http://netsecurity.about.com/od/windowsxp/qt/aaqtwinxp0829.

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Transferring Windows ! "cti#ation $nformation
To tell you the truth, I have never understood what the big deal is with product activation. The fact is that software
piracy is rampant, and Microsoft is the target for a large percentage of the piracy due to their dominance in the
market. They have a right to try to stop or at least control that privacy, and the product activation seems to be a fair
way of ensuring that only legitimate software owners get to benefit from using it.
That said, I know many users abhor the process. It may be because they have had problems activating and have
had to call the toll-free number and wait to talk to a Microsoft support agent who then read them some 27-
character long activation code. !"#, that$s slight e%aggeration.& "r maybe they 'ust feel that it is some sort of
invasion of privacy or that Microsoft is acting as ()ig )rother( and monitoring their actions.
*o matter the reason, there are plenty of users who would rather never go through the product activation process
again. +nfortunately for those users, they may very well run into a situation where they do. ,roduct activation
monitors the system configuration. If it detects a ma'or hardware change or even too many minor hardware
changes within a set number of days !I believe it$s -. days before it resets& then it crosses the threshold and
re/uires reactivation.
+sers who reformat their hard drive and perform a clean installation of the operating system will find that they
need to reactivate the product. )ut, as long as the new installation is on the same system and there won$t be any
hardware changes, it is possible to transfer the e%isting product activation and skip having to go through the
product activation process again. 0ollow the steps below to save the activation status information in 1indows 2,
and restore it once your system is rebuilt. !1e also have instructions on how to change the 1indows activation key
in 1indows 7 and1indows 3ista.&
-. 4ouble-click My 5omputer.
2. 4ouble-click on the (5( drive.
6. 7o to the 5891indows9:ystem62 folder. !;ou may have to click on the link that says (:how The
contents of this folder.(&
<. 0ind the files (wpa.dbl( and (wpa.bak( and copy them to a safe location. ;ou can copy them on a floppy
drive or burn it onto a 54 or 434.
=. >fter you have reinstalled 1indows 2, on your reformatted hard drive, click (*o( when asked if you
want to go ahead and go through the activation process.
?. @eboot your computer into :afeMode. !;ou can either press 0 as 1indows is booting up to see the
1indows >dvanced "ptions menu and select :>0A)""TB",TI"*CMinimal, or you can follow the
instructions in :tarting 1indows 2, in :afeMode.
7. 4ouble-click My 5omputer.
. 4ouble-click on the (5( drive.
D. 7o to the 5891indows9:ystem62 folder. !;ou may have to click on the link that says (:how The
contents of this folder.(&
-.. 0ind the file (wpa.dbl( and (wpa.bak( !if it e%ists& and rename them to (wpadbl.new( and
(wpabak.new.(
--. 5opy your original (wpa.dbl( and (wpa.bak( files from your floppy disk, 54 or 434 into the
5891indows9:ystem62 folder.
-2. @estart your system. !If you followed the directions in :tarting 1indows 2, in :afeMode, you may
need to go back into M:5"*0I7 to turn off booting into :afeMode&.
3oilaE ;our 1indows 2, operating system is now reinstalled on your reformatted hard drive, and you are all
activated without having to actually go through the product activation process.
@emember, though, this won$t work for transferring activation information from one computer to another or if you
alter the hardware, because then the information contained in your (wpa.dbl( file will not match the configuration
of the computer. This trick is only for reinstalling 1indows 2, on the e%act same computer after formatting the
hard drive.