Windows

xp
Windows XP is a line of operating systems produced by Microsoft for use on Personal
computers, including home and business desktops, notebook computers, and media
centers. The name "XP" stands for eXPerience. Windows XP is the successor to both
Windows 2000 professional and Windows me, and is the first consumer-oriented
operating system produced by Microsoft to be built on the Windows nt kernel (version
5.1) and architecture. Windows XP was first released on 25 October 2001, and over 400
million copies were in use in January 2006, according to an estimate in that month by an
Idc analyst. It is succeeded by Windows vista, which was released to volume license
customers on 8 November 2006, and worldwide to the general public on 30 January
2007. Direct oem and retail sales of Windows XP ceased on 30 June 2008, although it is
still possible to obtain Windows XP from system builders (smaller OEMs who sell
assembled computers) until 31 July 2009 or by purchasing Windows Vista Ultimate or
Business and then downgrading to Windows XPThe most common editions of the
operating system are Windows XP Home Edition, which is targeted at home users, and
Windows XP Professional, which offers additional features such as support for Windows
server domains and two physical processor, and is targeted at power users, business and
enterprise clients. Windows XP Media Center Edition has additional multimedia features
enhancing the ability to record and watch TV shows, view DVD movies, and listen to
music. Windows XP Tablet PC Edition is designed to run ink-aware applications built
using the Tablet PC platform. Two separate 64-Bit versions of Windows XP were also
released, Windows XP 64-bit Edition for la -64(Itanium) processors and Windows XP
Professional x64 Edition for x86-64. There is also Windows XP Embedded, a
componentized version of the Windows XP Professional, and editions for specific
markets such as Windows XP Starter Edition.

Windows XP is known for its improved stability and efficiency over the 9x versions of
Microsoft windows It presents a significantly redesigned graphical user interface, a
change Microsoft promoted as more user-friendly than previous versions of Windows.
New software management capabilities were introduced to avoid the "DLL hell " that
plagued older consumer-oriented 9x versions of Windows. It is also the first version of
Windows to use product activation to combat soft ware piracy , a restriction that did not
sit well with some users and privacy advocates. Windows XP has also been criticized by
some users for security vulnerabilities, tight integration of applications such as Internet
Internet 6 and Windows Media Player, and for aspects of its default user interface. Later
versions with Service Pack 2, and Internet Explorer 7 addressed some of these concerns.

During development, the project was codenamed "Whistler", after Whistler , British
Colombia, as many Microsoft employees skied at the Whistler-Blackcomb ski resort.

As of the end of November 2008, Windows XP is the most widely used operating system
in the world with a 66.31% market share, having peaked at 85% in December 2006

Editions

Diagram representing the main editions of Windows XP. It is based on the category of the
edition (grey) and codebase (black arrow).

The two major editions are Windows XP Home Edition, designed for home users, and
Windows XP Professional, designed for business and power-users. XP Professional
contains advanced features that the average home user would not use. However, these
features are not necessarily missing from XP Home. They are simply disabled, but are
there and can become functional. These releases were made available at retail outlets that
sell computer software, and were pre-installed on computers sold by major computer
manufacturers. As of mid-2008, both editions continue to be sold. A third edition, called
Windows XP Media Center Edition was introduced in 2002 and was updated every year
until 2006 to incorporate new digital media, broadcast television and Media center
extender capabilities. Unlike the Home and Professional edition, it was never made
available for retail purchase, and was typically either sold through OEM channels, or was
pre-installed on computers that were typically marketed as "media center PCs".
Two different 64-bit editions were made available, one designed specifically for Itanium-
based workstations, which was introduced in 2001 around the same time as the Home and
Professional editions, but was discontinued a few years later when vendors of Itanium
hardware stopped selling workstation-class machines due to low sales. The other, called
Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, supports the x86-64 extension of the Intel IA-32
architecture. x86-64 is implemented by AMD as "AMD64", found in AMD's Opteron and
Athnol 64chips, and implemented by Intel as "Intel 64" (formerly known as IA-32e and
EM64T), found in Intel's Pentium 4 and later chips.

Internet Explorer 6 running in Windows XP Tablet PC Edition.

Windows XP Tablet PC Edition was produced for a class of specially designed

notebook/laptop computers called tablet PCs .It is compatible with a pen-sensitive screen,
supporting handwritten notes and portrait-oriented screens.

