What files do I have to back up in XP to not have to reactivate? I'm staying on the same hardware, and I just like to clean format every so often.
xp activation
- Thread starter CTho9305
- Start date
I don't believe there is anything you can backup to avoid activation.
That would be a nice hack and we wouldn't be able to talk about it here.
If it's been 3+ months since you last installed it, your XP will activate normally over the web.
But this concern and worry is exactly the kind of hassle we power users hate and find wrong with the whole product activation mess.
We just want to reformat and have to deal with anxiety about whether it will go smoothly, becasue big Bill doesn't think he's rich enuf.
That would be a nice hack and we wouldn't be able to talk about it here.
If it's been 3+ months since you last installed it, your XP will activate normally over the web.
But this concern and worry is exactly the kind of hassle we power users hate and find wrong with the whole product activation mess.
We just want to reformat and have to deal with anxiety about whether it will go smoothly, becasue big Bill doesn't think he's rich enuf.
I kind of remember an article mentioning this before. But if the hardware changes, the file wont match up. So its really only good on the same machine (IIRC).
That would be a nice hack and we wouldn't be able to talk about it here.
If it's been 3+ months since you last installed it, your XP will activate normally over the web.
But this concern and worry is exactly the kind of hassle we power users hate and find wrong with the whole product activation mess.
We just want to reformat and have to deal with anxiety about whether it will go smoothly, becasue big Bill doesn't think he's rich enuf.
Thats not the reason WPA exists.
Search google.com for the answer. I know its out there, but like Slogun mentioned, this may not be the right topic for the forums.
Hmm, n0cmonkey was right, I found this...
"The WPA.DBL file resides in the Windows\system32 directory and holds the hardware configuration information and activation state of the current Windows XP installation. The WPA.DBL file is actually an RC4-encrypted database of the expiration info of your installation, the confirmation of activation, the hardware configuration at activation time, and the current hardware configuration. When you first install Windows XP, this file is approximately 2K in size--not much more than a stub file. When you activate Windows, this file grows to approximately 12K-13K, recording the hardware status of your machine. At each boot, Windows analyzes your current hardware and compares it to the stored configuration information to see if it has changed. When you make hardware changes, Windows makes a note of the changes in the WPA file, but keeps the original configuration for reference. If you make too many changes, Windows XP will reset the WPA.DBL file back to its original non-activated (2K file size) state, and you have to reactivate.
As mentioned above, the WPA.DBL file can be backed up to permit activation if you reload Windows XP. You can also experiment with different hardware configurations, as we did in preparation for this article. You would back up WPA.DBL for each configuration change, so you can roll back whenever desired, similar to what developers may do frequently, as mentioned above. If you save a copy of the WPA.DBL file at each change of hardware, you can roll back to almost any state. "
BTW, I did not say that hassling reformaters was microsoft's intention, just one of the many negative attributes and byproducts of activation.
"The WPA.DBL file resides in the Windows\system32 directory and holds the hardware configuration information and activation state of the current Windows XP installation. The WPA.DBL file is actually an RC4-encrypted database of the expiration info of your installation, the confirmation of activation, the hardware configuration at activation time, and the current hardware configuration. When you first install Windows XP, this file is approximately 2K in size--not much more than a stub file. When you activate Windows, this file grows to approximately 12K-13K, recording the hardware status of your machine. At each boot, Windows analyzes your current hardware and compares it to the stored configuration information to see if it has changed. When you make hardware changes, Windows makes a note of the changes in the WPA file, but keeps the original configuration for reference. If you make too many changes, Windows XP will reset the WPA.DBL file back to its original non-activated (2K file size) state, and you have to reactivate.
As mentioned above, the WPA.DBL file can be backed up to permit activation if you reload Windows XP. You can also experiment with different hardware configurations, as we did in preparation for this article. You would back up WPA.DBL for each configuration change, so you can roll back whenever desired, similar to what developers may do frequently, as mentioned above. If you save a copy of the WPA.DBL file at each change of hardware, you can roll back to almost any state. "
BTW, I did not say that hassling reformaters was microsoft's intention, just one of the many negative attributes and byproducts of activation.
You act surprised
Yeah, I can remember vague references to things like this, but what the heck did I have for breakfast?!
PliotronX
Diamond Member
- Oct 17, 1999
- 8,883
- 107
- 106
Nah, but penguin sounds good (sorry, cant link to the pic, its inapprpriate)
I had to reformat my system not even a month after initial activation and the web activation worked just fine the second time too.
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