Why isn't there a Windows XP activation code generator?

Six6siX

Six6siX

Six6siX

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First off, I'm not asking for such a thing if it does indeed exist! But as far as I can tell, it doesn't! I'm not asking for ways around activation or to circumvent the process, I'm interested in this from a technical feasibility viewpoint.

Going through the product activation by telephone process got me thinking. I haven't seen any activation return code generators for the likes of even Windows XP. By return code, I mean when you phone a Microsoft rep and you read them the blocks of numbers and they give you blocks of characters back which activate your OS.

What is it that has stopped someone somewhere producing a tool that generates a valid return code based on the code that you'd give the MS over the phone?
 
Lack of need I'd imagine, the activation has been cracked so there's no need to mess about with creating a generator for that key.
 
I know the activation is cracked with other methods but for sake of something that generates a valid code it would save a lot of hassle with each iteration of WGA etc. I'm just wondering why this wasn't the first port of call for those developing hacks.

XP was just an example, the same telephone activation process still exists on more recent versions.

Edit: fwiw, my need for XP is as its being used in corporate environment on an isolated system that has an approved configuration of which XP is a part and has been validated to perform certain functions. We're moving off the platform in due course, however this isn't a thread about XP vs more recent Windows versions.
 
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An activation code is basically a short encryption key. The reason there isn't a generator is because the encryption hasn't been broken or the private keys haven't been leaked into the public domain.
 
Six6siX said:
Edit: fwiw, my need for XP is as its being used in corporate environment on an isolated system that has an approved configuration of which XP is a part and has been validated to perform certain functions. We're moving off the platform in due course, however this isn't a thread about XP vs more recent Windows versions.
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Well you not supposed to talk about anything that's illegal anyway. There are activators out there but can't talk about them here.
 
Burnsy2023 said:
An activation code is basically a short encryption key. The reason there isn't a generator is because the encryption hasn't been broken or the private keys haven't been leaked into the public domain.
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I figured this might be the case - but if so, that does surprise me given the sheer number of valid combinations out there that could be processed to break it. Not saying I'd have the first clue where to start but plenty of other code generator have been produced (implying other products have had their algorithm cracked - why not the MS one? Complexity?).
 
mrbell1984 said:
Just from a security point of view they should all be upgraded/changed.
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From a security point of view? Absolutely, but from an economic point of view this is not always viable, especially for the smaller businesses, which have already paid out development costs for their own software.

In an ideal world this would be constantly updated for compatibility with newer Operating Systems, in the real world however this is not always the case.
 
Nobody should be doing custom software if they consider it a one-off upfront cost. Small businesses even more so.

Granted this doesn't help them now, but having no money isn't an excuse to cargo-cult enterprise software platforms by paying someone's kid to put something together in VB and Access.
 
Six6siX said:
I figured this might be the case - but if so, that does surprise me given the sheer number of valid combinations out there that could be processed to break it. Not saying I'd have the first clue where to start but plenty of other code generator have been produced (implying other products have had their algorithm cracked - why not the MS one? Complexity?).
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even if you could generate a legit windows key, it would be useless because you can't guarantee that it's not already in use.

most other software won't have a limit on how many times a key can be used because they don't have online activation like XP does.
 
The easiest way round the XP online activation is to get volume license copy.

Microsoft couldn't convince large customers that online activation was a good idea, so they left it out of the version of XP bought by larger organisations.
 
marc2003 said:
even if you could generate a legit windows key, it would be useless because you can't guarantee that it's not already in use.

most other software won't have a limit on how many times a key can be used because they don't have online activation like XP does.
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I'm not talking about generating the key though. I was referring to the return code when activating by phone.

K.C. Leblanc said:
The easiest way round the XP online activation is to get volume license copy.

Microsoft couldn't convince large customers that online activation was a good idea, so they left it out of the version of XP bought by larger organisations.
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I know there are other ways to go about it for XP - it's just an OS i picked as an exmaple. But complexity of the algorithm aside, newer versions of Windows still use the same return code process for telephone activation but the first port of call for methods to bypass it always seem to involve anything other than the one method that would surely guarantee permanent activation? (look at the multiple versions of hacks needed because of WGA and the problems it caused with non legit activation methods).

Seems it comes down to complexity where it is easier to modify a dll to patch than break a complex algorithm.
 
Burnsy2023 said:
You're assuming they're not intrinsically interlinked.
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Not really? I don't see how the installation key is relevant here.

You could use any valid installation key. The code that is generated at the first stage of the telephone activation is linked in some way to that key and the hardware configuration of that PC amongst other things.

A generator would just take that code (as that is the only information you'd provide to a rep) and give a return code. The installation key and its uniqueness is irrelevant as long as it is valid.
 
Six6siX said:
I'm not talking about generating the key though. I was referring to the return code when activating by phone.
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oops, my mistake.

but as mentioned already, it really is all moot when you consider how easy it is use the corporate version. no hacks or cracks were required.
 
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