Microsoft also released Windows XP Embedded, an edition for specific consumer

electronics, set-top boxes, kiosks/Atms, medical devices, arcade video games, point-of-
sale terminals, and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) components. In July 2006,
Microsoft released Windows fundamental for legacy PCs , a thin client version of
Windows XP Embedded which targets older machines (as early as the original Pentium).
It is only available to software assurance customers. It is intended for corporate
customers who would like to upgrade to Windows XP to take advantage of its security
and management capabilities, but can't afford to purchase new hardware.

Editions for specific markets

Windows XP Starter Edition is a lower-cost edition of Windows XP available in

Thailand, Turkey, Malaysia, Indonesia, Russia, India, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Peru,
Bolivia, Chile, Mexico, Ecuador, Uruguay and Venezuela. It is similar to Windows XP
Home, but is limited to low-end hardware, can only run 3 programs at a time, and has
some other features either removed or disabled by default. Each country's edition is also
customized for that country, including desktop backgrounds of popular locations,
localized help features for those who may not speak English, and other default settings
designed for easier use than typical Windows XP installations. The Malaysian version, for
example, contains a desktop background of the Kuala Lumpur skyline.

In March 2004, the European Commission fined Microsoft €497 million (US$603
million) and ordered the company to provide a version of Windows without Windows
Media Player. The Commission concluded that Microsoft "broke European Union
competition law by leveraging its near monopoly in the market for PC operating systems
onto the markets for work group server operating systems and for media players". After
unsuccessful appeals in 2004 and 2005, Microsoft reached an agreement with the
Commission where it would release a court-compliant version, Windows XP Edition N.
This version does not include the company's Windows Media Player but instead
encourages users to pick and download their own media player. Microsoft wanted to call
this version Reduced Media Edition, but EU regulators objected and suggested the
Edition N name, with the N signifying "not with Media Player" for both Home and
Professional editions of Windows XP. Because it is sold at the same price as the version
with Windows Media Player included, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo and Fujitsu
Siemens have chosen not to stock the product. However, Dell did offer the operating
system for a short time. Consumer interest has been low, with roughly 1,500 units
shipped to OEMs, and no reported sales to consumers.[14][15][16][17]

In December 2005, the Korean Fair Trade Commission ordered Microsoft to make
available editions of Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 that do not contain
Windows Media Player or Windows Messenger.[18] Like the European Commission
decision, this decision was based on the grounds that Microsoft had abused its dominant
position in the market to push other products onto consumers. Unlike that decision,
however, Microsoft was also forced to withdraw the non-compliant versions of Windows
from the South Korean market. This decision resulted in Microsoft's releasing "K" and
"KN" variants of the Home and Professional editions in August 2006.

That same year, Microsoft also released two additional editions of Windows XP Home
Edition directed towards subscription-based and pay-as-you-go pricing models. These
editions, released as part of Microsoft's FlexGo initiative, are used in conjunction with a
hardware component to enforce time limitations on the usage of Windows. Its target
market is emerging economies such as Brazil, Hungary and Vietnam.[19]

User interface
 Windows XP themes

Windows XP features a new task-

based graphical user interface. The
Start menu and search capability Default Blue (Luna) Windows Classic
were redesigned and many visual
effects were added, including:

• A translucent blue selection

rectangle in Explorer
• Drop shadows for icon labels
on the desktop
• Task-based sidebars in
Explorer windows ("common
tasks")
• The ability to group the The new start menu design
XP Royale
taskbar buttons of the in the "Royale" theme.
windows of one application
into one button The "task grouping" feature introduced in Windows XP.
• The ability to lock the taskbar and other toolbars to prevent accidental changes
• The highlighting of recently added programs on the Start menu
• Shadows under menus (Windows 2000 had shadows under mouse pointers, but
not menus)

Windows XP analyzes the performance impact of visual effects and uses this to determine
whether to enable them, so as to prevent the new functionality from consuming excessive
additional processing overhead. Users can further customize these settings. Some effects,
such as alpha blending (transparency and fading), are handled entirely by many newer
video cards. However, if the video card is not capable of hardware alpha blending,
performance can be substantially hurt, and Microsoft recommends the feature should be
turned off manually Windows XP adds the ability for Windows to use "Visual Styles" to
change the user interface. However, visual styles must be cryptographically signed by
Microsoft to run. Luna is the name of the new visual style that ships with Windows XP,
and is enabled by default for machines with more than 64 Mib of video RAM. Luna
refers only to one particular visual style, not to all of the new user interface features of
Windows XP as a whole. Some users "patch" the uxtheme.dll file that restricts the
ability to use visual styles, created by the general public or the user, on Windows XP

