WGA updated again

[SepticTank]

God this crap pisses me off. I run a computer shop and routinely do
reloads on people's systems. Unfortuantely, most of them are name
brand Dells, HPs, etc. and require me to freakin CALL in to activate.
So I usually do all the updates beforehand and make the call when it's
convenient.

OH WELL. They've once again updated WGA and the little .DLL
replacement I've been slipping in System32 no longer works.

Any other work arounds known? I am sure someone will release yet
another hacked version later.

Truly, this is getting ridiculous. If customers experienced the hell
us techs go through they would find an alternative to this Microsoft
garbage.

 

[Doug Knox MS-MVP]

The customer would probably use the Recovery media/partition which is tied to that system, and wouldn't be forced to activate at all.

How are you doing the 're-loads'? Using your own copy of XP or the supplied recovery media? If you're using your own, then of course you're going to have to activate.

 

[SepticTank]

Often it is due to failed hard drives which, guess what?, the recovery
partition is now destroyed. So, yes, I have to use my own OEM XP
disc. Plus customers rarely bring in their recovery CDs (and have
usually thrown them out).

Bottom line, huge hassle and something I am quite frankly getting
tired of dealing with.

 

[Guest]

Unless you use the PC manufacturer's restore, reinstallation or recovery CD,
you'll have to continue to phone in for an activation code. Microsoft scours
the net, and newsgroups, for illegal hacks, so what may work today will
likely be circumvented by an updated WGA Tool in the future. If your
customers desire a generic OEM installation, then they need to purchase a
generic Windows XP license and CD together and not rely on using their PC
manufacturer's XP license with a generic Windows XP CD, which I assume you
are using.

Preserving OEM Pre-Activation when Re-installing Windows XP
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/deploy/oempreac.mspx

 

[antioch]

God this crap pisses me off.

CLIPPED...

Truly, this is getting ridiculous. If customers experienced the hell
us techs go through they would find an alternative to this Microsoft
garbage.

Septic Tank,
My sympathy is with you.
That yellow shield is again nagging at me to download this imposed tool.
How many times and how often do we have to keep doing this.

"The Windows Genuine Advantage Validation Tool enables you to verify that
your copy of Microsoft Windows is genuine. The tool validates your Windows
installation by checking Windows Product Identification and Product
Activation status."

I keep downloading - surely by now MS must be convinced I'm
certified/authenticated/validated/proved genuine etc etc.

It is again listed under High Priority - click to get details and it is now
called a software upgrade????????????
Rgds
Antioch

 

[SepticTank]

"Hello, customer. Yes, I am sorry your hard drive has failed. We
will need to replace it. Also, you will need to purchase a copy of
Windows since the recovery partition is now lost."

Yeah that'll go over GREAT.

Nevermind the fact that they DID buy Windows when they purchased the
computer. It most certaintly wasn't a free bundle.

You Microsoft "MVP" people are insane.

 

[Marten]

The customer would probably use the Recovery media/partition which is tied to that system, and wouldn't be forced to activate at all.

How are you doing the 're-loads'? Using your own copy of XP or the supplied recovery media? If you're using your own, then of course you're going to have to activate.

If the hard drive is bad, then there is no recovery media/partition.
I've myself have run in to this many a time as well, and had to use my
OEM XP CD to restore the system. Then call Microsoft activation
because the COA label stuck on the machine is invalid.
Apparently my system builder's OEM CD no longer works for
HP's Dell's and Compaq's even though 90% of my
repairs are on these machines.

Microsoft's people answering the activation phone lines cannot seem
to understand this. They ask me how many computers has this copy of
windows been installed on. Of course I answer "just this one",
when in actuality it's probably on more that 200 machines, but
these people have the COA sticker right there where
Dell/HP ect., put it. They own it. They have a right to use it.
If you were to tell this to a Microsoft representative, you would
be told "Sorry we cannot help you" CLICK!!

Everyone knows this is all done to thwart software piracy,
however software pirates are laughing, and we are the ones
suffering trying to keep everything legal, with the least
amount of grief.

However I no longer have this problem. I have obtained
a copy of WidnowsXP from both Dell and HP which seem to
work on a series of their machines not even asking for a product
key and already being activated. I suggest to all you
repair shops to have a couple of your customers bi*ch and complain
to their OEM's to send them an OS recovery CD. Burn
two copies (one as master, and the other for everyday use)
and return the customer's original.

