The Geniune Advantage

[Guest]

This Sucks!.
I bought my copy of XP pro a few years ago, I wanted all of the fruit as I
run (well most of the time it works) a small network at home. The whole
thing runs on shoe strings, like old laptops and boxes from work. Ok, I may
have cheated in that I thought you could install on two computers at a time,
but, I haved installed and reinstalled XP, as I have "upgraded" over the
years. I don't have Server2003, so I run Linux.

Now, a little pop up tells me I don't have the Genuine Advantage, I have a
volume licence, but not mine. Maybe it's from work me thinks! So I try to
reinstall with my Genuine CD, same problem!

So I follow the friendly links to send an email, post a query, call for
help. I don't have teh "rights' to free access. There is no email reply
line, I can write a letter!. My only option is to vent here!.

OK, I own and run a small business, like most owners, I'm hands on; I have
about about $100k of MS products installed. Genuine!. I've been buying and
installing and upgrading since DOS 3.0 for my business! We then had 3
computers, now about 30. What I have come to reaslise is that then it felt
like I bought my software, I got ownership of it. It was mine an no one
messed with it. That moved on to feeling like I had a licence to use it, as
I liked, and then to feeling like I only have rented it. Now I only get the
right to access some of it.

MS, has their fingers in so deep, that I don't feel comfortable any more, I
have a small problem, and the server in Redmond cuts me off. I'm at risk.
Is there no human support?? I feel vunerable.

OK, the old laptop with the broken screen, but nice LCD, on my son's desk
will still work, but for how long? Will it slowly die as services are cut
off? We all enjoy watching Big Brother, why, cause we all have that unedgy
feeling as to not knowing how closely we're being watched... but Big Brother
in my computer makes me uneasy when resource and service is further than my
arms length away.

Am I paranoid???... I don't know, but my brother was one of the lucky ones
that bought a CD from Sony recently ... Sony felt they had teh right, and
probaly do to, to protect their intellectual or artistic property; but I
don't like it.

I've dabbled with Unbuntu and Open Office (see Google if yuio don't know
about Unbuntu) and I had some hick-ups. BUT, I got great service from the
open groups on line, I don't own the software, but I do what I like, and feel
supported.

So what do I do?... just sit and wait. What recourse do I have?

Peter. (PS, but MS, knows who I am... )

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

Go out and purchase a genuine retail version
of Windows XP and perform a "clean install".

Clean Install Windows XP
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

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

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

:

| This Sucks!.
| I bought my copy of XP pro a few years ago, I wanted all of the fruit as I
| run (well most of the time it works) a small network at home. The whole
| thing runs on shoe strings, like old laptops and boxes from work. Ok, I may
| have cheated in that I thought you could install on two computers at a time,
| but, I haved installed and reinstalled XP, as I have "upgraded" over the
| years. I don't have Server2003, so I run Linux.
|
| Now, a little pop up tells me I don't have the Genuine Advantage, I have a
| volume licence, but not mine. Maybe it's from work me thinks! So I try to
| reinstall with my Genuine CD, same problem!
|
| So I follow the friendly links to send an email, post a query, call for
| help. I don't have teh "rights' to free access. There is no email reply
| line, I can write a letter!. My only option is to vent here!.
|
| OK, I own and run a small business, like most owners, I'm hands on; I have
| about about $100k of MS products installed. Genuine!. I've been buying and
| installing and upgrading since DOS 3.0 for my business! We then had 3
| computers, now about 30. What I have come to reaslise is that then it felt
| like I bought my software, I got ownership of it. It was mine an no one
| messed with it. That moved on to feeling like I had a licence to use it, as
| I liked, and then to feeling like I only have rented it. Now I only get the
| right to access some of it.
|
| MS, has their fingers in so deep, that I don't feel comfortable any more, I
| have a small problem, and the server in Redmond cuts me off. I'm at risk.
| Is there no human support?? I feel vunerable.
|
| OK, the old laptop with the broken screen, but nice LCD, on my son's desk
| will still work, but for how long? Will it slowly die as services are cut
| off? We all enjoy watching Big Brother, why, cause we all have that unedgy
| feeling as to not knowing how closely we're being watched... but Big Brother
| in my computer makes me uneasy when resource and service is further than my
| arms length away.
|
| Am I paranoid???... I don't know, but my brother was one of the lucky ones
| that bought a CD from Sony recently ... Sony felt they had teh right, and
| probaly do to, to protect their intellectual or artistic property; but I
| don't like it.
|
| I've dabbled with Unbuntu and Open Office (see Google if yuio don't know
| about Unbuntu) and I had some hick-ups. BUT, I got great service from the
| open groups on line, I don't own the software, but I do what I like, and feel
| supported.
|
| So what do I do?... just sit and wait. What recourse do I have?
|
| Peter. (PS, but MS, knows who I am... )

 

[Guest]

Go out and purchase a genuine retail version
of Windows XP and perform a "clean install".

I don't agree with piracy, but what I do find unacceptable is that this guy
will have to pay $100-plus for XP, and so do small system-builders like
myself.

-Whereas the like of Dell or Sony pay Microsoft something like $20 (?) per
preinstalled copy, which they then adulterate with a ton of trial software to
increase their promotional-profits, and sell to the consumer as Genuine
Windows. Which it ain't. Not by any stretch of the imagination.

Piracy? Define piracy. It depends on your viewpoint.

 

[Richard Urban]

You are complaining that you were tagged by Microsoft for having illegal
software. I guess you want Microsoft to give you permission to use it
anyway.

It will get worse in a while when you see multiple windows pop up throughout
the day "reminding" you that the operating system is not legal. Should this
happen when a client is looking over your shoulder you may well be
embarrassed a bit.

Why don't you just get a legal retail copy, redo your system and be done
with it all?

--
Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!