External DVD requires reactivation of XP, now what?

[JEBB]

Compaq 1688, Windows XP Home

I attached an external DVD burner and now it tells me I have three days to reactivate my copy of XP.

Now what? I have an OEM version with a valid serial number. I no longer remember the OEM vendor and M$ says says contact the OEM vendor, M$ won't help me unless I pay!

WTF! What can I do?

Thanks.:|

 

[bendixG15]

Did you make the phone call....
Call them....now...

 

[corkyg]

Never heard of such a thing. I add externals regularly and it never causes a ripple. As long as the mobo stays the same, HDD changes don't even cry for reactivation

Make the phone call.

 

[JEBB]

I did make the phone call! The Indian women I talked to said I had to go thru the OEM.

 

[Zugzwang152]

If you have a Compaq, then Compaq is the OEM. Call them.

 

[JEBB]

ZZ: That would work were it totally true. The computer is Compaq, but the OP was from another vendor, the name of which I've long lost.

 

[bendixG15]

Call them again and you will talk to somebody else...and get a diferent reply.
It is not going to cost anything...Don't let MS stick it to you

 

[pkme2]

Adding any external device by USB should never require XP re-activation. I've hooked up many an external and never had that situation ever arrive. I would be very interested with the Compaq reply. Can you post the reply on AT. Thanks.

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: JEBB
ZZ: That would work were it totally true. The computer is Compaq, but the OP was from another vendor, the name of which I've long lost.

So you seem to be saying that you used a WinXP CD that was branded for some other type of OEM system, like "For Use Only With A New DELL PC" or something? In that case you may have to buy a new WinXP Home OEM license from Newegg or etc.

 

[JEBB]

mechBgon:
You're right or close to it. But that Windows copy was never used nor was it intended to be.

The whole point of the exercise was to backup the hard disk to a DVD-RW, put in Linux and, if I didn't like Linux experience, be able to go back.

On overnght consideration, I believe that it was in loading Nero software that I created the problem. The computer is slow and at the last step, loading InCD 4 and InCD Reader, I thought I may have not let it go to completion before I stopped the process. So I loaded them a second time. It must not have overwritten itself properly.

I have a second Windows computer, a Thinkpad with XP Pro, that I had loaded Nero on earlier in the day. That process went smoothly and there is no sign of the 'reactivate Windows' problem. So if I am unable to recover the Compaq I am not lost.

The main reason I have a Windows computer is to learn/keep fresh with Windows. I am a volunteer teacher at a local Senior Center. My main computer is a Macintosh. This experience has been yet another that tells me that a Macintosh is a better choice. They just work!

 

[bruceb]

Do yourself a favor and get rid of Incd from nero .. it is not very good ... if you must use packet writing
then I suggest Direct CD from Roxio ... much better and more stable

 

[JEBB]

bruceb:
I went to the Roxio site to look at Direct CD. They don't have a product by that name. Is it sold by a different company or do you mean a different Roxio product?

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: JEBB
mechBgon:
You're right or close to it. But that Windows copy was never used nor was it intended to be.

The main reason I have a Windows computer is to learn/keep fresh with Windows. I am a volunteer teacher at a local Senior Center. My main computer is a Macintosh. This experience has been yet another that tells me that a Macintosh is a better choice. They just work!

From what I've heard, when people call in to activate these brand-specific WinXP installations, Microsoft is now asking people what brand and model of computer they have, so they can confirm that the e.g. "For DELL Only" ones are actually on the type of computer that they were intended for. If you want a legit Windows license, the full-version (not Upgrade) retail-boxed ones are the most flexible, but also the most expensive.

 

[bruceb]

It usually comes with Roxio Easy CD Creator .. it may not be available seperately

 

[corkyg]

Nowadays it is Roxio Easy MEDIA Creator - latest is version 8.0.

We teach packet writing in some of our courses, but we limit it to what comes built in to XP. It does very well - good enough to teach it without having to have students spend any money at home. We no longer use floppy disks at all.

BTW - I too am a volunteer instructor for our local SeniorNet training centers. We have two in Tucson, and are getting ready to open a third. Most of our volunteers are retired IBM folks. Our OS's are all XP Pro - 8 workstations networked in the classroom with the instructor's projected on a large screen.

 

[Werty]

Micro$oft$ activation scheme is a big BUL-SHET!!!! i once took out a atapi cd-rw (coz i use it on other system), but when i power back my system, it asks me to re-activate something.. i did tried reactivating tru interenet the same way i activated this system the 1st time and it wont let me.. saying that this has been activated too many times... WTF!!!!

