Would XP Re-Activation work in different locations/IP addresses?

Hy all.
I am ordering an Acer Laptop pre-installed with XP Home for my friend to tomorrow. I'm just wondering if I will be O.K. to activate his XP Home in my location using my IP address before taking this laptop to him? He will be responsible for any subsequent XP re-activations or updates if needed to be at his own location and IP address. Would there be any registration problems IF the initial XP Home registration and activation, plus any possible file updates, were done at my location using my IP address?

Thank in advance

Activation is not triggered by a change in IP. If you change hardware at all, it will make you call M$ and beg them to let you reactivate, but a simple change in IP should not be an issue.

MRD said:

Activation is not triggered by a change in IP. If you change hardware at all, it will make you call M$ and beg them to let you reactivate, but a simple change in IP should not be an issue.

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Thank you for all your reply!
I'm not worry about the XP Activation or re-activation even after the PC HW changes, but rather what exactly are HW data required to uniquely DEFINE an USER during his/her initial registration with MS. I thought the User's IP may play a part (as it is unique to an user) as well as the PC's key HW/SW components. However thinking about those users who have "dynamic IPs" rather than static ones or if the registred user has subsequently moved to different address or ISP. So all in all, I would tend to agree that MS would not include an IP address to log-down the user during the initial or subsequent activations rather than their key HW components and perhaps even some SW components. I am say that some SW components because I used to have an occasion that upgrading my Nero Burning version through pure SW installations DID trigger a Re-activation Request from my XP Home.

Windows Product Activation (WPA) on Windows XP
http://aumha.org/win5/a/wpa.php

MisterEd said:

Windows Product Activation (WPA) on Windows XP
http://aumha.org/win5/a/wpa.php

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It did give me WHAT data are involved during XP PDA processes, and it appears that IP address doesn't play a part. Thank you for your info. which is most helpful!

Yeah, great info in that link. May save me some grief, my sister in law has a box with onboard everything and the mobo is shot. Does anyone know if the display adapter and IDE controller have unique serials or other characteristics, the board I've got for her has the same chipset and should have same IDE and display hardware. I'm hoping if it just looks at type, and since CPU/RAM/Drives are the same, that we might avoid re-activation. Not sure what type of OEM licence she's got though.

I know theoretically there should be nothing to worry about for legal copies, but I hear stories that make it seem like re-activation is a crap shoot, so why play a game you don't have to if there's a chance of losing.

Road Warrior

Oh, one thought about the sitch that's the subject of the post. Best make sure activation is done through the network interface that your friend will use. i.e. if it's only got a ethernet port, don't go sticking your wireless pc card into it to activate it. Or if its only got wireless, don't put in a 10/100 card to hook it up...

RoadWarrior said:

Oh, one thought about the sitch that's the subject of the post. Best make sure activation is done through the network interface that your friend will use. i.e. if it's only got a ethernet port, don't go sticking your wireless pc card into it to activate it. Or if its only got wireless, don't put in a 10/100 card to hook it up...

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Yeah, otherwise it will change the "HW" data contents to "different votes" which would trigger a re-activaton request when my friend operated this laptop at his home! Thank you for reminding me that.

Regards

OCdragon said:

Yeah, otherwise it will change the "HW" data contents to "different votes" which would trigger a re-activaton request when my friend operated this laptop at his home! Thank you for reminding me that.

Regards

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I have had to call MS about 5 times after chaning hardware, they got this stupid automated system now.

Archer36 said:

I have had to call MS about 5 times after chaning hardware, they got this stupid automated system now.

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Yes, I know that is what I wanted to avoid!

It's really quite easy to avoid. I avoid it by using Windows 2K and Linux.

MRD said:

It's really quite easy to avoid. I avoid it by using Windows 2K and Linux.

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However sometimes itn't easy to make such a choice though!Mmy friend's laptop will come with windows XP home and he is totally infamiliar with Linux! Besides windows XP Home will come with the laptop and he has PAID for it and should use it in principle!

Yeah, I make sure not to buy computers with windows xp preinstalled. =p

I used to just buy a boxed 2k, which I still think is better than XP, but now I just use linux instead. I refuse on principle to use products with activation.