ACTIVATION AFTER REINSTALL

[Gordon]

That is totally incorrect.

Exactly when were you told this, and what was the Microsoft telephone
number that you used when you received this advice.

About three months ago and the 'phone number was the UK activation
number.....

I don't know how you find that number without going through the activation
process....

 

[Gordon]

Wrong. I just reactivated an OEM version automatically last night
after a clean install on a new hard drive. The version was
previously activated when new and reactivated automatically on at
least one other occasion since then.

It's not wrong - I'm telling you what I was told when my RETAIL copy of XP
failed Internet activation on the SAME machine it has always been on, and is
STILL on.....

 

[Gordon]

I contacted Microsoft about this rumor last year. Their response
indicated that it was totally false.

Then why was I told this by the "Activation" representative not THREE months
ago when my RETAIL copy of XP failed internet activation after a re-install
on the same machine it has always been on?

 

[cquirke (MVP Windows shell/user)]

Did it work? Sounds like a bad approach to me, but I concede that
better approaches are not "easy" because the tools are hard to find.

Interesting, I would appreciate it if an MVP or someone from Microsoft
could confirm or deny this.

I'm interested in seeing the answer to this as well. I don't know of
such a policy... do you know whether this policy is particular to
certain regions or products (e.g. XP Starter)?

--------------- ----- ---- --- -- - - -

To one who only has a hammer,
everything looks like a nail

 

[Gordon]

Did it work? Sounds like a bad approach to me, but I concede that
better approaches are not "easy" because the tools are hard to find.



I'm interested in seeing the answer to this as well. I don't know of
such a policy... do you know whether this policy is particular to
certain regions or products (e.g. XP Starter)?

This was in the UK, using a RETAIL copy of XP SP1 that was being
re-activated on the SAME machine (unchanged) that it was on previously. The
Internet activation failed, also the automated telephone activation. The
representative I spoke to told me this. About three to four months ago....

 

[cquirke (MVP Windows shell/user)]

PA Bear wrote:

Good advice for WGA (I guess) but not so good for WPA, which is what the
OP is having problems with.

These two may be converging, especially in the case of Vista, where
WGA rejection can in fact trigger a de-activated state...

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;925616

CAUSE

This problem occurs if Windows Vista is running in Reduced
Functionality Mode for any of the following reasons:

- You did not activate Windows Vista within the 30-day
activation period.

- Windows Vista detects that the hardware on your computer
has changed significantly and that you did not reactivate
Windows Vista within the 3-day grace period for re-activation.
his scenario is also known as the "out of tolerance" condition
f the activation.

- You are running a version of Windows Vista that was detected
as non-genuine.

Note how on the second item, there is NO link to detail on what the
hardware change thresholds are.

Note how the last item blurs WGA issues into activation issues, i.e.
all those "WGA won't kill you, it will just nag you, so it's no big
deal if it's a bit buggy" assurances bite the dust.


It's hard to find tech coverage of activation, again in the case of
Vista in particular (for XP, Licenturion and Alex Nichol's
documentation are both very helpful). As this says...

http://forums.microsoft.com/Genuine/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=1165788&SiteID=25

"WGA and Product Activation are very different things,
and Activation questions do not belong in this forum."

....but goes on to at least give some links; still, there is no
activation forum to match the WGA forum that quote is from.

So yes; I've learned a lot from PA Bear's links that is relevant to
WPA, even though they are indeed about WGA rather than WPA.

--------------- ----- ---- --- -- - - -

If you're happy and you know it, clunk your chains.

 

[cquirke (MVP Windows shell/user)]

cquirke wrote

This was in the UK, using a RETAIL copy of XP SP1 that was being
re-activated on the SAME machine (unchanged) that it was on previously.

Certainly sounds like a "mistake" against their stated policy. Did
this "mistake"earn them the sale of an extra license?

The Internet activation failed, also the automated telephone activation. The
representative I spoke to told me this. About three to four months ago....

Was that the reason they gave? Nothing else?

I'd expect to hear "you can only install that license on a single PC",
but not "you can only activate the same license on the same PC via the
Internet once". I know some regions have cheaper XP Starter that is
limited in various ways (and possibly in this one?) but AFAIK it's the
opposite in the UK, where ppl pay more than US users do for the same
products due to some sort of regional price gouging thing.

I always prefer to conduct contentuous dialogs via email, rather than
telephone. They record calls "for quality purposes", and I'd like to
do the same... "can I quote you publicaly on that?"

I'm just thinking that if this really was standard policy, we should
have heard a lot more yelps in forums by now.

------------------------ ---- --- -- - - - -

The bulls were running wild
because they're big and mean and sacred (Jack J)

 

[Alias]

It's not wrong - I'm telling you what I was told when my RETAIL copy of XP
failed Internet activation on the SAME machine it has always been on, and is
STILL on.....

Seems like you got caught by a glitch in the WPA software as I have
reinstalled three generic OEMs after you did your reinstall and all
three activated online. One, I reinstalled twice, one week after the
first reinstall and it activated on line as well. Maybe it's just retail
which would fall in line with MS' total disdain for its paying customers.

Alias

 

[Alias]

Then why was I told this by the "Activation" representative not THREE months
ago when my RETAIL copy of XP failed internet activation after a re-install
on the same machine it has always been on?

Only the person you spoke to would know why they lied.

Alias

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Then why was I told this by the "Activation" representative not THREE months
ago when my RETAIL copy of XP failed internet activation after a re-install
on the same machine it has always been on?

Since I have never heard of this rule before, since apparently nobody
else here has either, and since it's counter to many people's
experiences, I can only guess that either:

1. You misunderstood what the Microsoft representative said.

2. He was a new employee and didn't understand the rules himself.

 

[Guest]

Activation was resolved - I wrote to microsoft and they were kind enough to
guide me accordingly.

 

[Guest]

I activated again by simply emailing to microsoft support. Microsoft
service was excellent and prompt.

 

[Guest]

True - I activated again by simply contacting microsoft support. And there
service was excellent