Windows Server 2003 "Activation"

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Can't find a newsgroup for Windows Server 2003 so I post here. English-language version

Page http://www.microsoft.com/piracy/basics/activation/mpafaq.as
says in part
Common changes to hardware such as upgrading a video card
adding a second hard disk drive, adding RAM or upgrading
CD-ROM device will not require the system to be reactivated

Page http://www.microsoft.com/piracy/basics/activation/mpafaq.as
says in part
The 10 hardware characteristics used to determine th
hardware hash are: Display Adapter, SCSI Adapter, ID
Adapter, Network Adapter MAC Address, RAM Amount Rang
(i.e. 0-64mb, 64-128mb, etc), Processor Type, Processo
Serial Number, Hard Drive Device, Hard Drive Volume Seria
Number, CD?ROM / CD-RW / DVD-ROM

Questions

1. Upgrading a video card does, or does not, change the Display Adapter characteristic of the hardware hash while not requiring the system to be reactivated

2. Adding a second hard disk drive does, or does not, change the Hard Drive Device characteristic of the hardware hash while not requiring the system to be reactivated

3. Adding RAM (e.g. by a factor of 2 or a factor of 8 in order to yield a usable system) does, or does not, change the RAM Amount Range characteristic of the hardware hash while not requiring the system to be reactivated

4. Upgrading a CD-ROM device does or does not change the CD-ROM / CD-RW / DVD-ROM characteristic of the hardware hash while not requiring the system to be reactivated

Additional questions related to my suspicions

5. When I did not reformat partition F: and did not remove partition F: from a computer but simply installed Windows Server 2003 on partition F: and copied files WPA.DBL and WPA.BAK from directory F:\WINNT\SYSTEM32 to directory G:\WINNT\SYSTEM32, the installation on partition G: wouldn't even let me log on and announced that it required activation first. The 60-day period (MSDN) wasn't even 1 day old yet. Which hardware characteristics changed without my knowledge

Page http://www.microsoft.com/piracy/basics/activation/mpafaq.as
says in part
Product Activation does not scan the customer's hard drive
detect any personal information, or determine the make, mode
or manufacturer of the PC or its components

6. Let's try again to figure out how upgrades to the make, model or manufacturer of the PC's components such as video card, disk drive, RAM, and CD-ROM device won't require the system to be reactivated even though the Display Adapter, Hard Drive Device, RAM Amount Range, and CD-ROM / CD-RW / DVD-ROM are characteristics of the hardware cache. Maybe it is because the hardware hash really isn't determined by the actual make, model or manufacturer of the PC's components at all, but the hardware hash is determined by the presumed make, model or manufacturer of the PC's components as stated in DRIVERS? Arbitrary changes to hardware are irrelevant to the hardware hash, but upgrade too many of them and we'll have to reactivate

Does anyone really know how to reconcile statements made i
page http://www.microsoft.com/piracy/basics/activation/mpafaq.as
with statements made i
page http://www.microsoft.com/piracy/basics/activation/mpafaq.as
an
page http://www.microsoft.com/piracy/basics/activation/mpafaq.as
 
--------------------
From: "=?Utf-8?B?Tm9ybWFuIERpYW1vbmQ=?=" <[email protected]>
Subject: Windows Server 2003 "Activation"
Date: Mon, 1 Mar 2004 18:36:06 -0800
Newsgroups: microsoft.public.win2000.advanced_server

Can't find a newsgroup for Windows Server 2003 so I post here. English-language version
Click to expand...



