Three Day Activation

  • Thread starter Thread starter Alias
  • Start date Start date
Leythos said:
Not if you look at the way on-board is detected and the way that
off-board is detected. I could see it as being two items instead of
one - if they were both off-board it would be seen as one.
Click to expand...

I would need to see some documentation on that one.

MS says that "Display Adapter" counts as one vote.
I don't think it counts either, as long as the boot drive is the same.
Click to expand...



--
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"
 
I would need to see some documentation on that one.

MS says that "Display Adapter" counts as one vote.
Click to expand...

I agree, the display adapter counts as one, but, consider how the onboard
display adapter is perceived in the BIOS and what changes are seen when
disabling it. It would reason that a change in the BIOS to disable it
might be seen as change 1, and then adding a card to a AGP/PCI slot would
be seen as a second.

I don't have any docs on it, and I'm not suggesting that it's factual,
only that I can see how it could be seen as two changes based on other
things we've done to detect system states using BIOS and system
information for work we've done.
 
If it works as it is supposed to. There is no guarantee.
Click to expand...

It's always worked that way for the systems I've experience with - I would
have no reason to doubt it in Alias's case.
 
Alias said:
I have a generic OEM and activated on the net today.

Alias
Click to expand...

Thats good, but how long will Microsoft allow this? Their unstated aim is
to stop ALL Internet activation for OEM copies of XP. Then your "cheap" OEM
will no longer be worth the plastic it is imprinted on
 
Leythos said:
It's always worked that way for the systems I've experience with - I
would have no reason to doubt it in Alias's case.
Click to expand...

Well, I know other people have experienced differently.

--
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"
 
Thats good, but how long will Microsoft allow this? Their unstated aim
is to stop ALL Internet activation for OEM copies of XP. Then your
"cheap" OEM will no longer be worth the plastic it is imprinted on
Click to expand...

They have made no indication that they want to stop OEM activation, only
internet based activation - they have indicated they will do activation
over the phone for OEM.
 
Donald said:
Thats good, but how long will Microsoft allow this? Their unstated
aim is to stop ALL Internet activation for OEM copies of XP. Then
your "cheap" OEM will no longer be worth the plastic it is imprinted
on
Click to expand...

Fear monger.

Ever hear of phone activation? MS has no stated plans to stop that, and
people have done that to activate their Major OEM OSs.

And it seems that Dell Product Keys have been allowed to activate over
the internet again.

MS is just asking for problems with their latest OEM policy, especially
with OEMs that actually give install CDs. Many people have slipstreamed
SP1 and/or SP2 into those install, which disables the BIOS-Lock, and
then are required to activate.

--
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"
 
Donald;
"Their unstated aim is..."
You have stated this a few times.
What is the source?
Preventing internet activation is not the same.
It may be inconvenient to force phone activation, but phone activation is
still an option.
 
MS should hire you as a consultant.
They seem not to get the concept of "human factors."
 
T. Waters said:
MS should hire you as a consultant.
They seem not to get the concept of "human factors."
Click to expand...

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Kurttrail working for MS?

Oh man! My sides are hurting over that thought!

Steve
 
I can hardly wait for Validation. It seems to me that MS should go after the
pirates, not make the PAYING CUSTOMER do the job for them unless, of course,
we agree to it and get PAID for doing it!
Click to expand...

Ahh, but you did agree to it. It's in the EULA. Another clause you
may have missed is the one in which you pledge your first born
child to Microsoft. Got to watch that fine print.
 
Leythos said:
Alias - I've managed a BUNCH of machines over the last couple years
and have never seen where it asked for reactivation after changing a
single (meaning one) part unless it was the motherboard. The hash
that it keeps on the computer does not reset each time it reboots, so
that means if you change a hard-drive this month, then add RAM next
month, then change the CD-ROM a few months later, then come back and
change the Video card a year from that point, it's going to ask you
to reactivate. It doesn't make any difference as to the time, only to
the number of changes and how it compares to the hash that is
generated at the time of the last activation, which has nothing to do
with the hash that MS records when you activate.
Click to expand...


