Change memory = XP re-activation?

[Nocturnal]

Listen guys, re-activation is easy as cake. All you do is call the 1888 # and you enter your activation ID. You get to speak to a rep and they ask for the first six digits of the ID. Next they just verify a few things and ask if you're installing for the first time and if not, what is the reason for the activation. Then they go ahead and give you the # to put into the boxes. It's very simple and since I fix computers for a living, I have to call in many times a week.

 

[Madwand1]

Originally posted by: Nocturnal
I have to call in many times a week.

Admit it, you like talking to these people for some reason.

 

[TanisHalfElven]

just do what i do. get a copy from pirate bay. since you already own a copy i don;t think its too illegal and you don;t have to worry about activating it.

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: tanishalfelven
just do what i do. get a copy from pirate bay. since you already own a copy i don;t think its too illegal and you don;t have to worry about activating it.

Sorry, I don't usually get this blunt, but that is idiotic. How could you be sure the pirated copy doesn't have a kernel-mode rootkit and a keystroke logger built into it? Think about it. I'd just as soon buy medications from a Spam email advertisement as use a "Windows" installation from an unknown source.

 

[TanisHalfElven]

Originally posted by: mechBgon

Originally posted by: tanishalfelven
just do what i do. get a copy from pirate bay. since you already own a copy i don;t think its too illegal and you don;t have to worry about activating it.

Sorry, I don't usually get this blunt, but that is idiotic. How could you be sure the pirated copy doesn't have a kernel-mode rootkit and a keystroke logger built into it? Think about it. I'd just as soon buy medications from a Spam email advertisement as use a "Windows" installation from an unknown source.

hey suit yourself. i do it cuz i am get pissed of at having to re-activate every 2 weeks or so.
and i am fairly certain there nothing wrong with it. i have run spyware doctor and AVG on a fresh intall and its clear. peace.
and also no harm bieng blunt.

 

[cessna152]

Whats with the rash of posts about Activation lately? Is this the kickback from Microsoft's recent "Security Update"?

I've actually never had much problem with activation. I either do it over the network or call up their automated system.

 

[t3h l337 n3wb]

I don't have any problems. I just swapped out my 2x512MB of Corsair ValueSelect for 2x1GB of Patriot last week, and my Windows is working fine.

 

[halfadder]

Actually, it was Mac OS X 10.4.6 that came out last week, not 10.4.5.

Yes, patches and minor 10.4.x updates are free, either by manual download or by running the Software Update utility. They're kind of like Service Packs in the Windows world.

However, the big complaint is the frequency of major updates. The last "must have" update was 10.2 in the summer of 2002. Only 14 months later, Apple came out with 10.3, which was faster and looked a little nicer, better encryption, little tweaks and additions, and added the really awesome (IMHO) Expose feature. It was a worthwhile upgrade for me, $79 as a student from the online Apple store and $99 for my parents via Amazon.com. Only 18 months after that, came 10.4 which really didn't give me a whole lot more for my money. Yeah, 100 more features, 90 of which I don't use. And now, this summer, only 14 months after 10.4 came out, Apple will be releasing a developer preview of 10.5, which will probably be in customer hands only 18 months after 10.4 originally shipped.

Many shareware/freeware Mac applications require 10.4, which has caused a forced upgrade for many users. Most commercial Mac applications now require 10.3, which means most Mac users who use brand new software have to be using a version of their OS that's less than 3 years old. This is annoying to people who are used to using, for example, Photoshop CS2 on Windows 2000, new software on an OS that's 6 years old.

Yes, 10.3.x updates all the way to 10.3.9 were free... and my current 10.4.6 update was free... but I'm going to have to pay for 10.5 unless I buy a new Mac that has 10.5 preinstalled.