Page http://www.microsoft.com/piracy/basics/activation/mpafaq.as

says in part

Common changes to hardware such as upgrading a video card

adding a second hard disk drive, adding RAM or upgrading

CD-ROM device will not require the system to be reactivated



Page http://www.microsoft.com/piracy/basics/activation/mpafaq.as

says in part

The 10 hardware characteristics used to determine th

hardware hash are: Display Adapter, SCSI Adapter, ID

Adapter, Network Adapter MAC Address, RAM Amount Rang

(i.e. 0-64mb, 64-128mb, etc), Processor Type, Processo

Serial Number, Hard Drive Device, Hard Drive Volume Seria

Number, CD?ROM / CD-RW / DVD-ROM



Questions



1. Upgrading a video card does, or does not, change the Display Adapter characteristic of the hardware hash while not
requiring the system to be reactivated



2. Adding a second hard disk drive does, or does not, change the Hard Drive Device characteristic of the hardware hash
while not requiring the system to be reactivated



3. Adding RAM (e.g. by a factor of 2 or a factor of 8 in order to yield a usable system) does, or does not, change the RAM
Amount Range characteristic of the hardware hash while not requiring the system to be reactivated



4. Upgrading a CD-ROM device does or does not change the CD-ROM / CD-RW / DVD-ROM characteristic of the
hardware hash while not requiring the system to be reactivated



Additional questions related to my suspicions



5. When I did not reformat partition F: and did not remove partition F: from a computer but simply installed Windows Server
2003 on partition F: and copied files WPA.DBL and WPA.BAK from directory F:\WINNT\SYSTEM32 to directory G:\WINNT
\SYSTEM32, the installation on partition G: wouldn't even let me log on and announced that it required activation first. The
60-day period (MSDN) wasn't even 1 day old yet. Which hardware characteristics changed without my knowledge



Page http://www.microsoft.com/piracy/basics/activation/mpafaq.as

says in part

Product Activation does not scan the customer's hard drive

detect any personal information, or determine the make, mode

or manufacturer of the PC or its components



6. Let's try again to figure out how upgrades to the make, model or manufacturer of the PC's components such as video
card, disk drive, RAM, and CD-ROM device won't require the system to be reactivated even though the Display Adapter,
Hard Drive Device, RAM Amount Range, and CD-ROM / CD-RW / DVD-ROM are characteristics of the hardware cache.
Maybe it is because the hardware hash really isn't determined by the actual make, model or manufacturer of the PC's
components at all, but the hardware hash is determined by the presumed make, model or manufacturer of the PC's
components as stated in DRIVERS? Arbitrary changes to hardware are irrelevant to the hardware hash, but upgrade too
many of them and we'll have to reactivate



Does anyone really know how to reconcile statements made i

page http://www.microsoft.com/piracy/basics/activation/mpafaq.as

with statements made i

page http://www.microsoft.com/piracy/basics/activation/mpafaq.as

an

page http://www.microsoft.com/piracy/basics/activation/mpafaq.as



--

How does MPA determine tolerance? How many components of the computer can I change before I have to reactivate?

Common changes to hardware, such as upgrading a video card, adding a second hard disk, adding RAM, or upgrading a
CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive, do not require reactivation.

Specifically, MPA determines tolerance by using a point system. There are 10 hardware characteristics that are used to
create the hardware hash. Each characteristic is equal to 1 point, except the network card, which is equal to 3 points.
Tolerance is determined by what has not changed, instead of what has changed. If the current hardware hash is compared
to the original hardware hash, there have to be 7 or more matching points for the two hardware hashes to be considered in
tolerance. For example, if the network card, which is equal to 3 points, remains the same, only 4 additional points have to
match. If the network card has been changed, a total of 7 points have to match. If the device is a portable computer
(specifically a dockable device), additional tolerance is allotted and only 4 matching points are required. Therefore, if the
device is dockable and the network card has not changed, only one additional point has to be the same, for a total of 4
points. If the device is dockable and the network card has changed, a total of 4 points have to match.


Are the changes cumulative? If I change one component today, and then change one component tomorrow, is that
considered two component changes?

The changes are cumulative; however, if a user is asked to reactivate, the hardware profile is reset to the new
configuration.


What are the 10 hardware characteristics that are used to determine the hardware hash?

