How to Activate Windows XP

Video Transcript

"Did you know that XP activation's only required on retail copies of Windows XP? Hi, I'm Dan Afonso of Enfold IT and Afonso Consulting. I'd like to show you how to activate Windows XP. XP can be activated after you install it. The easiest way is by clicking on the activation sign down here. It's normally going to say 60 days left or less than that. When you open it up, it's going to give you a screen, and it's going to let you activate it over the Internet or via the phone. The easiest way, if you have an Internet connection, is to do it over the Internet. It's much simpler, takes much less time. You hit this, you hit next, it'll tell you you're done unless you have a pirated copy of Windows. Now, doing it over the phone is another option. Not one I recommend. Reason is when you hit this, it's going to generate an installation ID, which is a number that derives from your motherboard serial number, your hard drive serial number, your video card, and a bunch of other factors. This is going to be a rather large number -- about 45 letters long -- and you're going to end up having to tell this to somebody on the phone. Once you tell it on the phone, they're going to give you another 45 number combination back. And from there, you're going to enter it and then your system will be activated. Should you change significant hardware in the future, you're going to have to do this again. So if you want to do this right, I would do this over the Internet. So I'm Dan Afonso, Enfold IT and Afonso Consulting, and this is how to activate Windows XP."