I have never been refused activation by MS. Have you?

[juktar]

Originally posted by: compman25

Originally posted by: CZroe
Yes, I have been refused... and repeatedly hung-up on and sent in loops through tech support. At first, each of the 10 times I called on the first night I was promised that I am not going to be stuck in the same tech support loop. Basically, they'd ask me for a few bits of information (name, email, etc) and then ask me to hold on while they transfer me only to put me through to another person in their same department who would ask me the same questions and the transfer in an infinite loop. When I figured it out and interrupted the questioning to report the problem and beg that they stop forwarding me if they couldn't guarantee I was going to the right person (once aware of the problem), they all just assured me that the problem was fixed and that I would be getting the right person this time. HA!!! I'd tell the next person that I was just guaranteed that the problem was fixed when it was not and they'd STILL assure me that it was and do it again... and again... and again. ARGH! After about 10 calls and giving my name & email ~70 times, I had to just give up for the day and try again days later. This time, I was put on hold and never returned to... just for kicks, I let the phone stay on hold for over two hours while I called from another phone. On the other phone, I would get through and then get put on hold or transferred only to get disconnected. Repeatedly. Like, about 30 times before I gave up. It was NOT my phone. I put it on three-way with the other phone just to prove it. After the first few times, I was informing each person I spoke with that there was a problem and that every time they'd put me on hold or transfer me that they would disconnect me and they each categorically said that the problem was fixed even when I told them that "I already heard that many times and it's just not true."

I eventually figured out that it was just an inappropriate error message that would say that I failed activation and needed to call Microsoft just because my date wasn't set (I did a CMOS clear before a fresh install). FAIL. It was a problem I had encountered before on Windows Update and Activation in the past (Media Center Edition OEM). This was last year, when they should have made good on their promise to make Activation as smooth as possible, and yet they hadn't even fixed that glitch that had been there from the start. This wasn't Microsofts first WPA OS product. :|

So what you're saying is if you hadn't screwed up you never would have had to call, right? So your rant should be about you instead?

 

[juktar]

Originally posted by: compman25

Originally posted by: CZroe
Yes, I have been refused... and repeatedly hung-up on and sent in loops through tech support. At first, each of the 10 times I called on the first night I was promised that I am not going to be stuck in the same tech support loop. Basically, they'd ask me for a few bits of information (name, email, etc) and then ask me to hold on while they transfer me only to put me through to another person in their same department who would ask me the same questions and the transfer in an infinite loop. When I figured it out and interrupted the questioning to report the problem and beg that they stop forwarding me if they couldn't guarantee I was going to the right person (once aware of the problem), they all just assured me that the problem was fixed and that I would be getting the right person this time. HA!!! I'd tell the next person that I was just guaranteed that the problem was fixed when it was not and they'd STILL assure me that it was and do it again... and again... and again. ARGH! After about 10 calls and giving my name & email ~70 times, I had to just give up for the day and try again days later. This time, I was put on hold and never returned to... just for kicks, I let the phone stay on hold for over two hours while I called from another phone. On the other phone, I would get through and then get put on hold or transferred only to get disconnected. Repeatedly. Like, about 30 times before I gave up. It was NOT my phone. I put it on three-way with the other phone just to prove it. After the first few times, I was informing each person I spoke with that there was a problem and that every time they'd put me on hold or transfer me that they would disconnect me and they each categorically said that the problem was fixed even when I told them that "I already heard that many times and it's just not true."

I eventually figured out that it was just an inappropriate error message that would say that I failed activation and needed to call Microsoft just because my date wasn't set (I did a CMOS clear before a fresh install). FAIL. It was a problem I had encountered before on Windows Update and Activation in the past (Media Center Edition OEM). This was last year, when they should have made good on their promise to make Activation as smooth as possible, and yet they hadn't even fixed that glitch that had been there from the start. This wasn't Microsofts first WPA OS product. :|

So what you're saying is if you hadn't screwed up you never would have had to call, right? So your rant should be about you instead?

What probably happened is they thought he had an illegal copy. Changing the date and time is an old trick to fool activation. It worked on Windows XP as well back in the day at one point. What they did was probably on purpose instead of calling the guy a thief.

Wether or not this is a real story, I don't know. it sounds like it could have been cleared up within 2 minutes, just looking to the bottom right hand corner of the screen. Time and data should be the first thing you check when you reset your BIOS. It should have been something that you checked, especially if you already knew about it, as you stated above.

The rant is kinda out of place in this thread anyways, as the op asked if anyone was denied activation, not ever had a problem activating.

 

[CZroe]

Originally posted by: juktar

Originally posted by: compman25

Originally posted by: CZroe
Yes, I have been refused... and repeatedly hung-up on and sent in loops through tech support. At first, each of the 10 times I called on the first night I was promised that I am not going to be stuck in the same tech support loop. Basically, they'd ask me for a few bits of information (name, email, etc) and then ask me to hold on while they transfer me only to put me through to another person in their same department who would ask me the same questions and the transfer in an infinite loop. When I figured it out and interrupted the questioning to report the problem and beg that they stop forwarding me if they couldn't guarantee I was going to the right person (once aware of the problem), they all just assured me that the problem was fixed and that I would be getting the right person this time. HA!!! I'd tell the next person that I was just guaranteed that the problem was fixed when it was not and they'd STILL assure me that it was and do it again... and again... and again. ARGH! After about 10 calls and giving my name & email ~70 times, I had to just give up for the day and try again days later. This time, I was put on hold and never returned to... just for kicks, I let the phone stay on hold for over two hours while I called from another phone. On the other phone, I would get through and then get put on hold or transferred only to get disconnected. Repeatedly. Like, about 30 times before I gave up. It was NOT my phone. I put it on three-way with the other phone just to prove it. After the first few times, I was informing each person I spoke with that there was a problem and that every time they'd put me on hold or transfer me that they would disconnect me and they each categorically said that the problem was fixed even when I told them that "I already heard that many times and it's just not true."

