After 21 years, Windows XP's activation algorithm fully cracked

The crack lets you use Windows XP unrestricted, but you should let the dead remain at peace

- ALAINA YEE

Microsoft may have sent Windows XP off into the great unknown in 2014, but the operating system never fully went dark. Never mind that yet two more versions of Windows have been put to rest since XP’s final days. Against the advice of just about everyone, the efforts to keep XP usable have continued—as evidenced by recent news about a crack that enables offline validation of Windows XP product keys.