 

[Seeruk]

My whole system has been changed twice over from components upgrades. Motherboards, CPU's, gfx cards, sound cards, and hard drives have been upgraded over the last 12-18 months and yet I have been prompted to reactivate only once (The second of the mobo upgrades).

The difference? I don't use an OEM disk. I am sure dell's are tied to a their limited range of compenents and anything falling outside of that range of parts will prompt it everytime.

That's what you get from cheaping out on ebay I guess

 

[spherrod]

Originally posted by: Werty
Micro$oft$ activation scheme is a big BUL-SHET!!!! i once took out a atapi cd-rw (coz i use it on other system), but when i power back my system, it asks me to re-activate something.. i did tried reactivating tru interenet the same way i activated this system the 1st time and it wont let me.. saying that this has been activated too many times... WTF!!!!

:roll: so you call them and reactivate - it's no big issue

 

[JEBB]

I have Windows back today. I started up in 'safe mode' and got to system restore. There weren't many, but I picked a date that was, I think, before the changes. In contrast to what happened a couple of days ago, this time it gave me the monster number to tell the robot. I called and gave the number. The robot replied with an equally large number, which I entered, and now the computer and XP is going again. Now back again to the plan of making a disk image to a DVD-RW with Acronis True Image and then installing Ubuntu. I want the ability to go back.

For those who have used Acronis: How difficult is it to get everything back on using their disk image? Or should I try the disk clone method to an external hard disk?

 

[Matthias99]

Originally posted by: Seeruk
My whole system has been changed twice over from components upgrades. Motherboards, CPU's, gfx cards, sound cards, and hard drives have been upgraded over the last 12-18 months and yet I have been prompted to reactivate only once (The second of the mobo upgrades).

The difference? I don't use an OEM disk. I am sure dell's are tied to a their limited range of compenents and anything falling outside of that range of parts will prompt it everytime.

That's what you get from cheaping out on ebay I guess

I don't believe there is any difference in how OEM versions track reactivation. It has to do with what changes you make and how quickly you make them. Basically, each time a component changes, it adds some value to your 'score' (certain components add more 'points' than others), and if your 'score' gets above a certain threshold, you have to reactivate. Your 'score' also goes down over time (either it gets cleared every few months if you stop doing upgrades, or you lose some number of 'points' every few months; I don't remember which).

Basically, as long as you don't swap out almost everything in your system at once, or you don't upgrade more than every ~6 months or so, you'll almost never have to reactivate. And as long as the reactivations aren't too frequent, the online system should just let you proceed without having to call in.

 

[thegorx]

You would think that an external drive wouldn't cause this, but I have experienced activation needed without any change to the system, the first time I saw it I thought perhaps just a registry hive corruption causing hardware to be redetected
the last time I saw this was on a system I was asked to work on
It turned out the motherboard had bad capacitors and the reactivation was right before the system failed completely.

Yes, plug in your MP3 player for charging and your motherboard's capacitors go pop pop pop.

 

[RebateMonger]

There's really two activation issues here:

1) Windows asking for re-activation with what seems like a "minor" hardware change.

It happens sometimes. Once, I simply removed a driver for a video capture card and Windows XP insisted that I re-activate.

2) Somebody sold the original poster an OEM copy of Windows XP intended for a different brand of PC, in violation of Microsoft's OEM licensing agreement.

That's probably why Microsoft didn't want to activate the OEM copy of XP. Note that these "inappropriate" sales of Windows OEM CDs often also come with stolen (duplicated) COA key numbers.

 

[oynaz]

I crack the Windows activation stuff first thing when I install XP. That way I do not have to be annoyed by M$.
And yes, it's perfectly legal (in Denmark, at least).

 

[bendixG15]

Originally posted by: oynaz
I crack the Windows activation stuff first thing when I install XP. That way I do not have to be annoyed by M$.
And yes, it's perfectly legal (in Denmark, at least).

If its legal, then why do you have to crack it ?
Maybe its not as legal as you think ...

 

[Smilin]

Originally posted by: bendixG15

Originally posted by: oynaz
I crack the Windows activation stuff first thing when I install XP. That way I do not have to be annoyed by M$.
And yes, it's perfectly legal (in Denmark, at least).

If its legal, then why do you have to crack it ?
Maybe its not as legal as you think ...

He doesn't know any better. He's 12 years old. You can tell by the way he uses the $ in MS.