THE CRUNCH
The legendary Windows XP key, FCKGW-RHQQ2-YXRKT-8TG6W-2B7Q8, worked because the installer validated it against a 10MB file of encrypted Microsoft Bob. Former engineer Dave Plummer explains that the key was for the Volume License version, which was meant only for partners and OEMs. The data on the disc was encrypted so heavily that it has not been decrypted to this day.
Plummer believes the Volume media and key were leaked by a major OEM before the official launch in October 2001. The pirate group Devils0wn then spread the key online, and Microsoft eventually blacklisted it along with 639 others in Service Pack 1. The engineer notes that Microsoft chose to blacklist the keys rather than block updates, to avoid inconveniencing legitimate customers.
Plummer dismisses theories that the key worked because Microsoft's algorithm was weak. He says the algorithm was written by 'smart guys' and that the real issue was human error. The story highlights how the short-lived Microsoft Bob assistant was used for enterprise security in the early 2000s.