Description of Microsoft Product Activation (302806)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition
  • Microsoft Windows XP Professional
  • Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
  • Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003, Premium Edition
  • Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003, Standard Edition
  • Microsoft Office Professional Edition 2003
  • Microsoft Office Small Business Edition 2003
  • Microsoft Office Standard Edition 2003
  • Microsoft Office XP
  • Microsoft Office XP (Setup) Service Pack 1 (SP-1)
  • Microsoft Office XP (Setup) Service Pack 2 (SP-2)
  • Microsoft Office XP Application Error Report
  • Microsoft Office XP Developer Edition
  • Microsoft Office XP Document Imaging
  • Microsoft Office XP Document Scanning
  • Microsoft Office XP Multilingual User Interface Pack
  • Microsoft Office XP Pack for Tablet PC
  • Microsoft Office XP Professional
  • Microsoft Office XP Professional Service Pack 1 (SP-1)
  • Microsoft Office XP Professional Service Pack 2 (SP-2)
  • Microsoft Office XP Proofing Tools Kit
  • Microsoft Office XP Small Business
  • Microsoft Office XP Small Business Service Pack 1 (SP-1)
  • Microsoft Office XP Small Business Service Pack 2 (SP-2)
  • Microsoft Office XP Standard
  • Microsoft Office XP Standard Service Pack 1 (SP-1)
  • Microsoft Office XP Standard Service Pack 2 (SP-2)
  • Microsoft Office XP Web Components
  • Microsoft Office XP Web Components SP-1
  • Microsoft Office XP Students and Teachers
  • Microsoft Access 2002
  • Microsoft Excel 2002
  • Microsoft FrontPage 2002
  • Microsoft Outlook 2002
  • Microsoft PowerPoint 2002
  • Microsoft Word 2002
This article was previously published under Q302806

INTRODUCTION

This article discusses Microsoft Product Activation (MPA). MPA is an umbrella term for technology such as Windows Product Activation (WPA) in Microsoft Windows XP and Office Activation Wizard (OAW) in Microsoft Office XP.

MORE INFORMATION

MPA is designed to reduce software piracy. For Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) licenses, MPA reinforces the End User License Agreement (EULA). Each pre-installation is a single unit license that is not transferable to another computer. Products that include MPA technology must be activated with the Microsoft License Clearinghouse. To track individual licenses, standard installations of MPA-enabled products require a unique product key.
Microsoft is committed to the protection of intellectual property rights and to the reduction of software piracy. MPA is one way that Microsoft is working toward this commitment. The concept of MPA is not new to Microsoft products. Microsoft successfully piloted this technology with Microsoft Office 2000 in seven countries: United States, Canada, Brazil, China, Hong Kong, New Zealand, and Australia.

MPA is designed to stop a form of piracy that is known as casual copying. Casual copying is the sharing of a single license for a product across multiple, unlicensed installations.

For example, a customer purchases a copy of Windows XP and installs it on a computer. Then, this customer loans the media to a neighbor, who installs it on a different computer. The second installation is not legitimate and MPA is designed to prevent that unlicensed use.

MPA works by activating a product in accordance with the EULA that is included with the purchase of a genuine Microsoft product. Product activation is different from product registration (even though they share user interface space in Office XP). Activation is designed to authenticate and activate the software package. Activation does not require that the user provides any personally identifiable information. Users can register the product and supply personal information if they want to. With the registration, customers are automatically notified of updates and changes.

Piracy

MPA is aimed at reducing software piracy. Software piracy is an industry-wide problem. Software piracy affects not just software manufacturers, but the whole software industry, including wholesale and retail resellers, customer support providers, and the honest paying customer.

Casual copying is the sharing of software between people. Casual copying accounts for a significant proportion of piracy losses. MPA will make it more difficult to counterfeit Microsoft software.

Microsoft Product Activation

MPA is software-based and requires no hardware keys (dongles), floppy disks, or other external tools. MPA is intrinsic to the software. MPA is easy to complete. For many users it is only required one time for the life of the product.

Note Some users may have to reactivate MPA if they upgrade a significant number of components in their computer. For licensing issues, see the installation's EULA for more information.

During Internet activation, digital certificates are exchanged between the user and Microsoft. Manual telephone activation provides the user with a 42-digit Confirmation ID. The activation data that is exchanged is used only for the purpose of activation. Activation can be anonymous and requires no personally identifiable information from the end user.

Four major components of MPA

Product software

The product software runs on the user's computer and contains the product activation executable code. It generates the Installation Identifier, contacts the Microsoft License Clearinghouse upon user request, and processes the Confirmation Identifier/License that the clearinghouse returns.