 

[shoRunner]

Originally posted by: kuba
I changed my RAM from 1 512 Value RAM, to 2 gigs OCZ, and XP prompted me for a re-activation.
What a pain in the ass.
Microsoft Nazi's...bleh

what does this have anything to do with microsoft getting money...they would be losing money from your activation because they have to pay the indians their rice to re-activate it for u

 

[erikistired]

they need to move to a hardware key. i'd love to hear all the whining when everyone has to put in a printer port to plug in their hardware key to get windows to run.

bunch of damn babies, don't like it? move to something else and stfu up already. oh wait you aren't smart enough to run linux? you can't pirate os x as easy? once again, stfu.

 

[mechBgon]

and i am fairly certain there nothing wrong with it. i have run spyware doctor and AVG on a fresh intall and its clear.

It sounds like you don't comprehend what rootkits do. To generalize a bit, the antivirus software and the antispyware software get to see what the rootkit decides to let them see.

Example: Haxdoor.I, which I removed from a co-worker's home computer a while back. To find the rootkit-protected files, I had to boot the system from the Windows CD and use Recovery Console, because even in Safe Mode With Command Prompt, it was successfully hiding a couple of malicious files from some very good antivirus software.

Backdoor.Haxdoor.I is a Trojan horse that opens a back door on the compromised computer and allows a remote attacker to have unauthorized access. It also logs keystrokes, steals passwords, and drops a rootkit that also runs in Safe mode, making this threat difficult to remove.

Just what we all need, right? Don't play with warez, my friends...

 

[GimpyFuzznut]

Originally posted by: Minerva
Anti piracy just makes the pirates and crackers get smarter and develop more sophisticated methods to sidestep the process. Meanwhile the honest folks have to put up with more bullcrap. Doesn't everything work this way in the world though?

That's the point that everybody should pay attention to. It really is the truth. Anti piracy isn't stop anyone - it just makes things more complication for legitimate consumers.

Sorry, I don't usually get this blunt, but that is idiotic. How could you be sure the pirated copy doesn't have a kernel-mode rootkit and a keystroke logger built into it? Think about it. I'd just as soon buy medications from a Spam email advertisement as use a "Windows" installation from an unknown source.

Now that is just plain old paranoia.

 

[mechBgon]

Sorry, I don't usually get this blunt, but that is idiotic. How could you be sure the pirated copy doesn't have a kernel-mode rootkit and a keystroke logger built into it? Think about it. I'd just as soon buy medications from a Spam email advertisement as use a "Windows" installation from an unknown source.

Now that is just plain old paranoia.

I'm a sysadmin, it comes with the territory

 

[F1shF4t]

Also if u own a legit version of windows and deside to crack it so u dont have to go through all the activation crap, is it considered violation of anything?

 

[Pariah]

That's the point that everybody should pay attention to. It really is the truth. Anti piracy isn't stop anyone - it just makes things more complication for legitimate consumers.

Closed windows and door locks won't stop a car thief from stealing your car either, so why bother with those when all they do is complicate things for consumers (how often do people misplace their keys?)?

What they do do is stop the casual thief from stealing the CD's out of your car of whatever else you have in it. Most anti-piracy methods are not designed to stop the "professional" crackers, they're designed to stop the average Joe from giving all their friends and family members a copy of the software they just got.

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: Dark Cupcake
Also if u own a legit version of windows and deside to crack it so u dont have to go through all the activation crap, is it considered violation of anything?

Probably the DCMA will eat your face if they catch you :Q

To change topics for a moment, how do you like that A8N-VM CSM, and what kind of RAM are you using on it? Stable?

 

[otispunkmeyer]

i had to do the same, changed from 1 to 2gig, and i have an OEM copy of XP pro (well it didnt come in a retail box, just a plastic sleave with code+ quick manual) i had to call MS, after the online bit failed. no biggy it was free, and i have a legit copy of windows so nothing to worry about.

plus i didnt get an indian dude who speaks engrish.

 

[ForumMaster]

Originally posted by: OdiN
Next thing we know, the next version of windows is going to have a USB key that has to be kept in in order to install or run it. I wonder if someone could hack that...

sure can. my dad uses an app called AutoCAD that costs something like $5k. it comes with a usb "key" that has to be inserted inside the computer for the app to work. it drove him nuts cause it would slow down the comp. so he found a crack. it emulated the usb key. he own the software so there's nothing illegal about it. it can be cracked and easily.