The following 10 hardware characteristics are used to determine the hardware hash:

- Display adapter
- SCSI adapter
- IDE adapter
- Network adapter media access control address
- RAM amount range (for example, 0-64MB or 64-128MB)
- Processor type
- Processor serial number
- Hard disk device
- Hard disk volume serial number
- CD-ROM/CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive

Bill Peele
Microsoft Enterprise Support

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights. Use of included script samples are subject to the
terms specified at http://www.microsoft.com/info/cpyright.htm

Note: For the benefit of the community-at-large, all responses to this message are best directed to the newsgroup/thread
from which they originated.
 
Microsoft read my posting, Microsoft quoted the same parts of Microsoft's web site that I quoted, Microsoft did not explain any of the self-contradictions in Microsoft's web site, and Microsoft did not answer any of my questions. Why is this situation so familiar

By the way, when I installed Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition English language version in my G: partition and copied files wpa.dbl and wpa.bak from my F: partition (also Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition English language version) to my G: partition, I DID NOT CHANGE THE DISPLAY ADAPTER, I DID NOT CHANGE THE (NONEXISTENT) SCSI ADAPTER, I DID NOT CHANGE THE IDE ADAPTER, I DID NOT CHANGE THE NIC MAC ADDRESS, I DID NOT CHANGE THE AMOUNT OF RAM, I DID NOT CHANGE THE PROCESSOR TYPE, I DID NOT CHANGE THE PROCESSOR SERIAL NUMBER, I DID NOT CHANGE THE HARD DISK DEVICE, I DID NOT CHANGE ANY OF THE HARD DISK VOLUME SERIAL NUMBERS (PARTITIONS C: THROUGH G:), AND I DID NOT CHANGE THE DVD-ROM DRIVE. WPA did not care. The installation on G: instantly stopped letting me log in while the installation on F: continued letting me log in there. Will Microsoft ever state the correct rules?
 
--------------------
From: "=?Utf-8?B?Tm9ybWFuIERpYW1vbmQ=?=" <[email protected]>
Subject: RE: Windows Server 2003 "Activation"
Date: Wed, 3 Mar 2004 16:46:08 -0800
Newsgroups: microsoft.public.win2000.advanced_server

Microsoft read my posting, Microsoft quoted the same parts of Microsoft's web site that I quoted, Microsoft did not explain
Click to expand...
any of the self-contradictions in Microsoft's web site, and Microsoft did not answer any of my questions. Why is this situation
so familiar



By the way, when I installed Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition English language version in my G: partition and
copied files wpa.dbl and wpa.bak from my F: partition (also Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition English language
version) to my G: partition, I DID NOT CHANGE THE DISPLAY ADAPTER, I DID NOT CHANGE THE (NONEXISTENT)
SCSI ADAPTER, I DID NOT CHANGE THE IDE ADAPTER, I DID NOT CHANGE THE NIC MAC ADDRESS, I DID NOT
CHANGE THE AMOUNT OF RAM, I DID NOT CHANGE THE PROCESSOR TYPE, I DID NOT CHANGE THE
PROCESSOR SERIAL NUMBER, I DID NOT CHANGE THE HARD DISK DEVICE, I DID NOT CHANGE ANY OF THE
HARD DISK VOLUME SERIAL NUMBERS (PARTITIONS C: THROUGH G:), AND I DID NOT CHANGE THE DVD-ROM
DRIVE. WPA did not care. The installation on G: instantly stopped letting me log in while the installation on F: continued
letting me log in there. Will Microsoft ever state the correct rules?
---

I apologize I figured the information I post was enough to answer your questions. Lets see if we can do a better job of it.

