Illegal XP owners beware, Microsoft has quite a suprise planned

Page 3 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.

pulse8

Lifer
May 3, 2000
20,860
1
81
Originally posted by: kami
At the present moment, an upgrade to Windows XP SP1 from Windows XP with no SP installation will not give any problems or errors about an invalid CD-Key on a corporate version of Windows XP. This is because the new algorithm feature has been switched off in SP1 upgrades. To get to see this new feature, you would have to slipstream SP1 into the Windows XP installation media and setup Windows.
What do they mean by slipstream?
So if you upgrade WinXP to WinXP SP1 (download the update from M$) you don't have problems? But if you go and pirated a copy of WinXP that is already upgraded to SP1, it won't work? Or SP1 just won't work period?

Slipstream is an XP install CD with SP1 already on it so that when you install a fresh copy of XP, it's already at SP1.

According to this article, if you have do a fresh install (or already have one) of the corporate version of XP and just add the SP1 update, then you'll be fine. If you do a slipstream install of the OS, then it'll ask you for these new CD-keys.

To me, it sounds kind of dumb. There will be a cracked version of this in no time and if it only affects fresh installs, then the impact is even less. How many people will have to do a fresh install of XP with SP1 slipstreamed into it?
 

Skyclad1uhm1

Lifer
Aug 10, 2001
11,383
87
91
Originally posted by: Carbonyl
Pay for it? Using XP as your primary app for a couple years is different than downloading low quality mp3's and rarely listening to them in a sampling (fair use) style. The law on fair use is very "interperable" but warezing a copy of XP and using it as your OS easily fails the tests.

When a software company promises stuff and also gives it I'm willing to pay for it.

Microsoft promised stability and security in XP, and I payed for all they gave in that region :p
 

CanOWorms

Lifer
Jul 3, 2001
12,404
2
0
I hate this product activation crap.

I bought an academic Office 2000 and installed it on a computer to make sure it worked. I registered it, etc. and then uninstalled it and reinstalled it on my real computer. It wouldn't even let me register the product! It said it was already installed on a computer because I installed it on the other computer. However, I freakin uninstalled it. I couldn't even use the goddamn product that I bought. I had to borrow someone else's warez copy in order to use the product that I legitimately bought! Such a hassle... I never bought a Microsoft product after that. I'm not any sort of anti-Microsoft person (I use Windows 98, I like Microsoft's products), but that just made me go insane.
 

silverpig

Lifer
Jul 29, 2001
27,703
12
81
<<
The EULA is going to be rewritten to fit a new type of ?Corporate release? and it?s been rumored that if a customers key is to get into the market, Microsoft may take legal action against those consumers.

hahahaha!!

yeah right.>>


MS: We have determined that it was your corporate key that was released. You are being sued.

Dell: Uh, okay, we'll fight you. We had some kid hack us and stole the key. We didn't do it on purpose.

Dell: Oh, and by the way, cancel our order; we're gonna use linux now.

:)
 

cmdavid

Diamond Member
May 23, 2001
4,114
0
0
they're pushin their luck.. i cant wait til everybody, including corporations build enough balls/courage to go ahead and learn linux and make that their #1 operating system.. sure it may cost a bit money at first for all the training/upgrades but in the end they're gonna save money and headache... I'm also waiting for myself to get enough balls/courage to just go ahead w/ linux and dump microsoft... i cant wait for microsoft to lose its "power" to do whatever it wants to its consumers.. threatening their large consumer's like this...
rolleye.gif
 

Double Trouble

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
9,270
103
106
MS is doing what every large monopoly has done before it, and in the end it will cost them dearly just like it's cost every other monopoly as well. What's AT&T's stock trading at again? What percentage did IBM have in the PC market again? Oh yeah, how did Standard Oil do last year? And Xerox, they must be kicking some butt! ..... When you get so big and powerful in the market that you can dictate things to your clients, it's easy to forget that you exist because they need you -- and if you tick off enough customers, eventually they will find a way not to need you anymore. Every large company has to be careful not to behave in such a 'short term vision' way. It appears MS will learn the hard way.

How happy do you think a coporation with 30,000 desktops is going to be when they have to change the key on all workstations?? Yeah, it might only take a few minutes, but that's a lot of minutes when you add it all up......
 

