when using a WinXP computer that was installed with the key?
• User would get non-genuine nags at startup, login, and randomly during use. This is part of the user experience when a key is marked as non-genuine: • At login: • Random nags: • Would be unable to download non-critical updates from microsoft.com, such as IE7. • All systems, including those that fail to pass validation, will receive critical security updates. • The end-user’s ability to use the machine is not seriously affected. The non-genuine notifications would not be more than an annoyance for most users in most situations. • What’s the difference between activation and validation on Windows XP? • Windows Product Activation (WPA) ties your product key (and thus your Product ID, or PID) to your computer by creating an installation ID. The installation ID is made up of your PID and a PC identifier, called a hardware ID, or HWID. The installation ID is sent to a Microsoft license clearing-house, which checks that Microsoft manufactured that PID and that the PID has not been used to i
