Wednesday, September 12, 2012


Backup and Save the Windows XP Activation Status (WPA.DBL) to Reinstall Without Activate Again



Windows XP stores the hardware configuration information of the computer at the time of activation, product activation state status, expiration info of the XP installation, and the current hardware specification in WPA.DBL file which located in %SystemRoot%\System32 folder. To secure the WPA.DBL file, Microsoft encrypts the file with RC4 algorithm. However, WPA.DBL file is not protected, and if user deletes it, user will have to re-activate Windows XP again. User won’t be able to restore WPA.DBL in System Restore as it’s not included in the backup mechanism.

Since all activation confirmation is saved in WPA.DBL file, users can backup and transfer the existing activated WPA.DBL file to automatic activate Windows to activated state if users choose to reload or reinstall Windows XP in fresh clean state. By replacing the new WPA.DBL in new XP installation and rolling back to the activated WPA.DBL, users can skip and do not need to perform online activation process again or have to call Microsoft activation hotline and type activation code consists of extra long number of characters.
Note that the trick only works if users does not make significant hardware change. On each system boot, Windows analyzes system current hardware and compares it to the stored hardware configuration information. If there is any hardware change, Windows makes a note of the changes in the WPA file, but also keeps the original configuration for reference. If the change is too significant, or there have been already too many changes, Windows XP will reset the WPA.DBL file back to its original non-activated (file about only 2K in size) state, and users have to reactivate.
If users plan to make any hardware configuration change, it’s also recommended to back up the WPA.DBL file so that users can easily roll back to already activated state without contacting Microsoft again whenever the hardware change is removed due to incompatibility.
How to backup or transfer out the Windows XP activation information
  • Open My Computer or Windows Explorer.
  • Navigate to the %SystemRoot%\System32 folder (normally C:\Windows\System32). You may have to click on the Show the contents of this folder link to display the files.
  • Copy WPA.DBL and WPA.BAK to a floppy disk, USB key flash drive, portable external hard disk or burn the files to a CD or DVD.
  • Go ahead to reformat hard disk drive and reinstall Windows XP on the same computer.
  • After the installation is completed and the Windows XP Out of Box Experience (OOBE) window appear, click on No button when asked if user want to activate to skip and decline going through the activation process.
  • Restart the computer and press F8 on boot up and then select to start in Minimal Safe Mode in “Advanced Boot Options” menu.
  • Open My Computer or Windows Explorer.
  • Navigate to the %SystemRoot%\System32 folder (normally C:\Windows\System32). You may have to click on the Show the contents of this folder link to display the files.
  • Rename the WPA.DBL and WPA.BAK (if exists) that currently reside in the directory.
  • Copy the original WPA.DBL and WPA.BAK previously backed up to the %SystemRoot%\System32 folder.
  • Restart the computer. Windows XP should be activated instantly and automatically.
The hack above won’t work for transferring activation information from one computer to another, thus don’t expect to be able to crack and bypass XP activation by copying the files from other PC.

How to Backup and Restore Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2 Activation Status (Activate Offline On Reinstall)

Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, similar to Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, requires user to perform activation in order to activate the Windows operating system to be used without interruption. Activation of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, except for users who bought branded OEM computer or activate via KMS host, is normally performed online to validate against Microsoft’s activation server, or via phone activation.

One inconvenience brought by activation is that Microsoft limits and restricts the number of time that online activation can be done. Anything more than that will require user to call Microsoft activation hotline to go through manual hectic process to activate via phone.
Besides, not many people will like to “contact” Microsoft every time after reinstalling or reformating the PC or computer for a fresh and clean start. So it would be great if the “activated” activation status of Windows OS can be preserved, or backed up and restored after re-installation so that Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 can be activated offline or without connecting to Microsoft’s activation server.
Try the following trick to backup activation files for Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2, which has been previously been activated, prior to reinstallation. Note that the workaround should only be tried by users who want to clean install Windows, as if user (i.e. want to upgrade to bigger hard disk) makes a clone image of physical hard disk with Norton Ghost or Acronis True Image, all application programs, data, resources together with activation status will be automatically preserved.
  1. Copy and save or backup the following activation-related files to external storage medium such as USB flash drive or portable hard disk drive:
    %SystemDrive%\Windows\ServiceProfiles\NetWorkService\
    AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\SoftwarePlatform\Tokens.dat
    and,
    %SystemDrive%\Windows\System32\spp\tokens\pkeyconfig\pkeyconfig.xrm-ms
    Note: For 64-bit (x64) OS, %SystemDrive%\Windows\SysWOW64\spp\tokens\pkeyconfig\pkeyconfig.xrm-ms have to be backed up too.
  2. Retrieve and record the product key used to install and activate the current Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2.
    Tip: If you can’t remember the product key used, there is plenty of product key viewers available to help.
  3. Reinstall Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2. When installation wizard prompts for a product key for activation, leave it blank (do not enter anything).
  4. In the newly installed Windows operating system, stop the Software Protection Service inServices.msc or with the following command (run in elevated command prompt):
    net stop sppsvc
  5. Navigate to the following folder:
    %SystemDrive%\Windows\System32\spp\tokens\pkeyconfig\
    Note: In 64-bit (x64) operating system, also perform the action in%SystemDrive%\Windows\SysWOW64\spp\tokens\pkeyconfig\ folder.
  6. Take ownership and give user full control permissions  (alternatively add grant full control right click menu item) to pkeyconfig.xrm-ms file.
  7. Delete the original default pkeyconfig.xrm-ms file, and replace with the backup copy.
  8. Navigate to the following folder:
    %SystemDrive%\Windows\ServiceProfiles\NetWorkService\
    AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\SoftwarePlatform\
  9. Take ownership and give user full control permissions  (alternatively add grant full control right click menu item) to tokens.dat file.
  10. Delete the original default tokens.dat file, and replace with the backup copy.
  11. Restart the Software Protection Service in Services.msc or with the following command (run inelevated command prompt):
    net start sppsvc
  12. Register the product key for Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2 with the following command (run in elevated command prompt):
    slmgr.vbs -ipk xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx
    Replace xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx with the actual product key.
  13. Windows will activated instantly, off-line. To check activation status, uses of of the following commands:
    slmgr.vbs -dlv
    slmgr.vbs -dli
    slmgr.vbs -ato
Note that the ability to backup and restore old activation status in order to pre-activate or ready-activate a machine after re-installation must be on the same hardware without any hardware change, else user will need to activate online again. Besides, the product key used must be the same serial code too. The hack also does not apply to OEM branded computer which has Windows pre-activated and KMS host activated Windows system.
Users who want an automated tools to preserve the activated status by backing up and restore the activation information can also try Win7/Srv 08 R2 Activation Info Backup Tools  posted on My Digital Life Forums.