Microsoft Posts Steps to Change XP Keys

Phantasm66 · Sep 25, 2002

Microsoft Posts Steps to Change XP Keys
September 25, 2002
By David Worthington, Special to eWeek

An interesting turnabout took place over last weekend when Microsoft Corp. posted on its Product Support Services Web site a detailed knowledge base article that provides step-by-step instructions on how to change volume-licensed product keys for Windows XP.

But the move, which started as a customer service to help users legitimately change keys, could actually serve as a blueprint of sorts for hackers to access XP keys, some said.

Unlike consumer customers, Microsoft, of Redmond, Wash., provides XP to volume-licensed customers with keys that unlock re-quested applications and validate their installations. But shortly after XP's release last fall, hackers seized on a method of accessing such keys to open their pirated versions of the operating system.

The company moved to stave off those pirates with an update, Service Pack 1, that swapped compromised keys for more secure keys, and validated installations.

Microsoft posted its latest information on changing keys to reflect changes made to Service Pack One. But by releasing the information, the company has opened a window of opportunity for pirates to engage in a process of trial and error to find valid Windows product keys via leaks or key generators. Adding insult to injury, the software giant included sample scripts to automate the process of changing keys.

The practice of restricting the copying of CD keys took on the form of product activation with the release of Windows XP last fall, when the controversial technology first made its debut. Product activation limits the frequency of installations and balks at significant changes to PCs.

Users complained about possible privacy concerns and limited flexibility toward modifying their PCs while Microsoft maintained that it would stand by the practice of enforcing activation to dissuade piracy - after slightly liberalizing its settings. Corporate and other volume license customers dodged the bullet altogether, and were not required to activate given the nightmare scenario of an organization-wide upgrade.

The technique Microsoft provides closely resembles one published by a Windows enthusiast site in early September.

And a source within the company confirmed that a similar article was notated as Microsoft-only in the past, and that it was not to be revealed to everyday customers under any circumstances.

Microsoft spokesperson Allen Nieman said the move to post the steps online was based on cost and efficiency. "Customers who are licensed for Windows XP may have a legit need to change a key so we published the steps in lieu of them having to call us at support," he said. "It cuts down on support costs and the customer is happy with being able to find the information they need online."

He also suggested that customers who do unwittingly find themselves with a pirated key - for any reason - contact Microsoft's anti-piracy department.

Although Microsoft has admitted that IP technologies such as activation will eventually be broken, it has continued to push the gauntlet back as far as it possibly can with existing technology. Windows XP Service Pack one performs a virtual background check on a desktop's product key to validate the installation - cross listing keys with a list of rogue digits. This adds some more weight to enforcing licensing via activation. The information contained within the support article relegates these recent advances taken against piracy to a speed bump.

One Windows enthusiast Website posted a link to the knowledge base stating, "Feel free to peruse the page and a hearty congrats are in order for the prompt pro-active way the boys at M$ got on the bandwagon (of software piracy)."

Initially, the Service Pack created a dilemma for thousands of unauthorized users who wished to upgrade their systems to code that embodied a year of developments in security and bug fixes. Concessions to the Department of Justice that hide Windows components are also included in the release.

Service Pack One also includes an unaccounted number of security enhancements uncovered as the result of the company's trustworthy computing initiative, aimed at making Microsoft products dramatically more secure. It was also intended to thwart pirates. However, it does not fulfill either of those goals entirely.

Some fixes included in the Service Pack have yet to be made public - let alone have a standalone hotfix - making the service pack a true critical update. Microsoft's Jim Cullinan told eWeek that the company prefers to strike a balance with disclosure since many users do not readily apply security updates.

Microsoft claims that undocumented fixes are sometimes the best avenue to secure Windows. Often, hackers use information in security bulletins to construct rogue applications to strike unwitting users.

An overview of changes made to activation in Service Pack One has been published on the Microsoft Website for home users and volume customers.

source: http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,3959,555024,00.asp

Phantasm66 · Sep 25, 2002

And here is the lovely Microsoft Knowledge Base Article here!

