The five letters FCKGW are the first five characters of the CD key that is most commonly used with illegitimate copies of Microsoft's Windows XP operating system. Despite this key effectively being useless when installing Windows, it is regularly a symbol of warez geek pride; some people can recite all 25 digits of the code from memory. A CD key is a specific software-based key for a certain program or a computer game. ... The Microsoft Corporation, commonly known as just Microsoft, (NASDAQ: MSFT, HKSE: 4338) is a multinational computer technology corporation with global annual sales of US$44. ... Windows XP is a line of operating systems developed by Microsoft for use on general-purpose computer systems, including home and business desktops, notebook computers, and media centers. ...

Dubbed the "devils0wn" key, this particular key came with the first warez release of the final version of Windows XP. This version was supplied by a group calling themselves "devils0wn" 35 days before the official release on October 25, 2001.^{[citation needed]} It is a volume license key (VLK) leaked from one of Microsoft's customers, rumored to be from a PC maker like IBM or Dell. Unlike most versions of Windows XP and other recent Microsoft products, volume-licensed versions do not require product activation. This made the key desirable for unauthorized users of Windows XP, as well as legal owners who wished to prevent the activation code from rendering their PC unusable upon a hardware change. Warez refers primarily to copyrighted material traded in violation of copyright law. ... October 25 is the 298th day of the year (299th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 67 days remaining. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... Volume License key [VLK] is the term used by Microsoft to denote a piece of software that can be installed on multiple machines with a single serial number. ... now. ... Dell Inc. ... Product activation is a license validation procedure required by some computer software programs. ...

This particular key has been banned from installing various updates by Microsoft, including the Windows XP service packs. Unfortunately, this key has also been used on Windows XP installations where the owner of this particular installation owned a license to Windows XP but where the person doing the installation did not want to bother with activation or where Windows XP has been installed by means of disk cloning software. Disk Cloning is a category of software which copies the contents of one computer hard disk to another. ...

There has been discussion of Microsoft's decision to block the installation of service packs on computers where this product key has been used. Microsoft argues that it does not need to cater to the needs of those who did not pay for their software. Microsoft even 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. Several security consultants have condemned the move by Microsoft, saying that leaving a large install base unpatched from various security holes is irresponsible due to the fact that this unpatched install base can be leveraged in large scale Internet attacks, such as trojan horses used to send spam e-mail. Others have come to Microsoft's defense, arguing that Microsoft should not have to provide support for illegal users. After much public outcry, 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 method does not completely prevent piracy, as users can generate new VLKs that will not be detected as pirated. Users of existing installations of Windows XP can also change their product key by following instructions from Microsoft.[1] Computer security is a field of computer science concerned with the control of risks related to computer use. ... In the context of computer software, a Trojan horse is a malicious program that is disguised as or embedded within legitimate software. ... A typical spam advertisement Spam by e-mail is one type of spamming that involves sending identical or nearly identical messages to thousands (or millions) of recipients. ...

This key was made famous partly due to the fact that it is featured in a popular image circulated around the web around the launch of Windows XP. In the image, the key is written on a CD-R containing the leaked operating system and held in front of a digital Microsoft sign counting down the days until the release of Windows XP.

As of 2006, the key has been completely banned by Microsoft and cannot be used with any CD that has been slipstreamed with Service Pack 2. If an original Windows XP CD (or a slipstreamed copy with Service Pack 1) is used to install Windows XP, the key is accepted; however, the system will not allow any newer updates (including Service Pack 2) to be installed. Microsoft has also released the Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) program, which requires users of Windows XP (and other recent operating systems) to activate their copy before downloading updates and programs from Microsoft's website. 2006 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... In computer slang, to slipstream is to integrate files from a hotfix or service pack into the original installation media. ... Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) is a program initiated by Microsoft that requires users of Microsoft Windows to validate their copy of several recent Microsoft operating systems when accessing several Microsoft Windows services, such as Windows Update, and downloading from the Microsoft Download Center. ...

See also

• Copyright infringement of software

The copyright infringement of software refers to several practices when done without the permission of the copyright holder: Creating a copy and selling it. ...

External links

• Windows XP SP1 Product Activation Details
• Microsoft Knowledge Base: How to change the product key at the time of activation
• Photograph of the VLK written on CD-R in front of digital counter