Windows XP: you may be a victim of software counterfeiting?

[nervegrind3r]

whats going on, this is happening on every system I use, even with valid Windows XP software. Im on my sisters computer, she bought a dell less than 6 months ago, and she gets the same message to authenticate her copy of Windows. It says her copy is illegal. Is anyone else getting this MS crap? what giveS?

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Buy a legal copy?

- M4H

 

[Jiggz]

If your copy of XP is an OEM, i.e. Dell, HP or Compaq it cannot be activated online. MS just recently changed (Apr 2006) the way OEM software is supposed to be activated. MS wants OEM to pre-activate the software even before it is sold, so the user don't have to. In case the user needs to re-activate he/she has to do it thru a MS Rep. You have a legal copy of XP except it is OEM.

 

[nervegrind3r]

thing is, when I log on to my home system with xp pro, or my sisters dell which has XP home, we both get the same message on bootup that our software is illegal, and that we should get genuine software by clicking on such and such. I've downloading windows validation stuff before, but this is very different, seems fishy.

 

[soccerballtux]

Yup gotta call it in and waste 10 minutes. Pretty annoying.

 

[Bozo Galora]

thanx again for this superb General Hardware question.