Our customers have a lot of questions about OneCare activation and want to know exactly what it is all about.  We commonly hear feedback from customers who say that activation is only for the purposes of adding a second PC, but it is much more than that.

So why do customers need to activate in the first place? You may have noticed that OneCare is not a traditional software package, it is a subscription based service.   One way to think about it is to compare it to your cell phone service, where you pay a fee for a period, receive updates to your service during that period and have a phone number associated with your service. Similarly, it is necessary for OneCare customers to have a Windows Live ID account so that we can provide them with the proper level of service.   Getting a Windows Live ID means you have one simple way to interact with your OneCare account whether that means Activating a 2^nd PC or getting support.  No one needs to remember nasty things like 25 digit product keys that are easily misplaced or forgotten. The three main reasons that we need customers to activate their OneCare service are:

• ·         For verification that they want to begin their OneCare service and to the start the subscription.
• ·         To ensure that all continuous servicing happens including daily malware signature updates, weekly firewall policies,  and updates with new features and enhancements
• ·         Finally, to allows our support teams to provide you with better support and the right level of support.  For instance, one of the benefits of a paid OneCare subscription is phone support.

The fourth reason we need customers to activate is so that they can install OneCare on more than one computer.  I have a laptop that I use for school and a computer at home that both run OneCare using the same subscription. Once a customer activates OneCare on a computer they can then install and activate OneCare on up to 2 other computers simply by typing in the Windows Live ID associated with their subscription.

So how exactly does activation work? After installing OneCare, either a free trial version or a paid version you will find an action item in the main interface that asks you to “Activate your OneCare Subscription.” In the message box you will also notice that we provide the number of days until your free trial expires.  It usually says something like “Your OneCare trial will expire in 90 days.” If you do not activate your client in that time period the client will turn red after 75 days as a reminder that you need to activate. To activate you just need to click on the “Activate” button. You will then be asked to name your computer. Next, you will be asked to provide a Windows Live ID. If you do not already have one then you can create one on the spot. Finally, if you purchased the product in a retail store you will need to provide your Product Key, this is a 15 character code that is provided to you with your software purchase that you will need to type in. Once you are finished you should close the browser and remember to click “Finish” in the OneCare client. 

If you create a new Windows Live ID don’t forget to write it down. It will come in handy when you try to activate OneCare on a second or third computer or if you need to reinstall the product on your main PC.

I hope this information has been helpful. If you have more questions about OneCare activation, you can always ask a question at our OneCare Activation Forum.

All the best,

Marisela

Windows Live OneCare Program Manager and Guest Team Blogger