REDWAGON said:
Funny thig happened on the way to this dance-----Some time ago, I
re-booted a computer on the same computer as it was originally
installed on but after I had added 512MB more of RAM. When I
re-booted, I got the old re-activate screen and when I tried
activating it again via the internet it wouldn't work. Then I had to
use the 800 number and call MS. Well, when they tried several times
to give me a different set of numbers and that didn't work after
several times I was transferred to their "OEM" department and was
told I had to pay $35 to get it re-activated because it was an OEM
copy. Well, I paid them and got it re-activated but later called them
and after telling them the whole story I was re-bated my $35. Now
that's what I call a bunch of crap !!!
I have posted another question on this group in regards to adding a
new larger hard drive and pointed out that I didn't want to go
through all the crap again.
My position is this: Just because I purchased an OEM copy of their
Win XP, it should be just as good as far as re-activation as one of
the retail software packages, which incidentally cost a whole lot
more !! I absolutely agree that piracy is a big thing but there ought
to be a better way of proving you are the owner and have it only on
one computer, rather than having all this trouble re-activating just
because you want to add some additional hardware.....Tha's crap and I
would think that a few bright headed MS gurus could come up with a
better system !!! Off my soap box now.
Insidently, I say call MS on the stolen computers and tell them the
whole story and give them proof that you still have the original
system CD's and I think they will probably let you re-install them on
another computer. And the thief that took the computer (s) is a
bas*#rd.
Actually, in the western world, the piracy rate is much lower today than
in 1994, and that is by the BSA's own numbers, which it gets from its
member companies like Symantec & Microsoft.
Piracy will always happen, just like cars will always be stolen.
Software piracy is included in the price of software. MS wouldn't have
all the money it has if it didn't. But the paying customer pays more
than once for piracy. Along with the additional cost of software, they
also have to pay in their time spent activating, and then the unlucky
ones pay a third time when the have PA problems that lock them out of
their computer, and it happens a lot more often than MS is willing to
admit.
People are already having problems with WGA, and that is still voluntary
for the moment. But all this Anti-Piracy crap is unnecessary, since it
really doesn't reduce piracy, as that was happening long before PA was
introduced. If anything the piracy rate has flattened out since the
introduction of copy-protection in mainstream consumer software. And
all copy-protection does is add additional layers of basically useless
code that can and will screw up for the paying customer.
--
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"
