Info on new WPA with WinXP SP1
The Register | at | by Mike
Microsoft's redesign of the product activation system, due to be introduced with WinXP Service Pack 1. Our sources say that yes, a slipstreamed install of SP1 will mean you have to get a new key from Microsoft, but confirm that if you just install over the existing installation this won't be the case.
Microsoft will be blocking installation of SP1 and further access to Windows Update for installations using any of three leaked keys, and there still seems to be some doubt as to how far beyond this the company will go. It is still possible that users of these keys will find themselves locked out of their machines, but this would be a significant escalation, particularly as earlier this year Microsoft said users with leaked keys would be able to carry on using their machine, they just wouldn't be able to update it.
But the war is iterative, and Microsoft no doubt views its activities as slowly improving its chances of damping down piracy and warez, rather than eliminating it entirely. Whether or not WPA is the sensible way to do it is another matter, but for the moment WPA is what Microsoft has got.