In addition to the included Windows XP themes, there is one previously unreleased theme
with a dark blue taskbar and window bars similar to Windows Vista titled "Royale Noir"
available for download, albeit unofficially. Microsoft officially released a modified
version of this theme as the "Zune" theme, to celebrate the launch of its Zune portable
media player in November 2006. The differences are only visual with a new glassy look
along with a black taskbar instead of dark blue and an orange start button instead of
green. Additionally, the Media Center "Royale" theme, which was included in the Media
Center editions, is also available to download for use on all Windows XP editions. The
default wallpaper, Bliss, is a BMP photograph of a landscape in the Napa Valley outside
Napa ,california , with rolling green hills and a blue sky with stratocumulus and circus
cloud.

The Windows 2000 "classic" interface can be used instead if preferred. Several third
party utilities exist that provide hundreds of different visual styles. Microsoft licensed
technology from WindowBlinds creator Stardock to create its visual styles in XP.

System requirements

Designed for Windows XP Computer hardware logo

System requirements for Windows XP Home and Professional editions as follows

Note 1 : Even though this is Microsoft's stated minimum processor speed for Windows
XP, it is possible to install the operating system on any computer with a compatible
processor running at 100MHz or faster.

Note 2: Using 64 MB of RAM allows the user to complete simple tasks, such as
browsing the web or reading email. The user's experience would be "equivalent or
superior to that of Windows Me running on the same hardware."

Service packs
Microsoft occasionally releases service packs for its Windows operating systems to fix
problems and add features. Each service pack is a superset of all previous service packs
and patches so that only the latest service pack needs to be installed, and also includes
new revisions. Older service packs need not be removed before application of the most
recent one.

The service pack details below only apply to the 32-bit editions. Windows XP
Professional x64 Edition was based on Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 and claimed
to be "SP1" in system properties from the initial release. It is updated by the same service
packs and hotfixes as the x64 edition of Windows Server 2003.

Service Pack 1
Set Program Access and Defaults was added in Service Pack 1.

Service Pack 1 (SP1) for Windows XP was released on 9 September 2002. It contains
post-RTM security fixes and hot-fixes, compatibility updates, optional NET framework
support, enabling technologies for new devices such as Tablet PCs, and a new Windows
messenger 4.7 version. The most notable new features were USB 2.0 USB2.0support, and
a Set Program Access and Defaults utility that aimed at hiding various middleware
products. Users can control the default application for activities such as web browsing
and instant messaging, as well as hide access to some of Microsoft's bundled programs.
This utility was first brought into the older Windows 2000 operating system with its
Service Pack 3. The Microsoft Java Virtual Machine, which was not in the RTM version,
appeared in this service pack. IPv6 support was also introduced.

On 3 February 2003, Microsoft released Service Pack 1a (SP1a). This release removed
Microsoft's Java virtual machine as a result of a lawsuit with Sun Micrososystems.

Service Pack 2

Windows Security Center was added in Service Pack 2.

Service Pack 2 (SP2) (codenamed "Springboard") was released on 6 August 2004 after
several delays, with a special emphasis on security. Unlike the previous service packs,
SP2 adds new functionality to Windows XP, including an enhanced firewall, improved
Wi-Fi support, such as WPA encryption compatibility, with a wizard utility, a pop-up ad
blocker for Internet Explorer 6, and Bluetooth support. The new welcome screen during
the kernel boot removes the subtitles "Professional", "Home Edition" and "Embedded"
since Microsoft introduced new Windows XP editions prior to the release of SP2. The
green loading bar in Home Edition and the yellow one in Embedded were replaced with
the blue bar, seen in Professional and other versions of Windows XP, making the boot-
screen of operating systems resemble each other. Colours in other areas, such as Control
Panel and the Help and Support tool, remain as before.

