Ars Technica

Windows XP Product Key Code

I have a copy of Windows XP Pro and I have lost the product key. I need to install this on a new machine now, but I cannot. Does anyone know where this product key is kept on the Windows XP system and ...
GIGAZINE

The developer at the time revealed that the license key circulating in the pirated version of Windows XP was not hacked but leaked from within

When Windows XP was released in 2001, users were required to enter a license key to use it legitimately. One such key, 'FCKGW-RHQQ2-YXRKT-8TG6W-2B7Q8,' was circulated early in the release as a license ...
Ars Technica

Green hills forever: Windows XP activation algorithm cracked after 21 years

It has never been too hard for someone with the right amount of time, desperation, or flexible scruples to get around Windows XP’s activation scheme. And yet XP activation, the actual encrypted ...