2nd Activation: My Experiences...

Bought Vista Ultimate Retail at top wack UK ripoff price (350 UK pounds).
Installed and activated fine. But with all the driver & software
improvements, I decided last week to wipe and fresh/clean install. Came to
reactivate (for the 2nd time). Obviously the Internet activation didn't work
so I rang Microsoft. This is the daft rigmarole I had to go through.

1. Automatic phone registration: I had to type in on the phone keyboard a
series of numbers (about 6 groups of 6 digits). Then while the "system"
generated a code back for me; I had to answer a series of "trick" questions:
How many PC's have I installed this s/w on? Press 1 for "Two" or Press 2 for
"One" etc etc. Some of these questions were asked more than once. Clearly,
I entered something wrongly because instead of getting a code back, I got
transferred to talk directly to an Indian Call Centre.

2. He then proceeded to ask me a lot of the same questions all over again. I
had to repeat the numbers previously entered. Got the second degree as to
why I wanted to re-activate. And finally, 12 minutes later got the code I
needed to reactivate.

Now, is this procedure designed to beat piracy? Or just make honest
customers like me REALLY ****ed off. And remember, I paid full price for a
retail copy that I am supposed to be able to re-install and reactivate on the
same PC or even transfer the license easily to a new PC without hassle.

Since this was a second activation to the same hardware, why is the software
not intelligent enough to realise this, and reactivate automatically via the
Internet?

Nigel

I agree. I think that the activation schemes need a LOT of work. XP had it
down fairly well, you could reinstall a few times before having to call in.

The activation is getting a lot of flak from a lot of people.

--
Dustin Harper
dharper@vistarip.com
http://www.vistarip.com

--
"nrms" <nrms@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:6DD30F3E-92BF-429A-ADCC-B694D336B975@microsoft.com...
> Bought Vista Ultimate Retail at top wack UK ripoff price (350 UK pounds).
> Installed and activated fine. But with all the driver & software
> improvements, I decided last week to wipe and fresh/clean install. Came
> to
> reactivate (for the 2nd time). Obviously the Internet activation didn't
> work
> so I rang Microsoft. This is the daft rigmarole I had to go through.
>
> 1. Automatic phone registration: I had to type in on the phone keyboard a
> series of numbers (about 6 groups of 6 digits). Then while the "system"
> generated a code back for me; I had to answer a series of "trick"
> questions:
> How many PC's have I installed this s/w on? Press 1 for "Two" or Press 2
> for
> "One" etc etc. Some of these questions were asked more than once.
> Clearly,
> I entered something wrongly because instead of getting a code back, I got
> transferred to talk directly to an Indian Call Centre.
>
> 2. He then proceeded to ask me a lot of the same questions all over again.
> I
> had to repeat the numbers previously entered. Got the second degree as to
> why I wanted to re-activate. And finally, 12 minutes later got the code I
> needed to reactivate.
>
> Now, is this procedure designed to beat piracy? Or just make honest
> customers like me REALLY ****ed off. And remember, I paid full price for
> a
> retail copy that I am supposed to be able to re-install and reactivate on
> the
> same PC or even transfer the license easily to a new PC without hassle.
>
> Since this was a second activation to the same hardware, why is the
> software
> not intelligent enough to realise this, and reactivate automatically via
> the
> Internet?
>
> Nigel

On Thu, 12 Apr 2007 02:20:01 -0700, nrms
<nrms@discussions.microsoft.com> had a flock of green cheek conures
squawk out:

>Bought Vista Ultimate Retail at top wack UK ripoff price (350 UK pounds).
>Installed and activated fine. But with all the driver & software
>improvements, I decided last week to wipe and fresh/clean install. Came to
>reactivate (for the 2nd time). Obviously the Internet activation didn't work
>so I rang Microsoft. This is the daft rigmarole I had to go through.
>
>1. Automatic phone registration: I had to type in on the phone keyboard a
>series of numbers (about 6 groups of 6 digits). Then while the "system"
>generated a code back for me; I had to answer a series of "trick" questions:
>How many PC's have I installed this s/w on? Press 1 for "Two" or Press 2 for
>"One" etc etc. Some of these questions were asked more than once. Clearly,
>I entered something wrongly because instead of getting a code back, I got
>transferred to talk directly to an Indian Call Centre.
>
>2. He then proceeded to ask me a lot of the same questions all over again. I
>had to repeat the numbers previously entered. Got the second degree as to
>why I wanted to re-activate. And finally, 12 minutes later got the code I
>needed to reactivate.
>
>Now, is this procedure designed to beat piracy? Or just make honest
>customers like me REALLY ****ed off. And remember, I paid full price for a
>retail copy that I am supposed to be able to re-install and reactivate on the
>same PC or even transfer the license easily to a new PC without hassle.
>
>Since this was a second activation to the same hardware, why is the software
>not intelligent enough to realise this, and reactivate automatically via the
>Internet?
>
>Nigel

Microsoft has decided that ALL their customers are pirates.

Stephen
--

Yes, only the paying customers. The pirates already have workarounds...

The activation is my biggest problem with Vista right now. It needs fixed.

--
Dustin Harper
dharper@vistarip.com
http://www.vistarip.com

--
"Stephen" <yes@its.invalid> wrote in message
news:gnet131035o7calchr7ghajhcc1ksm5ldp@4ax.com...
> On Thu, 12 Apr 2007 02:20:01 -0700, nrms
> <nrms@discussions.microsoft.com> had a flock of green cheek conures
> squawk out:
>
>>Bought Vista Ultimate Retail at top wack UK ripoff price (350 UK pounds).
>>Installed and activated fine. But with all the driver & software
>>improvements, I decided last week to wipe and fresh/clean install. Came
>>to
>>reactivate (for the 2nd time). Obviously the Internet activation didn't
>>work
>>so I rang Microsoft. This is the daft rigmarole I had to go through.
>>
>>1. Automatic phone registration: I had to type in on the phone keyboard a
>>series of numbers (about 6 groups of 6 digits). Then while the "system"
>>generated a code back for me; I had to answer a series of "trick"
>>questions:
>>How many PC's have I installed this s/w on? Press 1 for "Two" or Press 2
>>for
>>"One" etc etc. Some of these questions were asked more than once.
>>Clearly,
>>I entered something wrongly because instead of getting a code back, I got
>>transferred to talk directly to an Indian Call Centre.
>>
>>2. He then proceeded to ask me a lot of the same questions all over again.
>>I
>>had to repeat the numbers previously entered. Got the second degree as to
>>why I wanted to re-activate. And finally, 12 minutes later got the code I
>>needed to reactivate.
>>
>>Now, is this procedure designed to beat piracy? Or just make honest
>>customers like me REALLY ****ed off. And remember, I paid full price for
>>a
>>retail copy that I am supposed to be able to re-install and reactivate on
>>the
>>same PC or even transfer the license easily to a new PC without hassle.
>>
>>Since this was a second activation to the same hardware, why is the
>>software
>>not intelligent enough to realise this, and reactivate automatically via
>>the
>>Internet?
>>
>>Nigel
>
> Microsoft has decided that ALL their customers are pirates.
>
> Stephen
> --