I upgraded my system a few weeks ago, new motherboard and processor, and
repair install of XP Pro.

I was immediately locked out of XP Pro, and could only boot in safe mode.
Had to call in for the re-activation for new numbers.

3 weeks ago, I updated my ATI 9800 Pro video drivers. Only change since the
system rebuild. Not a new video card, only updated drivers from ATI. I was
immediately prompted for re-activation. This time at least it gave me 3
days, and I was able to successfully activate over the internet.
 
Last year on vacation in the wilds of upper Michigan, my notebook (hardware
changes? I don't think so) informed me I had three days. No internet
connection up there so I should have charged Microsoft for my cellphone call.
About a month ago, Windows wouldn't boot so I did a repair install with the
OEM system disk included with the notebook. I couldn't log on after the
repair and Windows couldn't find my DSL connection. Sighed and used the four
restore disks.

I have one OEM Windows Me, one OEM XP Pro, one retail Windows Home. and one
retail XP Pro and I'm the one who has to make a phone call.
 
In
Alias said:
Well, I decided to install a video card and uninstall my onboard
video card. I also decided to connect my hard drive to the same place
as the CD ROM, making the hard drive the master and the CD ROM the
slave. Doesn't sound like a whole lot had changed. But, lo and
behold, when I have them all installed, I reboot and get the dreaded
three day or you're f*cxked message. Fortunately, I was able to
activate online but why did this happen?
Alias
Click to expand...

Here is the Alex Nichol link on windows activation. I think it describes it
better than most. Draw your own conclusions.
http://aumha.org/win5/a/wpa.htm

--
Ron Bogart {} ô¿ô¬
Associate Expert
Expert Zone -
Lovin life on Mercer Island 8^)
"Life is what happens while we are making other plans."
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/meetexperts/nichol.mspx
In memory of a true friend, MVP Alex Nichol (1935-2005)
 
All I changed was the video card. That's significant? I didn't time how long
it took but it wasn't long once I told it twice that I didn't want to
register the licence. The time it took is irrevelant. I want to know why
changing just the video card activated the activation process. All of the
rest of the hardware is exactly the same as it was before.

I can hardly wait for Validation. It seems to me that MS should go after the
pirates, not make the PAYING CUSTOMER do the job for them unless, of course,
we agree to it and get PAID for doing it!
Click to expand...

All you changed *this time* was the video card. Hardware changes are
cumulative in terms of the activation process so it appears that this
latest change plus the accumulated total of previous hardware changes
now makes it seem as if it may be an entirely different computer from
what it was originally installed on.

See the article on activation by the late Alex Nichol MVP at
http://aumha.org/win5/a/wpa.htm for details as to just what items are
monitored by activation and how the need to reactivate can be
triggered.

Hope this is of some assistance.

Good luck


Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca

In memory of a dear friend Alex Nichol MVP
http://aumha.org/alex.htm
 
kurttrail said:
Hey!

I'd be a very good Chief Customer Relations Officer!
Click to expand...

Maybe so, but you are daimetrically opposed to so much that MS is that
they'd never hire you; you are not assimilable.

Steve
 
The point is, MS needs to listen to folks who don't think the way they do in
order to better reach out to their customer base.

The thought of Kurt becoming an MS employee is of course ludicrous, but as a
consultant, he could tell them they are full of it and they would not
necessarily take offense. If not Kurt, then *someone*.
 
Perhaps there is some truth in what you say.
Someone able to see reasonably clear and not blinded by prejudice.
But no business of any kind would or should hire someone so blindly
prejudiced against so much of what the business does.
No business would want association with someone who needs to insult to
validate a point.
Further no business would want someone who makes accusations such as liar
etc with no proof.

The critics would love Microsoft to hire such a person, a quick easy lawsuit
for slander to start and continuing from there.
The problems of any business would most likely escalate with little of value
in return.
 
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