HOW TO: Change the Volume Licensing Product Key on a Windows XP SP1-Based Computer

Microsoft Knowledge Base Article - Q328874

The information in this article applies to:
Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP1

IMPORTANT: This article contains information about modifying the registry. Before you modify the registry, make sure to back it up and make sure that you understand how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For information about how to back up, restore, and edit the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q256986 Description of the Microsoft Windows Registry
IN THIS TASK
SUMMARY
Use the Activation Wizard
Use a Script
ChangeVLKeySP1.vbs
ChangeVLKey2600.vbs
Example
SUMMARY
This article describes how to change the Windows XP product key in a Volume Licensing installation.

Because of changes in Windows XP Service Pack 1 (SP1), Windows XP-based computers that use a leaked product key that is known to be available to the general public may not be able to install SP1 or automatically obtain updates from the Windows Update Web site. For example, you may experience the symptoms that are described in the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article when you install SP1:

Q326904 Error Message: The Product Key Used to Install Windows Is Invalid
There are two methods that you can use to change the product key with volume licensing media after installation. You can use either the Windows Activation Wizard graphical user interface (GUI) or a Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) script.

The easier method to use is the Use the Activation Wizard method. Use this method when you only have a few computers on which to change the product key. The Use a Script method is best when you have a number of computers on which you have to change the product key.

back to the top
Use the Activation Wizard
If you have only a few volume licensing product keys to change, you can use the Activation Wizard.

NOTE: Microsoft recommends that you run System Restore to create a new restore point before you complete the following steps. For information about how to create a restore point by using System Restore, see the "To Create a Restore Point" help topic in Help and Support.

WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

Click Start, and then click Run.
In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK.
In the left pane, locate and then click the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\WindowsNT\Current Version\WPAEvents
In the right pane, right-click OOBETimer, and then click Modify.
Change at least one digit of this value to deactivate Windows.
Click Start, and then click Run.
In the Open box, type the following command, and then click OK.
%systemroot%\system32\oobe\msoobe.exe /a
Click Yes, I want to telephone a customer service representative to activate Windows, and then click Next.
Click Change Product key.
Type the new product key in the New key boxes, and then click Update.

If you are returned to the previous window, click Remind me later, and then restart the computer.
Repeat steps 6 and 7 to verify that Windows is activated. You receive the following message:
Windows is already activated. Click OK to exit.
Click OK.
Install SP1 for Windows XP.

If you cannot restart Windows after you install SP1, press F8 when you restart the computer, select Last Known Good Configuration, and then repeat this procedure.
back to the top
Use a Script
You can create a WMI script that changes the volume licensing product key, and then deploy this script in a startup script. The sample ChangeVLKey2600.vbs script and the sample ChangeVLKeySP1 script that are described in this section use the new volume licensing key that you want to enter, in its five-part alphanumeric form, as a single argument. Microsoft recommends that you use the ChangeVLKey2600.vbs script on Windows XP-based computers that are not running SP1 and that you use the ChangeVLKeySP1.vbs script on Windows XP-based computers that are running SP1. These scripts perform the following functions:
They remove the hyphen characters (-) from the five-part alphanumeric product key.
They create an instance of the win32_WindowsProductActivation class.
They call the SetProductKey method with the new volume licensing product key.
You can create a batch file or a cmd file that uses either of the following sample scripts, together with the new product key as an argument, and either deploy it as part of a startup script or run it from the command line to change the product key on a single computer.

back to the top
ChangeVLKeySP1.vbs
'
' WMI Script - ChangeVLKey.vbs
'
' This script changes the product key on the computer
'
'***************************************************************************

ON ERROR RESUME NEXT

if Wscript.arguments.count<1 then
Wscript.echo "Script can't run without VolumeProductKey argument"
Wscript.echo "Correct usage: Cscript ChangeVLKey.vbs ABCDE-FGHIJ-KLMNO-PRSTU-WYQZX"
Wscript.quit
end if

