Can't "activate" after reformatting .. Please help!!

[Daniel]

Hi,

I just reformatted my "C" Drive and did a clean reinstall of my retail copy
of windows xp home. This was the 2nd time WinXP was installed on my
computer. Now, when I'm prompted to "activate" windows, give my info etc ..
it tells me that I have exceeded the amount of times that I had used the
serial #, or something to that effect .. It then gives me options to
purchase another serial # and that I can't use WinXP beyond 30 days. I don't
get it! This is 100% legitimate retail software WinXP and all I did was
reformat my drive and this was only the 2nd time I had installed the
software on the same computer, which belongs to me! .. What's happening ??

Any help will be appreciated.

Daniel

 

[Alias]

Ah, the joys of activation! Such a wonderful PR move on the part of MS. Here
we have a PAYING customer having to jump through unnecessary hoops to be
able to use the software he paid for.

Daniel, you'll have to make a phone call. The number should appear when you
try to activate online. The message that you have installed XP too many
times is a LIE designed to get you to buy another licence from Microsoft.

Alias

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

Hi Daniel,

Use the option to phone in activation.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

 

[Alias]

He shouldn't have to use the phone option. All he did is reinstall his OS.
Like I always say, PA only affects PAYING customers, not pirates.

Alias

 

[Brian]

Use the option to phone in activation.

Yep, that's what I had to do, too. When I asked why this happend, the MS rep
said the product must have been returned to the store and resold a few times.

 

[kurttrail]

Yep, that's what I had to do, too. When I asked why this happend,
the MS rep said the product must have been returned to the store and
resold a few times.

Basically the made up a story to get you off the phone.

--
Peace!
Kurt
Self-anointed Moderator
microscum.pubic.windowsexp.gonorrhea
http://microscum.com/mscommunity
"Trustworthy Computing" is only another example of an Oxymoron!
"Produkt-Aktivierung macht frei"

 

[plop]

When I asked why this happend,

Basically the made up a story to get you off the phone.

--
Peace!
Kurt
Self-anointed Moderator
microscum.pubic.windowsexp.gonorrhea
http://microscum.com/mscommunity
"Trustworthy Computing" is only another example of an Oxymoron!
"Produkt-Aktivierung macht frei"

LOLOLOL @ http://microscum.com/mscommunity never a dull moment

 

[kurttrail]

My copy came with my pc (OEM version? I didn't pay the full price
you'd get buying it stand-alone) and whenever I reinstall I HAVE to
activate. So I don't think this "only paying customers do it" holds
water.

LOL! Guess you never heard that most of the pirated copies out there
don't need to be activated.

--
Peace!
Kurt
Self-anointed Moderator
microscum.pubic.windowsexp.gonorrhea
http://microscum.com/mscommunity
"Trustworthy Computing" is only another example of an Oxymoron!
"Produkt-Aktivierung macht frei"

 

[Jim]

What is your argument? Whether you paid a penny or a pound you still paid
for the OS. Do you think you would have paid the same for your computer with
no OS installed? Make some sense!

 

[Shooter]

Basically the made up a story to get you off the phone.

Actually, what he was told may just be true because I was told by a
salesman at our local Office Depot that they get a lot of XPHome,
XPPro and Office XP returns because of activation issues. He said
that Office Depot tells them to go back home and use the phone in
method but the people are fed up and want their money back or another
copy. He says they get 4 to 5 returns a week on one or more XP
products which they must return to their supplier which must return to
their supplier and so on and so on. BTW, he said they also have many
returns of Symantec products for activation issues but not near as
much as they do with MS products.

All the while, the Pirates are laughing their arses off.....

Lets see if I have this right Kurttrail.... Activation was the brain
child of MS to stop Pirates. However, only honest paying customers
have to deal with Activation because Pirates circumvented it from day
one just like they will circumvent the new verification scheme during
upgrades.... Now explain to me again how piracy is stopped or brought
under control by making honest paying customers deal with this
activation scheme or verification scheme?

Regards,

 

[Alias]

Actually, what he was told may just be true because I was told by a
salesman at our local Office Depot that they get a lot of XPHome,
XPPro and Office XP returns because of activation issues. He said
that Office Depot tells them to go back home and use the phone in
method but the people are fed up and want their money back or another
copy. He says they get 4 to 5 returns a week on one or more XP
products which they must return to their supplier which must return to
their supplier and so on and so on. BTW, he said they also have many
returns of Symantec products for activation issues but not near as
much as they do with MS products.

All the while, the Pirates are laughing their arses off.....

Lets see if I have this right Kurttrail.... Activation was the brain
child of MS to stop Pirates. However, only honest paying customers
have to deal with Activation because Pirates circumvented it from day
one just like they will circumvent the new verification scheme during
upgrades.... Now explain to me again how piracy is stopped or brought
under control by making honest paying customers deal with this
activation scheme or verification scheme?

