Windows activation process temporarily offline?

[Guest]

I have cloned a XP build PC using ghost. Same process and image as around 100
pcs in our business.
First thing I do is activate it (as indeed I have to as the 30 days has
lapsed since it was cloned).
This has worked great up to today. However for the last one, it said the
internet wasn't available - it was - I've checked the LAN connection and
indeed am ghosting another PC as I type this. The fallback, phoning Microsoft
to activate it over the phone is unfortunately not working either - the
number 0800 018 8354 (on the screen from the UK) is unavailable.
Any ideas when this will be available? Thanks

 

[Alias]

I have cloned a XP build PC using ghost. Same process and image as around 100
pcs in our business.
First thing I do is activate it (as indeed I have to as the 30 days has
lapsed since it was cloned).
This has worked great up to today. However for the last one, it said the
internet wasn't available - it was - I've checked the LAN connection and
indeed am ghosting another PC as I type this. The fallback, phoning Microsoft
to activate it over the phone is unfortunately not working either - the
number 0800 018 8354 (on the screen from the UK) is unavailable.
Any ideas when this will be available? Thanks

I guess the snafu of last weekend hasn't been fixed. Here is yet another
example of how the so-called "anti piracy" programs only screw the
paying customer.

Don't know what to tell you but you might want to consider an Open
Source operating system like Ubuntu. It's free and has none of the
you-are-a-thief-until-you-prove-otherwise trip like XP and Vista have.
Check it out at http://www.ubuntu.com/

 

[Frank]

I guess the snafu of last weekend hasn't been fixed.

Not the same thing you idiot! You have no idea what you're talking about
do you.

Here is yet another

example of how the so-called "anti piracy" programs only screw the
paying customer.

Don't know what to tell you but you might want to consider an Open
Source operating system like Ubuntu. It's free and has none of the
you-are-a-thief-until-you-prove-otherwise trip like XP and Vista have.
Check it out at http://www.ubuntu.com/

Why would anyone in their right mind want a toy os like ubuntu?
Grow up you moron!
Frank

 

[Alias]

Not the same thing you idiot! You have no idea what you're talking about
do you.

You're right. It's a NEW snafu.

Here is yet another
Why would anyone in their right mind want a toy os like ubuntu?
Grow up you moron!
Frank

Well, let's see, being as you asked:

1. No WPA

2. No WGA

3. No cost

4. Not prone to viruses

5. Not prone to malware

6. No need to buy new hardware to run it like you do with Vista.

7. *Everything* that is installed from the Ubuntu repositories is
updated from one source.

8. Beryl is MUCH cooler than Aero will ever be.

9. It's more user friendly than Vista

10. It's much more stable than Vista

11. Frank doesn't want it.

 

[Frank]

You're right. It's a NEW snafu.



Well, let's see, being as you asked:

1. No WPA

2. No WGA

3. No cost

4. Not prone to viruses

5. Not prone to malware

6. No need to buy new hardware to run it like you do with Vista.

7. *Everything* that is installed from the Ubuntu repositories is
updated from one source.

8. Beryl is MUCH cooler than Aero will ever be.

9. It's more user friendly than Vista

10. It's much more stable than Vista

11. Frank doesn't want it.

hehehe...nice toy for surfing the web and doing a little email but for
running a productive business...forget it!
Frank

 

[Alias]

Not the same thing you idiot! You have no idea what you're talking about
do you.

Here is yet another
Why would anyone in their right mind want a toy os like ubuntu?
Grow up you moron!
Frank

So, your expert, genuine and fully activated help for Stevil is what?
This should be good.

 

[Frank]

So, your expert, genuine and fully activated help for Stevil is what?
This should be good.

hehehe...so did he take your helpful advice since you were the first one
to respond to him?
This should be good!
Frank

 

[Alias]

hehehe...so did he take your helpful advice since you were the first one
to respond to him?
This should be good!
Frank

I don't know how to help him with his problem other than to install an
OS that isn't crippled with WPA/WGA malware.

Now, again, what would YOU suggest?

 

[MikeB]

I have cloned a XP build PC using ghost. Same process and image as around 100
pcs in our business.
First thing I do is activate it (as indeed I have to as the 30 days has
lapsed since it was cloned).
This has worked great up to today. However for the last one, it said the
internet wasn't available - it was - I've checked the LAN connection and
indeed am ghosting another PC as I type this. The fallback, phoning Microsoft
to activate it over the phone is unfortunately not working either - the
number 0800 018 8354 (on the screen from the UK) is unavailable.
Any ideas when this will be available? Thanks

I see you've had very little constructive advice.

Try searching the UK Microsoft support site and see if you can get a
number for tech support. Call that. There might also be WGA articles
in the KB that will help you out.

I have seen (don't have a reference handy) of a way to disable WGA so
that it goes through the whole process again. That might help you
since the problem with WGA is now supposedly resolved.

 

[Frank]

I don't know how to help him with his problem other than to install an
OS that isn't crippled with WPA/WGA malware.

Now, again, what would YOU suggest?

That he can't connect to the Internet and the phone number comes up no
dial tone the only time he tried it?
I'd say wait and try some more. No dial tone doesn't sound like a Vista
problem or something that can be solved by installing linux.
Something else is going on there.
YMMV.
Frank

 

[Alias]

I see you've had very little constructive advice.

Try searching the UK Microsoft support site and see if you can get a
number for tech support. Call that. There might also be WGA articles
in the KB that will help you out.

I have seen (don't have a reference handy) of a way to disable WGA so
that it goes through the whole process again. That might help you
since the problem with WGA is now supposedly resolved.

The OP is having a problem with WPA, not WGA.