Service Pack 2 added new security enhancements, which include a major revision to the
included firewall that was renamed to Windows Firewall and is enabled by default,Data
Execution prevention that takes advantage of the NKbit that is incorporated into newer
processors to stop some forms of buffer overflow attacks, and removal of raw socket
support (which supposedly limits the damage done by zombie machines). Additionally,
security-related improvements were made to e-mail and web browsing. Windows XP
Service Pack 2 includes the Windows Security Center, which provides a general overview
of security on the system, including the state of anti-virus software , Windows Update,
and the new Windows Firewall. Third-party anti-virus and firewall applications can
interface with the new Security Center.

On 10 August 2007, Microsoft announced a minor update to Service Pack 2, called

Service Pack 2c (SP2c). The update fixes the issue of the diminishing number of
available product keys for Windows XP. This update will only be available to system
builders from their distributors in Windows XP Professional and Windows XP
Professional N operating systems. SP2c was released in September 2007.

Service Pack 3

Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) was released to manufacturing on 21 April 2008 and
to the public via both the Microsoft Download Center and Windows Update on 6 May
2008.

It began being automatically pushed out to Automatic Update users on 10 July 2008. A
feature set overview which details new features available separately as standalone
updates to Windows XP, as well as backported features from Windows Vista has been
posted by Microsoft. A total of 1,174 fixes have been included in SP3. Service Pack 3 can
be installed on systems with Internet Explorer versions 6 or 7, and Windows Media
Player versions 9 and above. Internet Explorer 7 is not included as part of SP3.

New features

Slipstreamed retail and OEM versions of Windows XP with SP3 can be installed and run
with full functionality for 30 days without a product key, after which time the user will be
prompted to enter a valid key and activate the installation. Volume License Key (VLK)
versions still require entering a product key before beginning installation.

Although service packs have, until now, been cumulative, installing SP3 on an existing
installation of Windows XP requires that the computer must at least be running with
Service Pack 1 installed. However, it is possible to slipstream SP3 into the Windows XP
setup files at any service pack level—including the original RTM version—without any
errors or issues. Slipstreaming SP3 into Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 is not
supported.

Service Pack 3 contains updates to the operating system components of Windows XP

Media Center Edition (MCE) and Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, and security updates
for .NET Framework version 1.0, which is included in these Windows XP SKUs.
However, it does not include update rollups for the Windows Media Centre application in
Windows XP MCE 2005. SP3 also omits security updates for Windows Media Player 10,
although the player is included in Windows XP MCE 2005 The Address Bar DeskBand
on the Taskbar is no longer included due to legal restrictions.

Problems

For computers with local hard drive size limitations (such as the Eee PC) the 1 GB of
space required on the local hard drive during download and installation of the service
pack is preventing installation and forcing unlimited downloading by the automatic
updates, as the service pack is continuously redownloaded after each unsuccessful
attempt. A workaround for this has been found, which involves downloading SP3 from
the Microsoft download site and installing from an external drive, then moving the
ServicePackFiles folder to another drive and using Regedit to edit the Service Pack
Source Path in the registry.

On certain non-Intel machines, SP3 can trigger a stop error which prevents Windows
from booting. This happens in cases where the manufacturer wrongly set up a non-Intel
machine using an image from an Intel machine. As a result, a key in the registry
incorrectly indicates an Intel processor, thus causing SP3 to erroneously attempt to load
the Intel driver during startup. Microsoft has posted multiple methods for resolving this
problem.

Support lifecycle
Support for Windows XP without a service pack ended on 30 September 2004and support
for Windows XP Service Pack 1 and 1a ended on 10 October 2006.

Windows XP Service Pack 2 will be retired on 13 July 2010, almost six years after its
general availability. As per Microsoft's posted timetable, the company stopped general
licensing of Windows XP to OEMs and terminated retail sales of the operating system on
30 June 2008, 17 months after the release of Windows Vista. However, an exception was
announced on 3 April 2008, for OEMs installing to subnotebooks orUMPCs either until
30 June 2010, or one year after the availability of the next client version of Windows,
Windows 7—whichever date comes later. On 14 April 2009, Windows XP will begin its
"Extended Support" period that will last for 5 years until 8 April 2014.

Security issues
Windows XP has been criticized for its susceptibility to malware, viruses, trojn horses,
and worms. Security issues are compounded by the fact that users, by default, receive an
administrator account that provides unrestricted access to the underpinnings of the
system. If the administrator's account is broken into, there is no limit to the control that
can be asserted over the compromised PC.