Marten

 

[Alias]

God this crap pisses me off. I run a computer shop and routinely do
reloads on people's systems. Unfortuantely, most of them are name
brand Dells, HPs, etc. and require me to freakin CALL in to activate.
So I usually do all the updates beforehand and make the call when it's
convenient.

OH WELL. They've once again updated WGA and the little .DLL
replacement I've been slipping in System32 no longer works.

Any other work arounds known? I am sure someone will release yet
another hacked version later.

Truly, this is getting ridiculous. If customers experienced the hell
us techs go through they would find an alternative to this Microsoft
garbage.

Once again we have proof that WPA and WGA only inconvenience the paying
customer and do nothing to thwart piracy. The ironic thing is if you had
used a cracked copy of XP, you wouldn't have had this problem.

Alias

 

[Alias]

Unless you use the PC manufacturer's restore, reinstallation or recovery CD,
you'll have to continue to phone in for an activation code. Microsoft scours
the net, and newsgroups, for illegal hacks, so what may work today will
likely be circumvented by an updated WGA Tool in the future. If your
customers desire a generic OEM installation, then they need to purchase a
generic Windows XP license and CD together and not rely on using their PC
manufacturer's XP license with a generic Windows XP CD, which I assume you
are using.

Preserving OEM Pre-Activation when Re-installing Windows XP
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/deploy/oempreac.mspx

Just curious, has anyone compared the cost of paying thousands of
clueless activators and all the research and expense that goes into WPA
and WGA to the supposed loss due to piracy? If I were an MS stockholder,
it would be a question that would concern me because all these cat and
mouse games with the crackers at the expense and TOTAL disregard to the
paying customer will also have its cost in bad PR. Methinks that MS is
taking their monopoly too much for granted and all this will bite them
right on their financial a$$.

Alias

 

[Alias]

Septic Tank,
My sympathy is with you.
That yellow shield is again nagging at me to download this imposed tool.
How many times and how often do we have to keep doing this.

"The Windows Genuine Advantage Validation Tool enables you to verify that
your copy of Microsoft Windows is genuine. The tool validates your Windows
installation by checking Windows Product Identification and Product
Activation status."

I keep downloading - surely by now MS must be convinced I'm
certified/authenticated/validated/proved genuine etc etc.

It is again listed under High Priority - click to get details and it is now
called a software upgrade????????????
Rgds
Antioch

And what happens if you click on "hide this update"?

Alias

 

[SepticTank]

MSFT's stock HAS tanked over the past few weeks, although it's not
attributed to that. But I think in the long run it will definately
have an affect.

if Apple ever gets smart and decides to release OS/X for generic PCs
and/or a decent very usable version of Linux and a suite of apps
becomes available, I am certain people will abandon MS in droves.

 

[kurttrail]

If the hard drive is bad, then there is no recovery media/partition.
I've myself have run in to this many a time as well, and had to use my
OEM XP CD to restore the system. Then call Microsoft activation
because the COA label stuck on the machine is invalid.
Apparently my system builder's OEM CD no longer works for
HP's Dell's and Compaq's even though 90% of my
repairs are on these machines.

Microsoft's people answering the activation phone lines cannot seem
to understand this. They ask me how many computers has this copy of
windows been installed on. Of course I answer "just this one",
when in actuality it's probably on more that 200 machines, but
these people have the COA sticker right there where
Dell/HP ect., put it. They own it. They have a right to use it.
If you were to tell this to a Microsoft representative, you would
be told "Sorry we cannot help you" CLICK!!

Everyone knows this is all done to thwart software piracy,
however software pirates are laughing, and we are the ones
suffering trying to keep everything legal, with the least
amount of grief.

However I no longer have this problem. I have obtained
a copy of WidnowsXP from both Dell and HP which seem to
work on a series of their machines not even asking for a product
key and already being activated. I suggest to all you
repair shops to have a couple of your customers bi*ch and complain
to their OEM's to send them an OS recovery CD. Burn
two copies (one as master, and the other for everyday use)
and return the customer's original.

Marten

Call up again and ask for a supervisor. The story I tell the PA reps is
that I slipstreamed SP2 into the installation media, and that is the
reason I need to activate the Dell, Gateway, Whatever Major OEM Product
Key.