XZeroII

Lifer
Jun 30, 2001
12,572
0
0
I have a legal version of XP, but I run the corporate edition because I don't want to activate it. I test lots of hardware for other people and such so I just keep my legal version off to the side. It doesn't do much good there, but at least I can say I have a legal version ;)
 

Zebo

Elite Member
Jul 29, 2001
39,398
19
81
Originally posted by: tagej
MS is doing what every large monopoly has done before it, and in the end it will cost them dearly just like it's cost every other monopoly as well. What's AT&T's stock trading at again? What percentage did IBM have in the PC market again? Oh yeah, how did Standard Oil do last year? And Xerox, they must be kicking some butt! ..... When you get so big and powerful in the market that you can dictate things to your clients, it's easy to forget that you exist because they need you -- and if you tick off enough customers, eventually they will find a way not to need you anymore. Every large company has to be careful not to behave in such a 'short term vision' way. It appears MS will learn the hard way.

How happy do you think a coporation with 30,000 desktops is going to be when they have to change the key on all workstations?? Yeah, it might only take a few minutes, but that's a lot of minutes when you add it all up......

Sucks hugh. Worst part is like all other monopolies they work like a pyramid scheme. The top members get rich (Gates and friends cashing out options) and the poor folk (401K investors) will be left holding paper of a worthless stock.

Actually most stocks are like this today, sure some people can make a run of it, but in the end alot of these companies are way over valued, have PE ratios that are insanely high and will eventually hit reality of a broken stock. Meanwhile the top guys get rich and live in South Palm Beach. I only invest in bonds around 8% so I don't worry so much anymore.
 

Martin

Lifer
Jan 15, 2000
29,178
1
81
Originally posted by: sandigga
they're pushin their luck.. i cant wait til everybody, including corporations build enough balls/courage to go ahead and learn linux and make that their #1 operating system.. sure it may cost a bit money at first for all the training/upgrades but in the end they're gonna save money and headache... I'm also waiting for myself to get enough balls/courage to just go ahead w/ linux and dump microsoft... i cant wait for microsoft to lose its "power" to do whatever it wants to its consumers.. threatening their large consumer's like this...
rolleye.gif

Actually, Ballmer admitted that MS' "Linux is more expensive" message was total FUD and so they changed their tune to "windows costs more, because you get more"

rolleye.gif


Link

"Windows is a lot more expensive to run than Linux, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has finally confessed. Despite Redmond's heroic efforts to defeat common knowledge with elaborately-rigged total cost of ownership 'studies', innuendo, FUD and outright distortions, the rhetorical power of common experience has become too powerful, even for a marketing behemoth like MS. "
 

LAUST

Diamond Member
Sep 13, 2000
8,957
1
81
Wow some of these posts "I can't see going back to Win 2K"

Damn people how dependant have you become on this minor stuff?? Do you guys use your PDA's to tie your shoes also? How did Carlin put it?? "The continual Pu$$ification of people" ;)
 

NFS4

No Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
72,636
48
91
Originally posted by: LAUST
Wow some of these posts "I can't see going back to Win 2K"

Damn people how dependant have you become on this minor stuff?? Do you guys use your PDA's to tie your shoes also? How did Carlin put it?? "The continual Pu$$ification of people" ;)

How about shaving with a straight razor? Would you like to wash your clothes by hand? Would you like to drive in 100 degree weather without A/C? I guess not :D

I've grown to depend on those features once having them available to me and they make me more productive. Why go back? I've paid for my copy of WinXP.
 

Skyclad1uhm1

Lifer
Aug 10, 2001
11,383
87
91
Originally posted by: NFS4
Originally posted by: LAUST
Wow some of these posts "I can't see going back to Win 2K"

Damn people how dependant have you become on this minor stuff?? Do you guys use your PDA's to tie your shoes also? How did Carlin put it?? "The continual Pu$$ification of people" ;)

How about shaving with a straight razor? Would you like to wash your clothes by hand? Would you like to drive in 100 degree weather without A/C? I guess not :D

I've grown to depend on those features once having them available to me and they make me more productive. Why go back? I've paid for my copy of WinXP.

What features do you use that you did not, and could not get in Windows 2000?
 

Lucky

Lifer
Nov 26, 2000
13,126
3
0
And what's been bugging me... What's the big deal about illegal XP 'owners'? I reckon, the XP home is around $50 or even less. I don't know the exact prices since for now I'm happy with the ME (still). Who needs this illegal stuff? I think what MS is doing is pretty OK.




I paid for one copy of XP, nearly $100 when I bought it. That's fine, I have no problem paying for that. But what bugs me is when I have 4, 5 or more computers and microsoft wants a benjamin for each one of them. :disgust:
 

NFS4

No Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
72,636
48
91
Originally posted by: Skyclad1uhm1
Originally posted by: NFS4
Originally posted by: LAUST
Wow some of these posts "I can't see going back to Win 2K"

Damn people how dependant have you become on this minor stuff?? Do you guys use your PDA's to tie your shoes also? How did Carlin put it?? "The continual Pu$$ification of people" ;)

How about shaving with a straight razor? Would you like to wash your clothes by hand? Would you like to drive in 100 degree weather without A/C? I guess not :D

I've grown to depend on those features once having them available to me and they make me more productive. Why go back? I've paid for my copy of WinXP.