Windows, with its large market share, has historically been a tempting target for virus
creators. Security holes are often invisible until they are exploited, making preemptive
action difficult. Microsoft has stated that the release of patches to fix security holes is
often what causes the spread of exploits against those very same holes, as crackers
figured out what problems the patches fixed, and then launch attacks against unpatched
systems. Microsoft recommends that all systems have automatic updates turned on to
prevent a system from being attacked by an unpatched bug, but some business IT
departments need to test updates before deployment across systems to predict
compatibility issues with custom software and infrastructure. This deployment turn-
around time also lengthens the time that systems are left unsecure in the event of a
released software exploit.

User interface performance

Critics have claimed that the default Windows XP user interface (Luna) adds visual
clutter and wastes screen space while offering no new functionality and running more
slowly. Users can switch back to the Windows Classic theme.

Integration of operating system features

In light of the United States v . Microsoft case which resulted in Microsoft being found
liable for abusing its operating system monopoly to overwhelm competition in other
markets, Windows XP has drawn fire for integrating user applications such as Windows
Media Player and Windows Messenger into the operating system, as well as for its close
ties to the Windows Lives ID service.

Backward compatibility

Some users switching from Windows 9x to XP disliked its lack of DOS support.
Although XP comes with the ability to run DOS programs in a virtual DOS machine, it
still has trouble running many old DOS programs. This is largely because it is a
Windows NT system and does not use DOS as a base OS, and that the Windows NT
architecture is different from Windows 9x. Some DOS programs that cannot run natively
on XP, notably programs that rely on direct access to hardware, can be run in virtual
machines, such as DOSbox, VMware, Microsoft Virtual PC or Virtual Box.

Product activation and verification

Product activation
In an attempt to reduce piracy Windows XP introduced product activation. Activation
requires the computer or the user to activate with Microsoft (either online or over the
phone) within a certain amount of time in order to continue using the operating system. If
the user's computer system ever changes—for example, if two or more relevant
components of the computer itself are upgraded—Windows will return to the unactivated
state and will need to be activated again within a defined grace period. If a user tries to
reactivate too frequently the system will refuse to activate online. The user must then
contact Microsoft by telephone, to explain why this is happening, in order to obtain a new
activation code.

However, activation only applies to retail and "system builder" (intended for use by small
local PC builders) copies of Windows. "Royalty OEM" (used by large PC vendors)
copies are instead locked to a special signature in the machines BIOS (and will demand
activation if moved to a system whose motherboard does not have the signature) and
volume license copies do not require activation at all. Predictably this led to pirates
simply using volume license copies with volume license keys that were widely
distributed on the internet.

Product key testing

In addition to activation, Windows XP service packs will refuse to install on Windows XP

systems with product keys known to be widely used in unauthorized installations. These
product keys are intended to be unique to each boxed (or bundled) copy of Windows XP
and are included with the product documentation, but a number of product keys were
posted on the Internet and were then used for a large number of unauthorized
installations. The service packs contain a list of these keys and will not update copies of
Windows XP that use them.

Microsoft developed a new key verification engine for Windows XP Service Pack 2 that
could detect illicit keys, even those that had never been used before. After an outcry from
security consultants who feared that denying security updates to illegal installations of
Windows XP would have wide-ranging consequences even for legal owners, Microsoft
elected to disable the new key verification engine. Service Pack 2 only checks for the
same small list of commonly used keys as Service Pack 1. This means that while Service
Pack 2 will not install on copies of Windows XP which use the older set of copied keys,
those who use keys which have been posted more recently may be able to update their
systems.

Windows Genuine Advantage

A windows genuine advantage notification indicating a failed validation.

To try to curb piracy based on leaked or generated volume license keys, Microsoft
introduced Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA). WGA comprises two parts, a
verification tool which must be used to get certain downloads from Microsoft and a user
notification system. WGA for Windows was followed by verification systems for Internet
Explorer 7, windows media player 11, windows defender, and Microsoft office 2007.
Recently Microsoft removed the WGA verification from the installer for Internet
Explorer 7 saying that the purpose of the change was to make IE7 available to all
Windows users.

If the license key is judged not genuine, it displays a nag screen at regular intervals
asking the user to buy a license from Microsoft. In addition, the user's access to Microsoft
Update is restricted to critical security updates, and as such, new versions of
enhancements and other Microsoft products will no longer be able to be downloaded or
installed. As of 26 August 2008, Microsoft has released a new WGA activation program
that if your computer failed validation, it will change your desktop to a plain black
background. You can, however change it back to your own personal desktop picture, but
after 60 minutes the desktop will be reset back to the black background.

