M766LRT MB with PIII600E Slot 1

[Gary L.]

Yes I did. I like to try new things.

I like to try new things as well. But at around $100 or more for a
good motherboard, I'd like to get more than 3-4 weeks of use out of
it. It seems rather wasteful to me.

Hell no. And I cant imagine anybody would bother with the whole activation
mess. Everytime I install XP (client/friend/company computer) first thing
I do is to apply no_activation patch. There is no obligation or law to put
up with this inconvenience, at least not in my country.

It is most likely illegal in the United States, based on the Digital
Millennium Copyright Act. Certainly assisting others to deactivate
copy protection gets you in even deeper. What country do you live in?
Does it have any treaties with the U.S.?

Last time I
checked Eula was only some piece of paper in the box, not a proper
contract that I signed.

What constitutes a "proper contract?" Can a "piece of paper in a box"
constitute a binding contract? Does clicking a "Yes, I Agree" button
during the software installation bind you to the terms of the EULA?
Have you looked into this and do you have some legal authorities you
can cite in support of your position? There are a number of cases
discussing these very issues in the U.S.

One can have *moral* reservations about product activation and the
whole question of what intellectual property rights should be. I
personally dislike software activation and try to avoid products with
this "feature." But it is another matter to publicly proclaim that
there is no *legal* obligation that binds you to the terms of an EULA
and admit to having assisted others in defeating copy protection. That
requires knowledge of both the law in your particular jurisdiction and
how international law works in this situation.

(Note: this message contains a general discussion of these issues and
is not legal advice. If you want legal advice consult an attorney.)
- -
Gary L.
Reply to the newsgroup only

 

[Gary L.]

Ok, the country appears to be Poland:

NNTP-Posting-Host: 82-mi3-3.acn.waw.pl

82-mi3-3.acn.waw.pl = [ 82.210.134.82 ]

Domain object:
domain: acn.waw.pl
registrant's handle: nsk2697 (CORPORATE)
nservers: dns.astercity.net
dns1.astercity.net
created: 2000.11.09
last modified: 2004.11.13
registrar: NASK
ul. Wawozowa 18
02-796 Warszawa
Polska/Poland
48.22 5231300
(e-mail address removed)

option: the domain name has not option
Subscribers Contact object:
company: ASTER CITY CABLE SP. Z O.O.
street: UL. DOMANIEWSKA 41
city: 02-672 WARSZAWA
location: PL
handle: nsk2697
last modified: 2003.03.29
registrar: NASK
ul. Wawozowa 18
02-796 Warszawa
Polska/Poland
48.22 5231300
(e-mail address removed)

- -
Gary L.
Reply to the newsgroup only

 

[Keith]

Ok, the country appears to be Poland:

Note the nym; "hackbox". Doesn't that say it all?

 

[Del Cecchi]

Note the nym; "hackbox". Doesn't that say it all?

No. Used to be a guy posting to comp.arch from IBM Watson Research
Center as "Hack" as I recall

 

[hackbox.info]

It is most likely illegal in the United States

apparenlty just like copying from CD do IPod

based on the Digital
Millennium Copyright Act. Certainly assisting others to deactivate
copy protection gets you in even deeper. What country do you live in?
Poland

Does it have any treaties with the U.S.?

19 dead Polish bodies in Iraq sounds like Yes

What constitutes a "proper contract?" Can a "piece of paper in a box"
constitute a binding contract? Does clicking a "Yes, I Agree" button
during the software installation bind you to the terms of the EULA?
Have you looked into this and do you have some legal authorities you
can cite in support of your position? There are a number of cases
discussing these very issues in the U.S.

In Poland to this day (last big "ani piracy" case 3 months ago) having
original Windows BOX or proof of purchase (not both) was enough for BSA.
It is also legal here to reverse the crap out of any code you purchase.
Its yours to tinker. It is also legal to copy music CD for/from your
friends and family, it constitutes fair use. It is only illegal to draw
financial benefits from that proceder (sell).

One can have *moral* reservations about product activation and the
whole question of what intellectual property rights should be. I
personally dislike software activation and try to avoid products with
this "feature." But it is another matter to publicly proclaim that
there is no *legal* obligation that binds you to the terms of an EULA
and admit to having assisted others in defeating copy protection. That
requires knowledge of both the law in your particular jurisdiction and
how international law works in this situation.

Law. Law in my country is constructed by the government, not Eulas.

 

[hackbox.info]

Note the nym; "hackbox".

