I've been forced to validate again!

[Sentinel]

How many times do I have to be validated? I feel like I have to be
photographed and fingerprinted every month just to use the computer and
software that I PAID FOR! Then I'm having coffee with a guy who runs a plant
that makes medical sensors, like the kind they put on you to monitor your
heart, and I'm telling him how I paid over $200 for this Windows XP and that
in order for it to work you have to send the company a crap load of your
personal information. He goes out to his car and brings me back a CD and
says "Try this". He explains to me that it is better than Windows and that
it is FREE. How could this be? I go home and boot my computer with an old
DOS floppy that I had and formatted my hardrive. I put this CD in and
reboot. The CD is called Ubuntu which I now know is Linux. This installs on
my computer effortlessly, it does not care who I am, I can surf the web,
send email, listen to music, watch a movie, use my webcam and everything
else I was trying to do with my $200+ Windows. Oh and did I mention, IT
DOESN'T CARE WHO I AM AND ITS FREE. Oh ya and when you install this Ubuntu
it puts all the software you need on your disk in one shot. You Microsoft
guys should give these Linux guys a call and see if they will show you how
to make a program without being so invasive. I was thinking of giving my XP
to one of my kids but I think you have to file papers at the courthouse to
change ownership. What do I have to do to give this copy of XP to one of my
kids???

Mr. Ubuntu

 

[Guest]

Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) program FAQ
http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/downloads/FAQ.aspx?displaylang=en

 

[Sentinel]

Well ok then, it appears that Microsoft is giving me some free software for
my troubles in having to do the validation thing. Thats not so bad. I just
get concerned when I hear all the stories on the news about companies losing
peoples information and then they have identity theft. That can ruin a
persons life. My son is the computer whiz, I will get him to explain all
this to me. Thanks for your help Carey. That is a pretty good page telling
about the WGA. Thanks again.

 

[Angela Burrell]

Well ok then, it appears that Microsoft is giving me some free software for
my troubles in having to do the validation thing. Thats not so bad. I just
get concerned when I hear all the stories on the news about companies losing
peoples information and then they have identity theft. That can ruin a
persons life. My son is the computer whiz, I will get him to explain all
this to me. Thanks for your help Carey. That is a pretty good page telling
about the WGA. Thanks again.

I agree.

I use linux also, and have for years, but there's some specialised
software I need for work that doesn't run on it. (Also it's known to
have some hardware compatibility issues). Glad to hear you love Linux. I
do too and hope it can grow past these shortcomings.

As for transferring your Windows XP, you can't. Windows 98 licences came
with the CD. Windows XP licences are attached to the COMPUTER and are
only valid on THAT ONE COMPUTER - there are two exceptions. 1) You
purchased a volume license for a computer fleet 2) you purchased a boxed
retail product. (i.e. it didn't come pre-installed on your machine.)

I got this information from my Microsoft reseller, so if it's not
correct, please say so.

My question is, if you remove XP from your compute and no longer want
it, how do you get your money back!?

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

Microsoft North American Retail Product Refund Guidelines
http://www.microsoft.com/mscorp/productrefund/refund.asp

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows - Shell/User
Microsoft Community Newsgroups
news://msnews.microsoft.com/

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:

| My question is, if you remove XP from your compute and no longer want
| it, how do you get your money back!?