 

[TanisHalfElven]

Originally posted by: mechBgon

Originally posted by: Dark Cupcake
Also if u own a legit version of windows and deside to crack it so u dont have to go through all the activation crap, is it considered violation of anything?

Probably the DCMA will eat your face if they catch you :Q

To change topics for a moment, how do you like that A8N-VM CSM, and what kind of RAM are you using on it? Stable?

can't hurt me since i don;t live in the US. can't touch me in canada.

 

[TanisHalfElven]

Originally posted by: Pariah

That's the point that everybody should pay attention to. It really is the truth. Anti piracy isn't stop anyone - it just makes things more complication for legitimate consumers.

Closed windows and door locks won't stop a car thief from stealing your car either, so why bother with those when all they do is complicate things for consumers (how often do people misplace their keys?)?

What they do do is stop the casual thief from stealing the CD's out of your car of whatever else you have in it. Most anti-piracy methods are not designed to stop the "professional" crackers, they're designed to stop the average Joe from giving all their friends and family members a copy of the software they just got.

thants wrong. breaking a car lock takes skill. downloading a cracked version from bittorrent does not.

 

[GimpyFuzznut]

Originally posted by: Pariah

That's the point that everybody should pay attention to. It really is the truth. Anti piracy isn't stop anyone - it just makes things more complication for legitimate consumers.

Closed windows and door locks won't stop a car thief from stealing your car either, so why bother with those when all they do is complicate things for consumers (how often do people misplace their keys?)?

What they do do is stop the casual thief from stealing the CD's out of your car of whatever else you have in it. Most anti-piracy methods are not designed to stop the "professional" crackers, they're designed to stop the average Joe from giving all their friends and family members a copy of the software they just got.

This isn't a fair analogy. While it may stop the totally misinformed retard who wouldn't normally be able to figure out how to read a cd-key or let alone install Windows figure out how to pirate the software - it doesn't stop even the most basic of computer users from pirating anything. It doesn't take a proffesional cracker to figure out how to pirate Windows. Hell, all takes is some moron with a search engine and they can probably figure it out.

 

[Looney]

Originally posted by: Minerva
Anti piracy just makes the pirates and crackers get smarter and develop more sophisticated methods to sidestep the process. Meanwhile the honest folks have to put up with more bullcrap. Doesn't everything work this way in the world though?

It's not suppose to be a perfect solution, nothing will ever be. But if they spent $500k in development of this 'security', and it gets them $5million in sales, then it's worth it to them. We know all it takes is to give them a call, but the vast majority of people don't... even most people on this forum didn't know that.

 

[RadiclDreamer]

Originally posted by: OdiN
Next thing we know, the next version of windows is going to have a USB key that has to be kept in in order to install or run it. I wonder if someone could hack that...

Laugh all you want, but mac graphics apps are notorious for this, Quark, lightwave and others require you to have the key in. Now, there are ways around that as well..... but wel'll leave that alone

 

[rbV5]

Originally posted by: Bobthelost

Originally posted by: spikespiegal
Good point, and I've yet to have XP flip into activation mode for a memory change.

If you're a 'Nazi' for requiring your software be registered I guess that makes IBM 'Satan worshippers' for the licensing hassles they put me through for their platforms.

Oops, I forgot. Only Microsoft is evil for charging for their software.

It's a pain in the arse, i've had to re register XP more times than i can remember, if you don't tinker with your machine much then it's no problem, for those that do it gets annoying quickly.

Microsoft doesn't require you to register XP....ever. At least get your rant straight.

 

[Tom]

What is the legal basis for Microsoft being able to ask a question like, "do you have XP on more than one system ?"

Based on the eula, can Microsoft ask me any questions they want, and deny me use of the license I paid for based on my answer ?

Is Microsoft even subject to the judicial system of the United States and the several states ?