What features do you use that you did not, and could not get in Windows 2000?

Read up above.

Also, let me add Cleartype support in Windows XP which is a MUST HAVE feature...can't get that in Windows 2000. I run a 18.1" LCD monitor in Windows XP. Text looks like ass without Cleartype enabled.
 

LAUST

Diamond Member
Sep 13, 2000
8,957
1
81
Originally posted by: NFS4
Originally posted by: LAUST
Wow some of these posts "I can't see going back to Win 2K"

Damn people how dependant have you become on this minor stuff?? Do you guys use your PDA's to tie your shoes also? How did Carlin put it?? "The continual Pu$$ification of people" ;)

How about shaving with a straight razor? Would you like to wash your clothes by hand? Would you like to drive in 100 degree weather without A/C? I guess not :D

I've grown to depend on those features once having them available to me and they make me more productive. Why go back? I've paid for my copy of WinXP.
Yeah, you paid but the people complaining that didn't buy it don't really have much room now do they :p

But I would say the 3 compared are not really in close relation, the difference between washing your cloth's with a washer or in the sink is alot different then having a Flat Panel vs a regular monitorI have a 21" monitor with far more view space and better color from all angles ;) it sits on my desk is all it does and complete's the same task with the same ease.

Your difference would be more like "After having a digital display washer I could never go back to the old dial" ;)
 

kuk

Platinum Member
Jul 20, 2000
2,925
0
0
The only key that will be blocked is the so-called 'Devilsown' key, which starts with FCKGW.

OK ... I so want a key that has the term "BUSH" after "FCKGW". ;)
Heck, I'll even eBay it! :D

Kuk :)

PS: Oh, and I see warez groups one week later distributing their copies of SP1 ... some things never change.
 

reitz

Elite Member
Oct 11, 1999
3,878
2
76
And how pointless this is since Warez people will just get a new key from the corporate market, it will always leak no matter what they do.
Yup, it's pretty damn easy. All I need to do is look around...every one of the stickers on each of our desktops at work has a legitimate Win98, Win2k, or WinXP code. What's to stop me from grabbing one of those and using it with a version that doesn't require activation?
 

HendrixFan

Diamond Member
Oct 18, 2001
4,646
0
71
NFS4, I understand that the ease of use might be better with WinXP, but I wouldnt consider it to be worth the control MS is trying to leverage with XP. To me, I see it as a bribe to get you to leave the "unprotected" Win2K. And unless something in their direction radically changes, I intend on using Win2K as my final MS product.
 

kami

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
17,627
5
81
I wonder how long it'll take before WinXP isn't a "valid" OS? Just recently, I think it can be said that Win95 (at least A and B versions) is not a valid OS since there are a lot of things that will only work on Win98 (sometimes Win98SE) and above. Should WinXP experience the same lifespan?
 

HendrixFan

Diamond Member
Oct 18, 2001
4,646
0
71
kami, that is one of the things that bothers me. Its reasonable that they "phase out" older OSes, its just not worthwhile to support them any longer. Soon Win98 and WinME will be phased out, leaving only the WinNT line. After Win2K gets phased out, every single MS OS will require activation. Once WinXP gets phased out, they will no longer activate it for you. You had better not switch out components or reformat at that point.
 

NFS4

No Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
72,636
48
91
Originally posted by: HendrixFan
NFS4, I understand that the ease of use might be better with WinXP, but I wouldnt consider it to be worth the control MS is trying to leverage with XP. To me, I see it as a bribe to get you to leave the "unprotected" Win2K. And unless something in their direction radically changes, I intend on using Win2K as my final MS product.

What leverage? I went from Win2k to WinXP for the convenience features. I have a legal copy of XP and am entitled to SP1 updates like everyone. I am being inconvenciend in no way.

If people warez their copy of WinXP, then you're screwed. If you have a legal copy of Windows XP, what are you worried about?
 

yakko

Lifer
Apr 18, 2000
25,455
2
0
Originally posted by: Red Dawn
Just don't install SP1..simple

True but I want SP!. I only use the coporate key so I don't have to worry about activation of my legal copy.
 

apoppin

Lifer
Mar 9, 2000
34,890
1
0
alienbabeltech.com
Originally posted by: kami
I wonder how long it'll take before WinXP isn't a "valid" OS? Just recently, I think it can be said that Win95 (at least A and B versions) is not a valid OS since there are a lot of things that will only work on Win98 (sometimes Win98SE) and above. Should WinXP experience the same lifespan?


I believe M$ is planning to drop support for Win2K early next year. :(