--
Peace!
Kurt Kirsch
Self-anointed Moderator
http://microscum.com
"It'll soon shake your Windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'."

 

[Pop]

"Hello, customer. Yes, I am sorry your hard drive has failed.
We
will need to replace it. Also, you will need to purchase a
copy of
Windows since the recovery partition is now lost."

Yeah that'll go over GREAT.

Nevermind the fact that they DID buy Windows when they
purchased the
computer. It most certaintly wasn't a free bundle.

You Microsoft "MVP" people are insane.

....

You're too lazy to ask them for their original CDs? Too lazy to
tell them the facts of lfie? Too lazy to actually KNOW what
needs to be done and what doesn't? No wonder you'v e wasted so
many hours of what could have been earning time. Closed minds
usually meet deadends sooner or later; and you appear to be
approaching it.
I'll bet you keep all the honest info from your customers and
continue to pirate for as long as you can get away with it.
You'll shortly find yourslef in small claims court or worse.

One who just won an award plus damages from the likes of you
Pop

 

[SepticTank]

You're too lazy to ask them for their original CDs? Too lazy to
tell them the facts of lfie? Too lazy to actually KNOW what
needs to be done and what doesn't? No wonder you'v e wasted so
many hours of what could have been earning time. Closed minds
usually meet deadends sooner or later; and you appear to be
approaching it.
I'll bet you keep all the honest info from your customers and
continue to pirate for as long as you can get away with it.
You'll shortly find yourslef in small claims court or worse.

One who just won an award plus damages from the likes of you
Pop

Your reading comprehension is ZERO, pal. I already stated that in
most cases these people don't have CDs, they have recovery partitions
which are GONE. Being lazy is not even part of it -- having to deal
with numerous systems per day it's a question of time. This garbage
is slowing me down.

And lastly, nothing is pirated, jackass, as I've clearly stated that
these are all legit machines.

 

[Sharon Franks]

Carey Frisch is insane and a few others. Talk about sock puppet.

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

The OEM Windows XP license is technically no longer valid
if either the COA / Product Key or the method to restore the
factory-installed operating system is missing. In other words,
if a customer cannot produce the PC manufacturer's
restore, reinstallation or recovery CD, or the hidden partition
is damaged and unrecoverable, that particular Windows XP
license is no longer valid. You need to explain this to
your customers.

I also suggest that you register as a system builder and
learn more about OEM licensing by visiting the OEM
newsgroups dedicated to the subject.

Microsoft System Builder Web Site
http://oem.microsoft.com

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

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

:

| >You're too lazy to ask them for their original CDs? Too lazy to
| >tell them the facts of lfie? Too lazy to actually KNOW what
| >needs to be done and what doesn't? No wonder you'v e wasted so
| >many hours of what could have been earning time. Closed minds
| >usually meet deadends sooner or later; and you appear to be
| >approaching it.
| > I'll bet you keep all the honest info from your customers and
| >continue to pirate for as long as you can get away with it.
| >You'll shortly find yourslef in small claims court or worse.
| >
| >One who just won an award plus damages from the likes of you
| >Pop
| >
| >
|
| Your reading comprehension is ZERO, pal. I already stated that in
| most cases these people don't have CDs, they have recovery partitions
| which are GONE. Being lazy is not even part of it -- having to deal
| with numerous systems per day it's a question of time. This garbage
| is slowing me down.
|
| And lastly, nothing is pirated, jackass, as I've clearly stated that
| these are all legit machines.

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

Your silly comment reflects your lack of knowledge
regarding OEM licensing.

 

[SepticTank]

The OEM Windows XP license is technically no longer valid
if either the COA / Product Key or the method to restore the
factory-installed operating system is missing. In other words,
if a customer cannot produce the PC manufacturer's
restore, reinstallation or recovery CD, or the hidden partition
is damaged and unrecoverable, that particular Windows XP
license is no longer valid.

That is so ridiculous and unreasonable. Wow.

 

[SepticTank]

Your silly comment reflects your lack of knowledge
regarding OEM licensing.

So true. I never realized just how badly MSFT is screwing people
over.

 

[Jon]

So true. I never realized just how badly MSFT is screwing people
over.

... and with new high quality rival products emerging all the time, that is
not a good strategy

http://www.koffice.org/

Jon