Windose bashing:

[Newc]

Ok, as hinted in another thread, about a month ago I swapped my nVidiot GeeFarce video card for an ATI All-In-Blunder because I wanted the vidiot capture capabilities. The nVidiot was in the board when I installed XP (which was bought for and installed only on this one computer), so when I put the ATI card in, XP said I had to re-activate it online because it was a major hardware change.
I mean, I could understand if I had swapped the system drive or motherboard, but good God, it's a video card - does changing the strings on my guitar void my warranty as well? What about changing the ink cartridge in my printer - will I have to buy a new printer to go with the new cartridge?

I guess I didn't click the ReActivate popup (or it freaked out) because I didn't hear anything from it until last night when I swapped the original CDRW for a DVDRW drive (another issue with this computer - the sound card, an SB Live, only has THREE audio connection jacks - Aux, Telephone, and Digital - no Main/CD jack, which means the only way to get audio is to only have EITHER the CD or DVD drive, not both - at least until I can score an SPDIF cable). Anyhoo, so I get the DVD drive all hooked up and here comes that popup again, but this time it tells me I have 3 days to activate XP [img]graemlins/brow.gif[/img]
So I go through the built-in reactivation sequence, but I get a message saying I've exceeded the allowable number of registrations, and I should buy a new Key (read: copy of the cd, for $100+shipping) [img]graemlins/brow.gif[/img]

So, I called the Customer Disservice number after a few more attempts, and got to speak to their automated dumb blonde.
After having a one-sided argument with their automated teller who first told me she couldn't help me because I was not using Terminal Server or doing a Volume License deal (because I said I was not in front of my computer while on the phone), I engaged in another round of Artificial Intelligence bashing, but said "yes" instead of "no" (why it fucking mattered, I cannot understand).
So then we get to the part of "Please recite your Installation ID one group at a time", which I did: "Sorry, I don't understand. Please recite your Installation ID number, or enter it on your telephone keypad. If you need help, press 1".
Just my dumb luck, the first number of my ID starts with "1" [img]graemlins/brow.gif[/img]
So I recite it again in my clearest-possible voice (despite the fact I've been fighting some sort of flu that's going around right now which is screwing up my voice, plus I've been up for 16 hours. "Sorry, I don't understand. Please blah fucking blah" so I jump ahead of her and start punching the million-digit number into the keypad. After the first section, I hear a magical tone and "Ok, now the second group", and on and on and on until I finally go to the last group of numbers.
Wait for the drumroll and she says....."Sorry, reactivation has failed. Please stay on the line while I connect you to Technical Support" in fucking INDIA! [img]graemlins/brow.gif[/img]

So after enduring their soft piano Muzak (obviously selected to calm down irate callers before they get the chance to chew someone's ass - which pissed me the hell off) Hadji finally answers the phone, and asks the usual questions, to which I basically let him know that all I did was switch two pieces of secondary hardware and the OS was only installed on one computer.
After getting the [img]graemlins/bs.gif[/img] from Rosie the Robot about not being in front of the computer and its taunting activation code screen, I decided to play it safe and tell him the same lie (read: "yes, I can see the pretty blue screen with the 4000 white boxes requesting a 200 digit number each") he proceeds to recite a series of activation numbers.
Once I get them all written down, he says to click "Next" and let him know if it worked.
So I lie again and ask him to hold on because someone's at the door. He agrees politely (poor guy) and says he'll stay on the line.
Hey, it's an 888 number which means Billy pays for it [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

So I dash to the back of the house and enter my newly acquired authorization code and I get the All Clear then dash back up front, apologize for the delay, and let him know it did work, thanks a lot, have a nice day, and hang up.

Whoever thought that shit up should be forced to walk to everyone's house who needs to reactivate XP and do it manually.

Newc

[Venomous]

Re: Windose bashing:

Thats why i have one of those cracks for XP , i bought it once so i'll use it as many f&%kin times as i want(which must be 15 times by now)!F*&k Billy and his lawyers.

[hippietim]

Re: Windose bashing:

Newc, you need to buy a cordless phone.

