Windows 7 Activation Overview

Most people will activate Windows as part of an OS installation.

In the Initial Activation case (top of illustration), a user installs Windows on a computer but chooses not to activate it during installation. The computer is in an “Out-of-Box Grace” period, pending activation. If the user still has not activated the computer within 30 days, the computer will enter the “Notification State,” and the user will be reminded visually with changes such as wallpaper replaced by a black background, and a nongenuine watermark, that he needs to complete activation.

Activation software creates a computer-generated hardware hash that describes the computer where Windows is running and combines it with information about Windows, including the version, language, and the 25-character product key that accompanies the product. Activation compiles all of this information into a unique Installation ID (IID), which is sent to the Microsoft-hosted Activation Service, where it is analyzed and stored to ensure that Windows is being used in accordance with its licensing terms. If the copy of Windows is still available for activation (for example, it has not yet been activated on a different computer), the Microsoft-hosted Activation Service returns a unique Confirmation ID (CID) that indicates Windows was activated. The IP address acquired from the communication session is also mapped to geographic locations using third-party data and is used to aggregate data for reporting.