Common criticisms of WGA have included its description as a "Critical Security

Update", causing Automatic Updates to download it without user intervention, its
behavior compared to spy ware of "phoning home " to Microsoft every time the computer
is connected to the Internet, the failure to inform end users what exactly WGA would do
once installed (rectified by a 2006 update), the failure to provide a proper uninstallation
method during beta testing (users were given manual removal instructions that did not
work with the final build), and its sensitivity to hardware changes which cause repeated
need for reactivation in the hands of some developers.

Strictly speaking, neither the download nor the install of the Notifications is mandatory;
the user can change their Automatic Update settings to allow them to choose what
updates may be downloaded for installation. If the update is already downloaded, the user
can choose not to accept the supplemental EULA provided for the Notifications. In both
cases, the user can also request that the update not be presented again. Newer Critical
Security Updates may still be installed with the update hidden. However this setting will
only have effect on the existing version of Notifications, so it can appear again as a new
version. As of 2006, Microsoft is currently involved in a class action lawsuit brought
forth in California, on grounds that it violated the spyware laws in the state with its
Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications program.

Protection 'cracking'

"Key generator" programs, commonly called "Keygens", exist to randomly generate

Windows XP product keys (thus, there are no longer any commonly used keys to block)
and then activate Windows without contacting Microsoft. These may or may not allow
the user to receive updates although Microsoft has allowed major security updates to be
downloaded and applied through Windows Update and its downloads site, even in pirated
or non-genuine copies of Windows. In addition, a range of cracks and cracked versions of
WGA exist, enabling a computer running a non-genuine copy of Windows to be detected
as a genuine Windows system and access all Microsoft updates and enhancements.

License and media types

There are three main types of Windows XP licenses: Retail, Volume (VLK), and Original
Equipment Manufacturer (OEM). All three types of licenses are available for Windows
XP Professional (32-bit and 64-bit) and Windows XP Tablet PC Edition. Windows XP
Home Edition is limited to Retail and OEM licenses whereas Windows XP Media Center
Edition and Windows XP Tablet PC Edition are exclusively available through OEM
licenses.

Each type of license has a different installation CD. For customized or retail media, there
is a very tiny difference on each type of disc that will only allow that installation disc to
accept one type of product key.

Only retail and volume licenses include support for end-user installation scenarios from
Microsoft. OEM software is pre-installed on systems and is supported by the system
manufacturer rather than Microsoft. The price of such software is reduced to aid
computer manufacturers in reducing costs of their computer system production. The cost
of OEM software products bundled with systems is not disclosed by Microsoft or by its
partners as each system manufacturer will define its own bundling price. Microsoft does
not support OEM licenses because it cannot guarantee compatibility with every system
configuration possible and it is the responsibility of each system manufacturer to ensure
that its hardware is compatible.

Microsoft recommends that system manufacturers have their systems tested, for a fee, as
part of the Windows Quality Online Services (Winqual) which includes extensive testing
so that no component will cause instability in the Windows operating system due to
incompatibility with the Windows operating system or with other system components or
their respective drivers. Having a system tested and approved will allow the manufacturer
to bear the "Certified for Windows" logo sticker on the exterior of the system, and there
are additional benefits for having a tested product. This includes the product's being listed
on the Windows Marketplace. Because of the fees and extensive requirements, Microsoft
acknowledges that smaller system manufacturers may not opt in to the program until they
produce computer systems at a modest rate and on recurring designs.

Retail

Retail licenses, those purchased from a retail store in full packaging, are of two sub-
types: "Upgrade" and "Full Purchase Product", often abbreviated by Microsoft as FPP.
FPP licenses are transferable from one computer to another, provided the previous
installation is removed from the old computer. Although upgrade licenses are also
transferable, a user must have a previous version of Windows even on the new computer
to which they are moving the installation. Retail licenses include installation support for
end-users, provided directly by Microsoft.