Installation identifier

The Installation identifier (ID) represents the user's software installation and is made up of a Product ID (PID) and a Hardware Identifier (HWID). The PID is generated from the product key that is used during installation. Typically, the PID is located on the CD case or on the Certificate of Authenticity (COA). A unique PID is created with every genuine Microsoft product. MPA uses this PID as the basis for making sure that the product installation that is being activated meets the terms of the EULA. The Hardware ID is generated from various general components of the computer. These components do not contain any personally identifiable information, and the Hardware ID is used only for activation.

Confirmation identifier

The Confirmation Identifier (ID) contains the signed license number that is used to activate the software. The Confirmation ID is based upon the Installation ID and works only for the computer that is requesting it.

Microsoft License Clearinghouse

The Microsoft License Clearinghouse (CH) is managed by Microsoft. The CH processes the activation requests and issues the Confirmation ID. The CH is built upon Microsoft server products including Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server, Microsoft Internet Information Server, Microsoft SQL Server and Microsoft Certificate Server.

Microsoft Product Activation

The Office Activation Wizard (OAW) and the Windows Product Activation (WPA) are the two current technologies that handle anti-piracy in Microsoft Office XP and Microsoft Windows XP product lines, respectively. MPA is the umbrella term that encompasses both technologies. Both technologies are based on Microsoft PID 3.0 technology. OAW and WPA are separate technologies that have been implemented to combat software piracy.

Important MPA is not designed to track users of Microsoft software. Its purpose is to activate legitimate licenses for Microsoft Software.

MPA - Theory and practice

MPA is included in the Retail and OEM versions of Office XP and in Windows XP. To complete the activation of these products, users can use any one of the following methods:
  • The MPA-enabled product authenticates over the Internet.
  • Regional and localized call centers (Microsoft Licensing Clearing Houses) will handle direct contact with customers. Where available, these call centers will be toll free.
After users reach a Microsoft Licensing Clearinghouse, the PID and a HWID are combined to produce a valid Installation ID. The Clearinghouse validates the Installation ID. If the validation is successful, the Clearinghouse returns a license (if the user is using online activation) or a Confirmation ID (if the user is using manual telephone activation). The software will then verify that it is activated at various points. In Windows, this verification occurs every time that a user logs on to the computer. The Office experience is slightly different. OAW checking occurs each time that an Office program starts.

Office Activation Wizard

A user can run Office programs a total of fifty times without having to activate Office. During this time, Office reminds the user at the start of any Office program to activate in the manner that is described during startup. If the user does not activate within fifty starts of any combination of Office programs, the user's license rights are limited under the terms of the EULA and Office switches to a reduced functionality mode. The user cannot reset this value by reinstalling Office.

Activation can be anonymous with no personally identifiable information required. One major difference between WPA and OAW is the way that the grace period is handled. You can start Office 50 times before the functionality of the installation is reduced by the disabling of the New and Save options. This behavior starts with the fifty-first start of an Office program. To obtain full use of the Office installation, the user must complete the activation.

Windows Product Activation (WPA)

Users can run Windows for 30 days before they must activate the product. In Windows, users are reminded with increasing frequency as they near the end of the 30-day grace period to activate in the manner that is described while the Setup program runs. If users do not activate by the end of the grace period, they must activate upon the next logon. Users cannot use the full Windows functionality until they successfully complete activation.

Note To activate manually through a voice phone call, use your regional phone number on the activation screens.

Web sites

For more information, see online Help, and visit the following Microsoft Web sites:

http://www.microsoft.com/piracy

http://www.microsoft.com/piracy/activation_facts.mspx

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/evaluation/features/activation.mspx

http://www.microsoft.com/piracy/activation_volume.mspx

http://www.microsoft.com/piracy/activation_myths.mspx

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/evaluation/features/activation.mspx

http://www.microsoft.com/piracy/activation_how.mspx

Knowledge Base articles

For additional information about Microsoft product activation, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

299840 How to use Sysprep with Windows Product Activation or Volume License media to deploy Windows XP

291997 How to activate Windows XP by using an Unattend.txt file

300273 OFFXP: Cannot activate OEM edition more than one time

298088 OFFXP: How to obtain a Volume License Key for Enterprise editions of Office

293477 About the Microsoft Activation Wizard privacy policy

293466 Reduced functionality, missing menu commands, and unavailable features in Visio

293151 About Office activation and reduced functionality

291983 Ports that are used by Windows Product Activation

299056 An error message is displayed when you run Windows Product Registration

289657 Out of Box Experience (OOBE) does not run after Setup completes

Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:4/11/2006
Keywords:kbMSCCSearch kbPubTypeKC kbenv kbinfo KB302806
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