 

[Alias]

That he can't connect to the Internet and the phone number comes up no
dial tone the only time he tried it?
I'd say wait and try some more. No dial tone doesn't sound like a Vista
problem or something that can be solved by installing linux.
Something else is going on there.
YMMV.
Frank

Yeah, it's another of Redmond's fuçkups.

 

[Frank]

Yeah, it's another of Redmond's fuçkups.

Oh...and you know this to be for sure because...?
Frank

 

[Alias]

Oh...and you know this to be for sure because...?
Frank

Activation on line doesn't work because it says he's not on line when he
knows he is. A phone number for the UK is displayed. He tries to call
and gets no answer. I'm sure it wasn't the bloody Queen that fuçked up
that one, old man or the OP. Now, can you connect the dots and try and
figure out who the ONLY other party was who might have been involved in
this mess?

 

[HeyBub]

Yeah, it's another of Redmond's fuçkups.

--

Pity, really. One can only wonder to what heights an otherwise good company
could aspire had they not made such terrible mistakes.

They could have created enormous wealth, improved productivity for literally
millions, provided meaningful jobs for tens of thousands, and contributed
mightily to the well-being of so many had they not shot themselves in the
foot.

It's just a shame.

 

[Frank]

Activation on line doesn't work because it says he's not on line when he
knows he is.

That's believable.

A phone number for the UK is displayed. He tries to call

and gets no answer.

That one is rather hard to fathom being as it is an 0 800 number.


I'm sure it wasn't the bloody Queen that fuçked up

that one, old man or the OP.

Well since the op's posted in the Vista ng and not having an Internet
connection and no one answering the phone does not seem to have anything
to do with Vista.
Maybe you can see a connection and should offer a fix (not linux) but
I'm having trouble seeing exactly what Vista has to do with either of
those issues.

Now, can you connect the dots and try and

figure out who the ONLY other party was who might have been involved in
this mess?

Well, there are really a number of possible suspects if you know what to
look for.
We've got the op himself (human error), the phone company, the Internet
company (his ISP), his computer hardware and his os (Vista). When
someone tells me they can't get the Internet connection and the phone
number isn't working then those are the first suspects I'd look closely at.
Of course seeing as how you hate MS so much I'd expect you to make a
federal case that it's all MS's fault. Could be but based on the op's
post I'd start somewhere else.
Frank

 

[Guest]

Hi all, thanks for your replies:

Frank

I actually can connect to the internet ok with that LAN connection. Just
that pc (plus an additional one I've just built) cannot connect to the
authentication server.

However the number that Microsoft gives is working this morning (it wasn't
working yesterday), I would agree its not a Vista problem but I suspect there
was a phone line problem Microsoft's end. (I could call other numbers ok).

Alias - thanks for the information however in the short term I need these 2
pcs for new starts.
In the long term I need o/s on client PCs that are fully compatible with the
document management systems and practice management systems we use. We use
Linux on some servers but we're happy with Windows XP at the desktop level.

MikeB

Thanks - as the phone number is back up I can use that in the meantime.

Thanks all

 

[Alias]

That's believable.

A phone number for the UK is displayed. He tries to call

That one is rather hard to fathom being as it is an 0 800 number.


I'm sure it wasn't the bloody Queen that fuçked up

Well since the op's posted in the Vista ng and not having an Internet
connection and no one answering the phone does not seem to have anything
to do with Vista.
Maybe you can see a connection and should offer a fix (not linux) but
I'm having trouble seeing exactly what Vista has to do with either of
those issues.

Now, can you connect the dots and try and

Well, there are really a number of possible suspects if you know what to
look for.
We've got the op himself (human error), the phone company, the Internet
company (his ISP), his computer hardware and his os (Vista). When
someone tells me they can't get the Internet connection and the phone
number isn't working then those are the first suspects I'd look closely at.
Of course seeing as how you hate MS so much I'd expect you to make a
federal case that it's all MS's fault. Could be but based on the op's
post I'd start somewhere else.
Frank

Um, this is an XP newsgroup and the OP is trying to run XP. So, you're
right, Vista has nothing to do with it, nor does XP for that matter;
it's the activation server and the phone line that are fuçked up and
that lays squarely on Redmond´s lap.

 

[Alias]

Hi all, thanks for your replies:

Frank

I actually can connect to the internet ok with that LAN connection. Just
that pc (plus an additional one I've just built) cannot connect to the
authentication server.

However the number that Microsoft gives is working this morning (it wasn't
working yesterday), I would agree its not a Vista problem but I suspect there
was a phone line problem Microsoft's end. (I could call other numbers ok).

Alias - thanks for the information however in the short term I need these 2
pcs for new starts.
In the long term I need o/s on client PCs that are fully compatible with the
document management systems and practice management systems we use. We use
Linux on some servers but we're happy with Windows XP at the desktop level.

MikeB

Thanks - as the phone number is back up I can use that in the meantime.

Thanks all

Glad you got it sorted out. I use XP too but eventually I will dump it
entirely for Ubuntu except for gaming.

 

[Frank]

Hi all, thanks for your replies:

Frank

I actually can connect to the internet ok with that LAN connection. Just
that pc (plus an additional one I've just built) cannot connect to the
authentication server.

However the number that Microsoft gives is working this morning (it wasn't
working yesterday), I would agree its not a Vista problem but I suspect there
was a phone line problem Microsoft's end. (I could call other numbers ok).

Alias - thanks for the information however in the short term I need these 2
pcs for new starts.
In the long term I need o/s on client PCs that are fully compatible with the
document management systems and practice management systems we use. We use
Linux on some servers but we're happy with Windows XP at the desktop level.

MikeB

Thanks - as the phone number is back up I can use that in the meantime.

Thanks all

Glad you're on the way to getting it resolved.
Frank