Technical Activation Details What data is Microsoft gathering as part of activation?
The only information required to activate is an installation ID (and, for Office XP and Visio 2002, the name of the country in which the product is being installed). The only purpose of the installation ID is to facilitate activation. It is made up of two components: the product ID generated from the product key and a hardware hash generated from the PCs hardware configuration. Microsoft Product Activation uses a hash algorithm to generate the identifier and does not scan the customers hard drive, detect any personal information, or determine the make, model or manufacturer of the PC or its components. For example, lets assume that a hash of the PCs color is used as part of the installation ID. The hash could be the high four bits of the color. That color would always produce the same high four bits, but you could not use those high four bits to determine the color. For users who activate over the Internet, the installation ID is sent electronically. For users who activate by telephone