Volume License

A Volume License is the license given to a software version sold to businesses under a
direct purchase agreement with Microsoft, and is sold as an upgrade license only,
meaning that a previous license must be available for each new volume license. Volume
license versions of Windows XP use a Volume license key (VLK) which is a product key
that does not require windows product activation. The term "Volume License Key" refers
to the ability to use one product key for multiple systems, depending on the type of
agreement. Since Windows XP Volume License versions do not require product
activation, this led to leaked copies of VLK media and product keys from businesses
leading to piracy of Windows XP which quickly spread across the internet upon early
release. Beginning with Service Pack 1, Microsoft's active attempts to search out and
blacklist known pirated VLK product keys became well known due to the inability to
install the service pack on a system with one of the blacklisted keys. Later, this led to the
Windows Genuine Advantage program.

Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM)

original equipment manufacture (OEM) licenses are pre-installed on, and sold with, pre-
assembled computers from system manufacturers. There are two types of OEM product
types: those used for "Direct OEMs" (major name brands that buy through a direct
contract with Microsoft and produce and brand their own media from a Microsoft "Gold
Master Copy" by using an Authorized Microsoft Duplication Partner), and those used for
"System Builders" (local computer shops that buy generic, unbranded kits through
Authorized Microsoft Distributors). Direct OEM product keys will often not activate with
System Builder installation media because Direct OEMs are now required by Microsoft
to pre-activate their copies in the factory using their own internal mechanism before
delivery to the customer. It is recommended that System Builders also pre-activate their
systems before delivery, but this is not mandatory.

OEM installations can be customized using the Microsoft OEM Preinstallation Kit with
branding, logos, additional applications, optional services, alternate applications for
certain Windows components, Internet Explorer links, and various other customizations.
All OEM customers must include support and contact information for the initial
installation of Windows because it is the responsibility for the OEM to support the
Windows installation, and is not provided by Microsoft to the end-user. Direct OEMs
must create their own media, but have the option of creating their own custom recovery
solution, which may or may not be similar to a generic installation. OEMs may provide a
recovery partition on the hard drive as the custom recovery solution rather than providing
disc-based media with the computer.

Some end-users have found this to be a troublesome option, because in the event of an
out-of-warranty hard drive failure, they may not have access to reinstall Windows on a
new hard drive. System Builders are not allowed the option to create a custom recovery
CD/DVD media. The only deliverable media available for a System Builder to give to the
end-user is the unbranded OEM System Builder hologram media kit. Because of this,
when end-users reformat their hard drives and re-install from the installation media, they
lose all the custom branding and support information that the System Builder would have
included.

As a supplemental recovery method to a CD/DVD-based installation, a System Builder

may employ a fully customized recovery solution on the hard drive. Whether utilizing a
recovery partition or not, a System Builder must still include the original generic OEM
System Builder hologram CD/DVD media kit. OEM licenses are not transferable from
one computer to another. Every computer sold/resold with an OEM license must include
all of the original installation media or recovery solution, documentation, Certificate of
Authenticity, and product key sticker with the sale. Microsoft requires that all OEM
system manufacturers include as part of the configuration the Windows Out-of-Box
Experience (OOBE), which is the initial setup wizard encountered the first time Windows
boots-up. It is also required that Value-Added Resellers (VAR's), retailers, and general
resellers not tamper with the OEM's customized OOBE mechanism unless under
permission by the OEM, and it is a recommended configuration for systems that are
privately resold so that a customer will have a like-new computer experience upon first
boot-up.

OEM licenses are to be installed by professional system manufacturers only. Under

Microsoft's OEM License Agreement, they are not to be sold to end-users under any
circumstance, and are to be pre-installed on a computer using the OEM Preinstallation
Kit (OPK) before shipment to the customer, and must include at the very least the
manufacturer's support contact information. They are therefore designed for installation
only on a single computer and are not transferable, even if the original computer is no
longer in use. This is not usually an issue for users who purchase new computer systems
because most pre-assembled systems ship with a pre-installed operating system. There
are few circumstances where Microsoft will allow the transfer of an OEM license from
one non-functioning system to another, but the OEM System Builder License Agreement
(SBLA), as well as the OEM End User License Agreement (EULA) do not contain any
allowance for this, so it is entirely up to Microsoft's discretion, depending on the
situation.

Non-use by end-user

In the event that an end-user decides that they do not wish to use a pre-installed version
of Windows, Microsoft's end user license agreement (Eula) provides that the software
may be returned to the OEM for a refund. Despite refusal of some manufacturers to honor
the entitlement it has been enforced by courts in some countries