"RusH" is better? I'm here from Nov 15 2002.

Doesn't that say it all?

I suppose it bears rebel stigma.
It's hackbox as hacking, not cracking an stealing.

 

[hackbox.info]

No. Used to be a guy posting to comp.arch from IBM Watson Research
Center as "Hack" as I recall

not me, I just to be a guy posting to comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.chips as
Rush.

 

[Gary L.]

In Poland to this day (last big "ani piracy" case 3 months ago) having
original Windows BOX or proof of purchase (not both) was enough for BSA.
It is also legal here to reverse the crap out of any code you purchase.
Its yours to tinker. It is also legal to copy music CD for/from your
friends and family, it constitutes fair use. It is only illegal to draw
financial benefits from that proceder (sell).

I have to say that your statement above comes close to what I think
the law in the U.S. should be. I will defer to you as to Polish law
requires, since I have no experience in that area.

Certainly the copy protection laws in the U.S. are strongly biased in
favor of the big media companies and the consumers are getting
screwed. One look at the discussions regarding copy protection in the
new HD DVD and Blu-ray DVDs shows how the situation is deteriorating.
And remember that Microsoft and the Hollywood movie studios earned
billions in profits without the benefit of copy protection. While I
think that *reasonable* protection for content producers in
appropriate to keep those producers in business, the present balance
is so anti-consumer that it shocks the conscious.

With that in mind, I still think it is nuts to change your motherboard
every 3 weeks. And while *I* still use "hack" to refer to a clever and
quick programming or engineering trick, the vast majority of English
speakers think of "hack" as a computer break-in.
- -
Gary L.
Reply to the newsgroup only

 

[hackbox.info]

With that in mind, I still think it is nuts to change your motherboard
every 3 weeks.

I sell/repair computers. At least I used to a year ago. It's for
friends/family only now (I'm too lazy lately).

 

[Mike Tomlinson]

I'd suggest you try it - it does *NOT* work in Win2K SP4 if the device is
not present.

I've just tried it to remove a CD-writer which I took out some time ago.
The procedure outline by Gary worked fine (Win2k Pro SP4.)

 

[Mike Tomlinson]

The Control Panel Applet definitely shows things that Device Manager
doesn't. Whether that's a mistake or a feature is another question.

Control Panel in Safe Mode here (Win2k Pro SP4) shows all hardware that
has ever been present, and allows me to remove absent devices.

 

[George Macdonald]

I've just tried it to remove a CD-writer which I took out some time ago.
The procedure outline by Gary worked fine (Win2k Pro SP4.)

Christ you're a bit late to err, contribute?? Seems like I have more
experience with this than you - it doesn't work 100% reliably.

 

[Mike Tomlinson]

Christ you're a bit late to err, contribute??


Seems like I have more
experience with this than you

Possibly. I'm not sure how you can tell.

- it doesn't work 100% reliably.

This system I'm using now has been upgraded from Dos 6.22 to Win 3.1 to
Win95 to Win98 to Win98SE to Win2000. Hardware-wise, it's been upgraded
from a 486SX thru Pentiums of various speeds and is now an XP3200+. I've
always migrated the OS to new hardware, and applied upgrades instead of
fresh installs. Therefore there are MANY absent items listed in Control
Panel/Add-Remove Hardware.

I've just removed several (~2 dozen) items of absent hardware using the
procedure outlined earlier without any issue whatsoever. Win2k SP4.
Your move.

 

[George Macdonald]

Possibly. I'm not sure how you can tell.

Umm, you don't have the correct answer. From your info below, you have
experience only with the evolution of a single personal system?

This system I'm using now has been upgraded from Dos 6.22 to Win 3.1 to
Win95 to Win98 to Win98SE to Win2000. Hardware-wise, it's been upgraded
from a 486SX thru Pentiums of various speeds and is now an XP3200+. I've
always migrated the OS to new hardware, and applied upgrades instead of
fresh installs. Therefore there are MANY absent items listed in Control
Panel/Add-Remove Hardware.

I've just removed several (~2 dozen) items of absent hardware using the
procedure outlined earlier without any issue whatsoever. Win2k SP4.

So it appears all that hardware you've removed has been left dangling from
old OS installations?... IOW nothing to do with Win2K and has not actually
worked under Win2K... so proves nothing.

If you'd read the thread instead of just butting in on a single selected
post, the matter seemed to have been already settled... umm 3 weeks ago.

Your move.

I suggest you find someone else to have your err, quarrel with.