Regards,

Activation is one of the biggests PR blunders MS has ever made.
Validation will just make it worse and, as you say, only the people who
fork over their hard earned cash will be affected.

Alias

 

[kurttrail]

Actually, what he was told may just be true because I was told by a
salesman at our local Office Depot that they get a lot of XPHome,
XPPro and Office XP returns because of activation issues.

May just be true, but they don't know, so it was just a story to get the
guy off the phone, and try to shift blame for the person's activation
problem away from MS.

He said
that Office Depot tells them to go back home and use the phone in
method but the people are fed up and want their money back or another
copy. He says they get 4 to 5 returns a week on one or more XP
products which they must return to their supplier which must return to
their supplier and so on and so on. BTW, he said they also have many
returns of Symantec products for activation issues but not near as
much as they do with MS products.

All the while, the Pirates are laughing their arses off.....

Lets see if I have this right Kurttrail.... Activation was the brain
child of MS to stop Pirates.

According to MS, PA has ALWAYS been about controling the paying
customer.

"The goal of Product Activation is to reduce a form of piracy known as
"casual copying" or "softlifting." Casual copying is a form of piracy
characterized by the sharing of software between people in a way that
infringes on the software's end user license agreement (EULA). For
instance, Windows XP is primarily licensed for use on a single PC and
without purchasing additional licenses cannot be installed on other
machines. If someone were to obtain a copy of Windows XP and load it on
his or her PC, then share it with a second person who loaded it on his
or her PC, they would be guilty of casual copying."

PA is meant to control the paying customer from engaging in "casual
copying." It is a way to get you to comply with the EULA. The unstated
goal is to get you to believe that your "fair use" of the software, is
also piracy. "Fair Use" is when you make and use additional copies for
YOUR OWN personal non-commercial use.

However, only honest paying customers
have to deal with Activation because Pirates circumvented it from day
one just like they will circumvent the new verification scheme during
upgrades.... Now explain to me again how piracy is stopped or brought
under control by making honest paying customers deal with this
activation scheme or verification scheme?

Actually the piracy rate was much HIGHER back before a majority of
people had a PC in their home, and had been going downward during the PC
boom, that is until MS introduced copy-protection in Office products in
2000.

I wrote in more depth on how copy-protection doesn't really reduce
piracy in my blog.

http://kurttrail.com/kblog/kblogarch/00000002.php
http://kurttrail.com/kblog/

--
Peace!
Kurt
Self-anointed Moderator
microscum.pubic.windowsexp.gonorrhea
http://microscum.com/mscommunity
"Trustworthy Computing" is only another example of an Oxymoron!
"Produkt-Aktivierung macht frei"

 

[Tim.T]

Yea I came across this too - a bit unnerving I must say. You have two
options - dial the freephone number (once you specify your location) and
begin the automated process. You have to input a massive number via your
phone that appears on screen. However, the last time I did this it wouldn't
accept (though it was correct!).The other option was to dial the number
again only this time wait for an advisor (yes human!), which didn't take
long actually (must have been around 3am). Anyway, he told me a new number
and I inputted THAT instead. It worked.

However, that was then and this is now...I just finished reinstalling XP
AGAIN (to fix some unclear hardware error I think) and I have yet to
activate XP again. Ho hum

Tim

 

[Tim.T]

He shouldn't have to use the phone option. All he did is reinstall his OS.

Like I always say, PA only affects PAYING customers, not pirates.

My copy came with my pc (OEM version? I didn't pay the full price you'd get
buying it stand-alone) and whenever I reinstall I HAVE to activate. So I
don't think this "only paying customers do it" holds water.

Tim

 

[Daniel]

Well, I called them and was able to obtain an activation code. This took a
good chunk of my time and was really too long and frustrating process. I
told them I'd be calling again in 6 mnths at my next due reformatting. Ha!

Anyway, thanks VERY much to all of you for helping me out! But isn't it
criminal for them to "trick" you into buying a licence when you can get the
code from them for free ??

~Daniel

 

[kurttrail]

Well, I called them and was able to obtain an activation code. This
took a good chunk of my time and was really too long and frustrating
process. I told them I'd be calling again in 6 mnths at my next due
reformatting. Ha!
Anyway, thanks VERY much to all of you for helping me out! But isn't
it criminal for them to "trick" you into buying a licence when you
can get the code from them for free ??

I believe its called fraud, and if you know anyone that has been conned
into buying a copy that they really don't need, send them to the proper
authorities. And if that doesn't work send them to me!

http://www.microscum.com/contactus/

Seriously!

--
Peace!
Kurt
Self-anointed Moderator
microscum.pubic.windowsexp.gonorrhea
http://microscum.com/mscommunity
"Trustworthy Computing" is only another example of an Oxymoron!
"Produkt-Aktivierung macht frei"