Why does MS have to be my enemy

[CJJohnson]

After taking my memory out putting one dimm in rebooting it, then putting my memory back in again in the original config (trying to track down a video problem) Microsoft has decided that I now have a new computer.

I have grown accustomed to reactivating windows every other week, it's fairly painless by the internet, but now my legally bought, overpriced copy of Office has decided that I have to reactivate it as well. It wouldn't be too bad but it wants to see my disks. I am 210 miles away from them and won't see them for 3 weeks. That means that I can't use office until I get my disks.

I'm thinking of ditching MS as much as possible because the only people it is penalising are the people who constantly upgrade their computers AND people who actually pay for their product.

Can anybody else see the irony that if I had an illegal cracked copy I WOULD be able to use it.

Anybody got any ideas how to reactivate without the disks?

 

[ShoobieRat]

Just a few things:

1. Thank software pirates for your trouble. If you had followed with the news, you'd have seen that Microsoft adopted a policy of actually having the install disks to verify during an activation. It's an attempt to keep those bastards who stole their copies from being able to activate (regardless of how effective it is).

2. Why don't you have your disks with you? That kind of stuff should be with your computer. Microsoft is not assuming that all its users have their CD's in another state. They are rightly assuming that you have the CD's near the computer they're associated with. Your mismanagement or oversight is not their problem....and goes hand-in-hand with #1

3. Most people don't swap their RAM in and out often. For 95-percent of the users, they build/buy the machine, and that's it. They might add/remove hardware once or twice every 6 months to a year. In other words, yer a statistical anomaly that they're not concerned about. (BTW, I've replaced graphics cards, sound cards, and secondary hard-drives without ever having to re-activate Windows. This used to be a scenario with the very first editions of XP, but the rules are much less strict now due to customer complaint.)

4. As with most problems Windows related, if the manuals don't help, chances are you can get your answers from the Microsoft support line. Microsoft tech support can be very helpful (especially if you work WITH them and not against them).

 

[CJJohnson]

I'm in the armed forces and had to come home quickly due to the death of a family member. I wanted my computer so that I could scan pictures of the mentioned family member. I don't mind paying for software but in the future it probably wont be MS. I'll have to stick with Windows but thats it. It just seems funny that you can reactivate windows without the disks but not Office.

Funnily enough, I don't swap my my memory in and out that often, I was trying to narrow down a fault on my system. All I know is that MS penalises legitimate users who change their hardware often.

You don't work for MS do you?

 

[BASSMASTER]

One thing you can do is get a free copy of linux, and set up a dual boot on your machine, keep some basic free software on that OS, like open office, some spyware removal, anti-virus and such.

Then the next time this happens (hopefully never), you can use the linux OS to get you by.


By the way, sorry to hear about the death in your family. Hang in there. All of us here on the home front appreciate what our armed forces are doing overseas.

 

[IBMan]

yea, i do, i wouldnt say all because some of the ungrateful bastards i have to live around completely disagree with everything.

and btw, with your problem, this is why i never chose to run windows XP until now, plus there are some ways around it such as making ghsot images and such, even tho that doesn't always prevent reactivation. But in the MSFN unattend install guide there are ways to not have to activate XP if u have an OEM disc u can copy the OEMBIOS files to your root directory or something and u wont have to activate.

 

[CJJohnson]

Chears lads, I am UK though, but we are all one big happy family, aren't we?

I have built another computer from castoffs from my upgrades which has Linux on. Come the day when we can run games like doom3 etc on it, windows is history.

I can still use my computer for other stuff but all office related software, including outlook is in reduced mode.

Should we really have to carry all our windows/office disks everywhere? I keep them safe and at hand for any major hardware changes.

What's next? Retinal scan when you install a new hard drive?

Ability office is looking good at the moment.

 

[ShoobieRat]

I'm in the armed forces and had to come home quickly due to the death of a family member.

Well, while that's a semi-legit excuse, you can't really blame your problem on MS. You have to admit you have an unusual scenario, as well as the fact that you should probably have keep a small bag of PC essentials at hand. I do. I have a small carry-on-sized bag that I keep my laptop's important software CD's and such in, so when I travel I can just grab it and go and I know I have all I need if there's a problem.

Funnily enough, I don't swap my my memory in and out that often, I was trying to narrow down a fault on my system. All I know is that MS penalises legitimate users who change their hardware often.

Well, again, you aren't really the average user. The average user doesn't troubleshoot their own hardware. Secondly, it's odd that you're having the problem, since I've done this often and not run into the same issue. However, it may be the frequency at which you're doing it that is seeming "suspicious."

Anyway, it sucks, I can sympathise, but I would rather have MS trying to do something about those losers than not.

You don't work for MS do you?

No. Their in-office politics is just a bit too much for me.