Dim VOL_PROD_KEY
VOL_PROD_KEY = Wscript.arguments.Item(0)
VOL_PROD_KEY = Replace(VOL_PROD_KEY,"-","") 'remove hyphens if any

for each Obj in GetObject("winmgmts:{impersonationLevel=impersonate}").InstancesOf ("win32_WindowsProductActivation")

result = Obj.SetProductKey (VOL_PROD_KEY)

if err <> 0 then
WScript.Echo Err.Description, "0x" & Hex(Err.Number)
Err.Clear
end if

Next
back to the top
ChangeVLKey2600.vbs
'
' WMI Script - ChangeVLKey.vbs
'
' This script changes the product key on the computer
'
'***************************************************************************

ON ERROR RESUME NEXT

if Wscript.arguments.count<1 then
Wscript.echo "Script can't run without VolumeProductKey argument"
Wscript.echo "Correct usage: Cscript ChangeVLKey.vbs ABCDE-FGHIJ-KLMNO-PRSTU-WYQZX"
Wscript.quit
end if

Dim VOL_PROD_KEY
VOL_PROD_KEY = Wscript.arguments.Item(0)
VOL_PROD_KEY = Replace(VOL_PROD_KEY,"-","") 'remove hyphens if any
Dim WshShell
Set WshShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
WshShell.RegDelete "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\WPAEvents\OOBETimer" 'delete OOBETimer registry value
for each Obj in GetObject("winmgmts:{impersonationLevel=impersonate}").InstancesOf ("win32_WindowsProductActivation")

result = Obj.SetProductKey (VOL_PROD_KEY)

if err <> 0 then
WScript.Echo Err.Description, "0x" & Hex(Err.Number)
Err.Clear
end if

Next
back to the top
Example
The following example describes how to use the ChangeVLKeySP1.vbs script from a command line:
Click Start, and then click Run.
In the Open box, type the following command, where AB123-123AB-AB123-123AB-AB123 is the new product key that you want to use, and then click OK:
c:\changevlkeysp1.vbs ab123-123ab-ab123-123ab-ab123

source: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q328874

See Also:

http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,3959,33474,00.asp
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,462414,00.asp
http://www.winbeta.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=106
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,462414,00.asp

Vehementi · Sep 25, 2002

One site had the directions to doing that awhile ago, but recently I tried to load it and it read "This article has been removed by the request of Microsoft Corp."

poertner_1274 · Sep 26, 2002

L :haha: L

boeingfixer · Oct 2, 2002

You know, I get asked that question a bunch....how can I get a copy of XP and beat the activation thing...My answer is always...."Get off your asprin and buy a legal copy"

Vehementi · Oct 2, 2002

Originally posted by boeingfixer
You know, I get asked that question a bunch....how can I get a copy of XP and beat the activation thing...My answer is always...."Get off your asprin and buy a legal copy"

Heh. Yeah BF, same situation with me. I tell people that all the time :dead: I recently tried to pirate off a copy of XP, but I gave up. The easiest way to go would be to download the .iso and then buy a license :haha:

It's not even worth the trouble.

- These are the thoughts of Vehementi and not those of Techspot.com or it's affiliates -

johnnyw2113 · Dec 12, 2007

thanks a bunch, i am going to try the activation wizard and hope for the best. the version i have includes sp1. again thanks. johnny.

Tedster · Dec 27, 2007

I can see the pros and cons to this. There are times where a phone call to M$ is either impractical, expensive, or not available. However, there is definitely a risk to piracy on this. While a real determined hacker should be able to do this easily, for the average joe nerd it's a little difficult. In any case, I think that if this is used for backup purposes or recovery from deep hardware repairs, it's a valid post. Thanks.

TechSpot

Microsoft Posts Steps to Change XP Keys

Phantasm66 Newcomer, in training

Phantasm66 Newcomer, in training

Vehementi TechSpot Paladin

poertner_1274 secroF laicepS topShceT

boeingfixer Newcomer, in training

Vehementi TechSpot Paladin

johnnyw2113 Newcomer, in training

Tedster Techspot old timer.....