  est  maximus  ut  nota  ut  amount of RAM  est retrieved  per  dico  GlobalMemoryStatus()  muneris,  quod  opinio  pauci  centumkilobytes  minor  quam  amount of RAM physically installed. Sic, 128 MB of RAM would typically  exsisto classified  ut " inter 64 MB  quod 127 MB".

>>>> Verus- universitas  exempoator
Permissum  nos have a  inviso a  verus- universitas  exempoator. In  unus  nostri  expertus  ratio  hardware  notitia  consisto of  sequens  duodeviginti bytes.

               0xC5 0x95 0x12 0xAC 0x01 0x6E 0x2C 0x32 
Converting  bytes  in H1  quod H2,  nos  sumo
                 H1 = 0xAC1295C5 quod H2 = 0x322C6E01 
Splitting H1  quod H2  concedo   tunc  traba  quibus  nos  tribuo   pendoof  sulum of   frenum- ager  quod   notitia  ex  quod  sulum  pendo  esttraho

   dw & | |   suboles |  pendo |  traho  ex  -------+-------+-----------------------------------------------
   H1 0 | 0x1C5 | '1234-ABCD'    H1 10 | 0x0A5 | '00C0DF089E44'    H1 20 | 0x37 | 'SCSICDROMPLEXTOR_CD\-ROM_PX-32TS__1.01'    H1 27 | 0x15 | 'PCIVEN_102BDEV_0519SUBSYS_00000000REV_01'\&&&    H2 0 | 0x1 | (novus,  usquequaque 0x1)    H2 3 | 0x00 | (CPU  serius  numerus  non  tendo)   H2 9 | 0x37 | 'SCSIDISKIBM_____DCAS\-34330______S65A'    H2 16 | 0x0C | 'PCIVEN_9004DEV_7178SUBSYS_00000000REV_03'\&&&    H2 21 | 0x1 | 'PCIVEN_8086DEV_7111SUBSYS_00000000REV_01'\&&&    H2 25 | 0x1 | 'GenuineIntel  Prosapia 6  Forma 3'    H2 28 | 0x3 | (ratio has 128 MB of RAM)    H2 31 | 0x0 | (ratio  est  non dockable) 
>>> Usura XPDec 
XPDec  est a  utilitas  futurus run  ex   to order  promptus. Is may  exsistoprecor  per  unus of  quattuor  to order  versus  bene  elatum  unus of  quattuornegotium

>>>> XPDec  ego
Is  bene enables  vos  ut  obvius   notitia  occultus  in an Installation ID. Is  pingo  Installation ID, decrypts  is,  quodpropono   pendo of  hardware  frenum- ager  pariter  ut   UberID of  vestri  uber. Servo  in  mens  ut   permaneo three digits of Uber ID  insum  Installation ID  es randomly  lego  quoddistinctus  ex   Uber ID  propono  per  Penitus  Rimor.

Solus argument  necessarius  pro  '-i'  bene  est  Installation ID, ut  in
 XPDec  ego 002666-077894-484890-114573-XXXXXX-XXXXXX-XXXXXX-XXXXXX-XX 
>>>> XPDec p 
Iuvo  vos  vestigium   satus of  vestri  Uber ID,  is  bene  pingo a Uber Key  quod  propono   Rudis  Uber Key  ut  is would  exsisto  adsuesco assuesco  in a Uber ID.

Solus argument  necessarius  pro  '-p'  bene  est   Uber Key,  ut  in
                XPDec p FFFFF-GGGGG-HHHHH-JJJJJ-KKKKK 
Nota  ut  is  bene does  non  quin  digital  subcriptio of Uber Key.

>>>> XPDec v 
Is  bene  computus   atrocitas of a  donatus  volubilis  serius  numerus. Iseram implemented  ut  inclitus  nostrum  genus of  ligamen  atrocitas. Primorisutor '-i'  ut  propono  hardware  frenum- ager. Tunc  utor  is  bene  utquin  nostrum  vindicatum  super   volubilis  serius  numerus  atrocitas.

