Genuine Microsoft Windows

I got a call from one of my students who's in a panic because the Dell computer his son gave him came with what Microsoft said was a bootleg copy of Windows XP Professional. He was trying to download the free Microsoft antispyware application and innocently went ahead with the "validation." What should he do?

Ken Buckner

Many download pages at Microsoft.com now contain a note indicating that the download is intended for customers running "genuine Microsoft Windows" and inviting visitors to validate their copy by clicking a button. At present, validation is optional, but Microsoft recently made it mandatory for those using Norwegian, Czech, and simplified Chinese versions of Windows XP. Eventually validation will be mandatory for all versions. If you see the "Validation Recommended" message, we suggest you click Continue and make sure that your copy of Windows passes the validation routine.

Usually the validation system will accept your Windows installation and you'll return to the download page, now showing the message "Genuine Microsoft Software." In some cases you'll have to enter the 25-character Product Key (found on the Windows XP CD or on a sticker on the PC's case). But what happens if you can't find that key, or if the validation routine rejects it? For now, you can slide along without validation, but eventually, if you want any Microsoft downloads beyond automatic Critical Updates, you're going to have to bite the bullet and purchase a valid copy of XP.

Microsoft strongly recommends that you reinstall Windows XP on your computer using the new CD. (See our guide at http://go.pcmag.com/reinstallwindowsxp . You may also find "How to Migrate to a New PC" at go.pcmag.com/migration helpful.) The company admits, however, that you may well be able to get by without this somewhat daunting step. Simply run through the validation sequence again and supply the Product Key from your newly purchased software. As long as the original installation used a key from the retail channel, this should serve to validate your installation.