# Win XP - Will it detect borrowed software? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 14, 2001, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-will-it-detect-borrowed-software/93270 "2001-11-14T04:44:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Knight16](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/35a633/32.png) [@Knight16](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knight16)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-will-it-detect-borrowed-software/93270/1 "2001-11-14T04:44:15Z")
Okay, Hypothetical: Say someone had a Win ME at home with Office 2000 software loaded on it from work. If this guy were to purchase and load Win XP operating system onto said PC, will XP detect the Office software and auto-disable it? Has anyone had experience with this yet? Appreciate the help. ---
**Author:** ![Jman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jman/32/4416_2.png) [@Jman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jman)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-will-it-detect-borrowed-software/93270/2 "2001-11-14T05:01:23Z")
Uh…nope. ---
**Author:** ![Jman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jman/32/4416_2.png) [@Jman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jman)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-will-it-detect-borrowed-software/93270/3 "2001-11-14T05:02:27Z")
I suppose I should clarify…he may need to reinstall because the new OS might not recognize the install of Office, but it will not disable the software because it knows it’s ‘borrowed.’ ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-will-it-detect-borrowed-software/93270/4 "2001-11-14T14:27:37Z")
In my opinion, nope, it would detect if the XP is borrowed though. You could always activate it by phone rather than the net if you want your privacy. ---
**Author:** ![Amp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Amp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amp)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-will-it-detect-borrowed-software/93270/5 "2001-11-14T14:32:22Z")
I don’t think it will be a problem. XP Pro allows me to run all of my “borrowed” software with no problems. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-will-it-detect-borrowed-software/93270/6 "2001-11-14T17:14:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by handy \* > \*\*In my opinion, nope, it would detect if the XP is borrowed though. You could always activate it by phone rather than the net if you want your privacy. \*\* Whoa…so you have to “activate” XP before it will work? ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-will-it-detect-borrowed-software/93270/7 "2001-11-14T17:45:00Z")
Said **Cisco** : > [@](#): > > Whoa…so you have to “activate” XP before it will work? More or less, yep. Unless you want to do a complete reinstall every thirty days or so. Furthermore, it creates a unique identifying number by creating a multiple of the serial numbers of the hardware in your machine. When that number diverges from the original significantly, the software asks you to re-activate your operating system. Change the hardware in your system often enough, and you will be standing tall before Bill Gates, explaining that you are actually just a savvy computer enthusiast and not a software pirate. [Windows Product Activation](http://www.licenturion.com/xp/) (Incidentally, to nobody’s suprise, WPA has [already been cracked](http://www.licenturion.com/xp/) and XP is selling for $2.70 in Thailand. As usual, only the outlaws get to avoid Microsoft’s inconveniences.) ---
**Author:** ![Naski](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d07c76/32.png) [@Naski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Naski)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-will-it-detect-borrowed-software/93270/8 "2001-11-14T17:58:51Z")
I recently put XP pro on my machine, during the reboot it disbaled the keyboard and came up with some random error message (well sort of random sercurity message), almost lost control of my bodily functions with terror. Fortunately on resetting my machine it went straight through and is now running fine. Is this the protection in XP, that it locks your keyboard meaning that you can’t get into your hard drive to do a clean format? If so how legal is that, i mean that could ruin my hard-drive permanetly (well not that permanently as i work near a very strong magnet and would have to do the old manul re-format with a magic wave of it across the 5 Guass line). Nask ---
**Author:** ![Naski](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d07c76/32.png) [@Naski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Naski)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-will-it-detect-borrowed-software/93270/9 "2001-11-14T18:07:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Naski \* > \*\* 5 Guass line > \*\* I reckon i meant the 5\*\* Gauss \*\* line. Doh. Oh and perhaps i should have spelled permanently corectly. Damned late days in office. Nask ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-will-it-detect-borrowed-software/93270/10 "2001-11-14T23:37:55Z")
You know with some Mickeysoft products when you go online to register or download, it says ‘this is done without sending any information to Microsoft’. What’s to keep them from sending the info to someone other than Microsoft? ---
**Author:** ![LordDenning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LordDenning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LordDenning)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2001, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-will-it-detect-borrowed-software/93270/11 "2001-11-15T14:17:18Z")
Unplugging your phone may not work. I once got a legitimate copy of Office XP, but I seached the net for a Product Key, in order to maintain the virginity of the one that came in the box. I disconnected and installed. It worked fine, but when I reconnected to the Net, I got a message that the Product Key was no good. I conclude that even if you register by phone, Office still sends registration info to Microsoft, which keeps a list of compromised Product Keys. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2001, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-will-it-detect-borrowed-software/93270/12 "2001-11-15T15:24:20Z")
LordDenning, did you visit a microsoft site or anything when that happened? I can’t believe they would check serial nbrs everytime you are online without your permission.