For you original questions 1 - 4, changing any one of these devices will not cause you to have to re-activate but it will cause
the points of the hardware hash to change. Assuming your system is a desktop, once less than 7 points of the hardware
hash remain unchanged, the changes are cumlative, you will be prompted to re-activate. An example of this would be
changing your video card today would be a one point change, changing your CD-ROM a month from now would also be a
one point change making for a total change of 2 point since the last activation but as long as 7 poinst or more remain
unchanged we would not need to re-activate. How ever as soon as only 6 point or less remain unchanged then we would
need to re-activate.

With question 5 you ask why the Windows 2003 install on drive G: would not work when you put the WPA.DBL and
WPA.BAK files from the installation on drive F: in the System32 folder on drive G: since none of the hardware information
had changed. The hardware hash is used to determine when re-activation of the current installation is required but it is not
the only thing that makes the WPA files valid. Since the two installations have completely different Security IDs the install
on drive G: does not recognize the files you copied from the F: drive as valid and is there for asking that the sytem be re-
activated. All of the information, at least that I have seen on the web, normally clearly states the WPA files can be used to
re-activate the same installation if their is a problem but they cannot be used to get around activating another installation.

Did I miss addressing any of your points? If so, please let me know and I will try to address it.

Bill Peele
Microsoft Enterprise Support

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights. Use of included script samples are subject to the
terms specified at http://www.microsoft.com/info/cpyright.htm

Note: For the benefit of the community-at-large, all responses to this message are best directed to the newsgroup/thread
from which they originated.
 
----- Bill Peele [MS] wrote: ----

For you original questions 1 - 4, changing any one of these devices will not cause you to have to re-activate but it will cause
the points of the hardware hash to change. Assuming your system is a desktop, once less than 7 points of the hardware
hash remain unchanged, the changes are cumlative, you will be prompted to re-activate

Thank you, this partially answers my question. (Next you partially answer more and we'll get back to that in a moment.) Actually I saw a mention of cumulativeness in the cited MS web page, but was still troubled because of the blanket nature of the statements which I quoted. The page would be improved quite a lot by changing the "answers" that changing a CD-ROM will not require reactivation, changing a video card will not require reactivation, etc. If these answers would say that each individual change would not require reactivation if it is the only change, but warn right off the bat that the changes are cumulative, then a lot of the self-contradictions in the page would go away

With question 5 you ask why the Windows 2003 install on drive G: would not work when you put the WPA.DBL and
WPA.BAK files from the installation on drive F: in the System32 folder on drive G: since none of the hardware information
had changed. The hardware hash is used to determine when re-activation of the current installation is required but it is not
the only thing that makes the WPA files valid. Since the two installations have completely different Security IDs the install
on drive G: does not recognize the files you copied from the F: drive as valid and is there for asking that the sytem be re
activated. All of the information, at least that I have seen on the web, normally clearly states the WPA files can be used to
re-activate the same installation if their is a problem but they cannot be used to get around activating another installation

This seems to be a partial answer to my question, and I thank you very much for the effort. But something still seems odd. I also saw information in a different web page that the WPA files can be used to reactivate the same installation -- in a case when the hard disk has been formatted and the same installation was reinstalled. When the hard disk has been formatted and the same installation is reinstalled, doesn't it get a new SID? How can it be that the new SID causes problems sometimes but not other times

This also leads to a new question

6. An MSDN subscriber is allowed to activate Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition on a maximum of 10 machines. If three installations on one machine are all activated, will Microsoft's system understand that only 1 machine is involved so far and 9 more machines will still be allowed in the future

In case of any doubt, this is a serious issue. I install redundant copies on the same machine for various purposes, including different language versions, different drivers, and trial installations of applications. In each case, if a "crash box" version of an installation does what I want, then I proceed to make the same update to the main version(s). I will probably end up with two main versions, one in English and one in Japanese, but so far I only activated one in English. I've also figured out that I want to wipe the one which is already activated in English and make a bigger partition for it. Recalling how many times I reinstalled Windows 2000 on one machine, I worry that ten activations will get used up really quickly unless Microsoft understands that these are all on one machine.
 
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