[Newc]

Re: Windose bashing:

Why? The telephone is fine where it is - at the front of the house with the answering machine screening the calls from telemarketeers and family members I do not care to speak to. I conduct all of my business either online or face-to-face. I prefer not to speak with anyone about anything over the phone, because it distracts me from what I'd rather be doing.

Newc

[finnman]

Re: Windose bashing:

Your Uncle Finnman, is here to help.I found this tip awhile back:
"As you may already know, windows XP usually requires activation after it is installed.
A tip to save you the trouble of activating windows is to back up your current WPA (windows Product Activation) file.
This is a file called Wpa.dbl and is stored in your computer's windows system32 folder, usually
C:\Windows\System32
Just copy Wpa.dbl to a floppy or where you are backing up your files.
After you get windows installed again, copy the file back to your C:\Windows\System32\ folder and you are ready to go.
This worked for me when I Reformatted, and also when I changed to a diff motheboard.
Best tip I ever found !!
Finn

[Newc]

Re: Windose bashing:

Thanks Finn [img]graemlins/toast.gif[/img]

And I forgot to add a few [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] and [img]graemlins/toast.gif[/img] to my reply to Tim's post - I just re-read it and it seems kinda harsh without the smileys [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Newc

[PallarAndersVisa]

Re: Windose bashing:

ive never heard of reactivating windows when changing a piece of hardware. must be doing something wrong.

[Newc]

Re: Windose bashing:

You're right - maybe I put the power cable into the data port by mistake? [img]graemlins/brow.gif[/img]

Dude, seriously, swapping hardware ain't as difficult as stringing a Floyd, and I know stringing Floyds. It clearly states in the first Activation walkthrough that major changes to hardware may require you to reActivate XP.
Since I totally replaced one drive for another, and the only display adaptor for a different one, I guess that constitutes a major hardware change.
Had I just added the DVD drive and not replaced the CDRW with it, I probably wouldn't have had to reActivate it, but since the board only has one AGP slot, and both cards are AGP, the old one had to go completely, which forces a reActivation walkthrough.

Newc

[Budman68]

Re: Windose bashing:

Originally posted by PallarAndersVisa:
ive never heard of reactivating windows when changing a piece of hardware. must be doing something wrong.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Are you sure you're talking about Windows XP? It's common knowledge that you have to reactivate XP when doing a major hardware change. All other Windows OS's didn't have to do this, just XP.


Dave->

[ApeDosMil]

Re: Windose bashing:

one word

Linux

[Newc]

Re: Windose bashing:

Ah but there's a major snag when switching from MS to Linux or any other OS - I have literally thouasands of dollars worth of software that I have purchased over the years that will not work natively in anything except Windows, and no one offers free exchanges for the alternate OS versions (you can shout "Emulation" all day, I can't hear you - don't want to)

Imagine switching from Jackson to, say, Gibson, and you want to put the pickups from your Jacksons in your Gibsons, but they don't fit (it's a hypothetical example), so then you HAVE to replace all of them, and no one will do an even fair trade for the Gibson-compliant version, but they say that the guitars come with an adaptor that won't work as well as a Real Jackson-style route - same thing.

And Pirate Windows contains spyware that acts as a network bridge to automatically allow said pirates to connect to any computer running Pirate Windows undetected.

Newc

[buzzsaww]

Re: Windose bashing:

[img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img]

Originally posted by Newc:
And Pirate Windows contains spyware that acts as a network bridge to automatically allow said pirates to connect to any computer running Pirate Windows undetected.

Newc

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">

[hippietim]

Re: Windose bashing:

Newc you need to practice your analogies. [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[Black Mariah]

Re: Windose bashing:

*hugs Fedora Core 1*

That's what you get for buying the version with activation. Get a different version that doesn't have it. It's more, but you have a choice. Either quit bitching and deal with it, or pay more.

*hugs his Linux installation again*

[hippietim]

Re: Windose bashing:

Originally posted by MichaelMadeja:
one word

Linux

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">As time goes by, we'll let you use more than one word. You're not ready yet. But someday. [img]graemlins/baby.gif[/img]