来自微软官方的文档，帮助用户了解Windows Vista和Windows Server 2008各个版本的激活方式，以及硬件哈希的生成和重新激活机制。
下载：Product Activation for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008.doc
Microsoft® Product Activation for Windows®
Technical Market Bulletin September 2007
Piracy is a significant problem that persists worldwide. The Business Software Alliance and market research firm IDC reported in the Global Software Piracy Study[1] that 35% of the software installed in 2006 on personal computers (PCs) worldwide was obtained illegally, amounting to nearly $40 billion in global losses due to software piracy. Often, counterfeit copies are bundled with malicious, unwanted code that can lead to system crash, data loss, and even stolen identity, and are difficult to detect.[2]
Many consumers who end up with a counterfeit copy of Microsoft software are unwitting victims of a crime. They believe they purchased a properly licensed copy and often have documents to back this up, but their copy of Windows or Office is actually not properly licensed.
For these reasons, Microsoft continually invests in technologies and programs to protect its intellectual property, and to help protect its customers from the risks and the hidden costs of running counterfeit software. Throughout this document the term Windows is used to refer both Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008.
Windows Product Activation
All editions and distributions of Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, including those obtained through a volume license program, are required to complete activation within the first 30 days of using Windows. Product activation establishes the relationship between the product key (obtained through appropriate licensing) and a copy of the software on a device to which the licensing rights are applied.[3] Completing the activation process allows a user continued access to full Windows functionality. After initial installation (or 30 days after installation), product activation will be required.
Product activation uses several methods and technologies to help achieve Microsoft’s goals of protecting intellectual property rights by making it easy for users to comply with the terms of the EULA and reducing software piracy.
In order to help customers and partners better understand the technologies used by product activation, and their unobtrusive and anonymous nature, we will outline in this bulletin:
