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Legendary Microsoft developer reveals the true story behind the most famous product activation key of all time — infamous Windows XP 'FCKGW' licensing key was actually 'a disastrous leak'
Winsage
October 9, 2025

Legendary Microsoft developer reveals the true story behind the most famous product activation key of all time — infamous Windows XP ‘FCKGW’ licensing key was actually ‘a disastrous leak’

Dave W. Plummer, a Microsoft developer, revealed that the alphanumeric string FCKGW-RHQQ2-YXRKT-8TG6W-2B7Q8 is the first valid Windows XP volume licensing key that was leaked and subsequently used by software pirates. This leak was described by Plummer as a "disastrous leak" rather than a clever hack. At the time of the leak, broadband internet was not widely available, with only about 20% of households having access, making it difficult for users on 56K modems to download the 455.1MB 'pre-activated' XP, which would take a full day. In contrast, those with ADSL connections could download the Windows XP VLK install ISO image in about two hours on a 512K line.
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