I eventually figured out that it was just an inappropriate error message that would say that I failed activation and needed to call Microsoft just because my date wasn't set (I did a CMOS clear before a fresh install). FAIL. It was a problem I had encountered before on Windows Update and Activation in the past (Media Center Edition OEM). This was last year, when they should have made good on their promise to make Activation as smooth as possible, and yet they hadn't even fixed that glitch that had been there from the start. This wasn't Microsofts first WPA OS product. :|

So what you're saying is if you hadn't screwed up you never would have had to call, right? So your rant should be about you instead?

What probably happened is they thought he had an illegal copy. Changing the date and time is an old trick to fool activation. It worked on Windows XP as well back in the day at one point. What they did was probably on purpose instead of calling the guy a thief.

Wrong. Changing the date back or forward during the period before activation is required will TRIGGER activation. The only wiggle-room is between when it believes you last shut down the computer and the current actual time. If it's been a month since you used your computer, you can set it to a month minus 1 day to still have nearly a month of use left... and that's a month of limited use because your date is wrong.

Originally posted by: juktarWether or not this is a real story, I don't know. it sounds like it could have been cleared up within 2 minutes, just looking to the bottom right hand corner of the screen. Time and data should be the first thing you check when you reset your BIOS. It should have been something that you checked, especially if you already knew about it, as you stated above.

First of all, it's down-right laughable to consider changing the date and time and "easy fix" when that is not known or suggested as the cause. You'd make a terrible tech support rep because you fail in perspective. There is no indicator other than my personal experience that the date is the problem. Without a functional computer, you can't research the problem. With a functional computer, the error is the exact same as any phone activation so research is still difficult. Not only can you not see the time and date from there, YOU CAN'T CHANGE IT FROM THERE.

You forget, this was BEFORE you had a trial period with Vista and could reach a functional desktop without even inputting a product key. There is no bottom right-hand corner during the activation process. There is no time indicator even. You are stuck. When you were prompted to activate during an install, you had to activate and there was no normal way to get to your desktop (even so, why would you want to on an OS installation that isn't going to be functional and thus needs to be replaced?). Also, I find it crazy that you would even think that the date/time being wrong is an "obvious" reason for it to fail activation. It isn't. Activation isn't some time-limited process like a trial period. You activate once FOR GOOD. Even if the time were displayed and easily correctable, I simply would not have done it until I had my installation was complete and verified stable (I eventually discovered the video card problem, but the OS reinstallation was a necessary step).

The problem? It's NOT the obvious cause, The solution? Either fix it (remove the seemingly pointless limitation) or MAKE it obvious. One thing they could have done is made the prompt say "Please check the date/time and try again. If you are still having trouble, click here to activate by phone." The reason they didn't? Because they know that the average user can't be expected to know a damn thing about how to do that in the CMOS (or even access it). There are too many variations to explain in a prompt that is often solved by phone activation alone, and they darn sure don't want to sidetrack simple phone activations by sending the users into the CMOS setup. That's still no excuse for not GIVING you simple date/time adjustments and suggesting it as the cause.

And I think we are forgetting the point here: The phone activation failed MISERABLY. That's the real issue. Everything else woul've been just a 10min hassle if their phone service had been as reliable and problem-free as they led us to believe. The problems experienced there had nothing to do with my problem, so stop trying to explain away my problem with baseless accusations. If I had a priated OS, I would have absolutely no reason to blame them or complain about activation doing what it is supposed to do. I am a paid customer complaining about what I experienced as a paid customer.

Originally posted by: juktarThe rant is kinda out of place in this thread anyways, as the op asked if anyone was denied activation, not ever had a problem activating.

The OP was trying to make a point counter to people who complain about activation being a problem. He worded it too restrictively, as if being turned down was the only problem. This is the attitude that many people take when trying to imply that anyone complaining was probably a pirate, so this is what I am countering/replying to. To top things off: YES, I was rejected when activating by phone. The automated system takes several minutes (not "two," so there is no way you would be investigating the date/time at this point even if it were visible) and I had no way to skip it each of the times I had to call back. It would reject my activation by phone and then connect me to a rep where I would either get stuck in a routing loop or consistently get disconnected before I could even say what OS I was installing.

Nothing was relevant but this: No matter who you are or what OS you were installing, it would have failed for you too if you were calling that day. If you're too stupid to see that the date causing an activation failure is Microsoft's problem (flaw), then just drop it because you still can't argue that phone activation was the real problem that day. If phone phone activation worked as it should have, I would've talked to a rep and either gotten activated or discovered that there was something else wrong with the activation process (IOW, MS Knowledge-Base time if they didn't out-right know/suggest the problem, which they probably would).

We've all heard "hindsight is 20/20" and nowhere is that more obvous than here. You NOW know the problem, but it doesn't reflect your or my intelligence: You would have been at MS' mercy in the same situation because you would NOT have known and there was no indication to be missed/ignored. Get off your high horse.

 

[corkyg]

Originally posted by: XMan
What process did you use to get a new key? Call in? Last time I tried to activate my educational XP they told me it was expired, so I just went to Circuit City and bought Vista . . .

I subscribe to MS TechNet. I just went to the key area and got one.

 

[Aberforth]

nvm