XP just launched. I'm worried about this new "product activation" system. If my hard drive fails and I have to reinstall, will Microsoft lock me out of my own copy? This feels like DRM gone too far.

You get up to 3 or 4 activations. After that you have to call Microsoft and explain. Major hardware changes also trigger reactivation. It's annoying but workable.

The activation is tied to your hardware hash, not the drive. As long as you don't change too many components at once, reinstall works fine.

I hate it. Corporate editions (VLK) don't require activation. If you can get one through work or school, do it.