Solus argument  necessarius  pro  '-v'  bene  est   volubilis  serius numerus of  vestri  ratio  volubilis,  ut  in
                          XPDec v 1234-ABCD 
(  volubilis  serius  numerus  est  secui of  'dir'  to order output.) 
>>>> XPDec  astus
Is  bene  computus  network  ingeniosus  frenum- agri  pendocohaereo  ut   donatus MAC  oratio. Similis  ut '-v'  is  bene eram implemented  ut a  testimonium of  informatio.

Solus argument  necessarius  pro  '-m'  bene  est  MAC  oratio of vestri network  ingeniosus,  ut  in
                      XPDec  astus 00-C0-DF-08-9E-44 
(utor  'route  procer  to order  usurpo  MAC  oratio of  vestrinetwork  ingeniosus) 
>> HARDWARE MODIFICATIONS 
Ut  vultus  procul   presencia of hardware modifications  in an  iamactivated installation of  Fenestra XP,   lima 'wpa.dbl'  obvius'system32' presul  lascivio a central  persona. Is  est a  simplexRC4-encrypted database  ut  repono,  inter  alius  res  amo expiration notitia  quod  Confirmation ID of an activated installation, 
  a)   frenum- agri  pendo  reddo  current hardware      configuration, 
  quod
  b)   frenum- agri  pendo  reddo  hardware configuration      procul   vicis of  uber activation.

Dum a)  est automatically updated  sulum  vicis  hardware configuration est modified  gratia  pondero  changes, b)  somes fixed. Hinc,b) can  exsisto  sententia of  ut a snapshot of  hardware configuration  procul  vicis of  uber activation.

Is snapshot does  nusquam esse  in  database  pro  uber activation quod  si  nos  foedus   amplitudo of 'wpa.dbl'  pro  quod  secundum activation, nos  mos  animadverto an  proventus  lima  amplitudo. Is  est  quoniam  snapshot  estadded  ut  database.

Ut  sentio  utrum re-activation  est  necesse,   frenum- agri  pendo of a)  es  foedus  ut   frenum- agri  pendo of b), i.e.  current hardware configuration  est  foedus  ut  hardware configuration  procul  vicis of activation.

>>> Non-dockable computer 
Typically  totus  frenum- ager  per   eximius of   novus  agri  quod 'dockable'  agri  es  foedus. Si  praeter three  illorum ten frenum- ager have changed  in a)  utpote product activation, re-activation is required.

This means, for example, that in our above real-world example, we could replace the harddrive and the CD-ROM drive and substantially upgrade our RAM without having to re-activate our Windows XP installation.

However, if we completely re-installed Windows XP, the information in b) would be lost and we would have to re-activate our installation, even if we had not changed our hardware.

>>> Dockable computer 
If bit 31 of H2 indicates that our computer supports a docking station, however, only seven of the ten bit-fields mentioned above are compared. The bit-fields corresponding to the SCSI host adapter, the IDE controller, and the graphics board are omitted. But again, of these remaining seven bit-fields, only up to three may change without requiring re-activation.

>> CONCLUSIONS 
In this paper we have given a technical overview of Windows Product Activation as implemented in Windows XP. We have shown what information the data transmitted during product activation is derived from and how hardware upgrades affect an already activated installation.

Looking at the technical details of WPA, we do not think that it is as problematic as many people have expected. We think so, because WPA is tolerant with respect to hardware modifications. In addition, it is likely that more than one hardware component map to a certain value for a given bit-field. From the above real-world example we know that the PX-32TS maps to the value 0x37 = 55. But there are probably many other CD-ROM drives that map to the same value. Hence, it is impossible to tell from the bit-field value whether it is a PX-32TS that we are using or one of the other drives that map to the same value.

In contrast to many critics of Windows Product Activation, we think that WPA does not prevent typical hardware modifications and, moreover, respects the user's right to privacy.

>> ABOUT THE AUTHORS 
Fully Licensed GmbH is a start-up company focusing on novel approaches to online software licensing and distribution. Have a look at their website at 
                      http:/www.licenturion.com  
for more information.

Their research branch every now and then analyzes licensing solutions implemented by other companies.

>> COPYRIGHT 
Copyright (C) 2001 Fully Licensed GmbH (www.licenturion.com) All rights reserved.