Windows - Activation

I know...I think I was able to do it fifteen times before my time ran out. But that was in 2005, maybe the policy is changed now....

 

Hello,
I'm taking more recent days, but never mind.
Either way, I also have XP from its olden days, when there was no activation - before SP1. So with slipstreamed SP2, it's a bonbon.
Mrk

 

The policy must have been changed, otherwise I wouldn't have a problem.
On my previous computer, I installed win2000pro many times, there was no activation.
On my new computer, I installed winXPproSP2 a few times, probably 3 (I don't remember) and the message says clear, that I reached my limit, so I have to call M$ in Brussels to fix it, there is no other way.
So don't compare my situation with yours, because the dates are different.
In the future I will restore an IMAGE with an activated WinXPproSP2 during each re-installation from scratch. Case closed.
BUT that doesn't mean, I'm happy with these crippled activations. These companies only thought about themselves without any consideration for the user.
Users are hardly a problem, most of them are sheeps. are not organized and don't have any power to do something.

 

Re: Windows - Activaton

Whilst OEM software may be, as in the case of your example "tailor made" when the firm binds this into its recovery cd, it is not always the case, if you search for oem versions of MS you will find copies that are for install on any machine,. In your example it is HP that adapts it so that it is for their machine not MS.
It was however my understanding that when an OEM OS is installed on a machine and registered, it is tied to that machine.

 

Microsoft has offices in Belgium and Luxemburg.
I would think that you can use a local phone number and call the European activation center.
I called the USA activation center a couple times and it's really no big deal.

 

The phone-number is mentioned on the phone activation screen and also a general phone number.
I don't like to call and to confess why I need it, that is my business, not theirs.
I paid for it and that should be more than enough.
If I was younger, I was learning Linux already, but not anymore. OS doesn't really interest me, applications do.

 

Today I reformatted my HD and installed Windows XP Home edition (OEM) from scratch. Tried to activate, and this time, instead of telling me that "the max number of activations has been exceeded and you must contact a MS representative now", it tells me "The max number of activations has been exceeded and you must now enter a new product key". Like hell I'm going to buy a new license. I phoned MS again and then the automated activation wouldn't give me my confirmation ID. So I had to talk to a customer service represenative. Fortunately the representative sorted the problem out and I was able to activate successfully.

Not exactly the best experience, however I guess I must be grateful I didn't have to shell out $$$ in the end!

 

You were in the very same situation like me and I also have that message.
When you format your harddisk you also remove the files WPA.DBL and WPA.BAK and when that happens your activation counter is increased with 1 and when you reach the limit, you can't activate Windows anymore, unless you call them.
If you don't format your harddisk, you can install Windows again without troubles, but their are consequences and one of them is that your folder "My Documents" will be empty. So that solution sucks too.
Besides lots of users format or zero their harddisk completely before they install Windows from scratch, to get rid of all possible infections.

You just don't have the freedom anymore to do whatever you want with your computer, even when you have paid for it, have a valid serial number and didn't change any hardware.

Wait until you have a bunch of softwares with activation and want to re-install your computer from scratch. Each software will require a phone-call or email to make a re-activation possible.
Each new software I saw on the internet until now, has already activation, this is just the beginning.

 

I bought this pc with XP-Pro pre-installed. I recently did a re4mat (with the included recovery-disk) for the 4th time, which required re-activation. Does anyone know what the activation-limit is (on that same machine)

 

Erik,i don't know if you already read this !?!

http://netsecurity.about.com/od/windowsxp/qt/aaqtwinxp0829.htm

 

Huupi, thanx for the link. I added that tip to my list of "XP-tips&trix"... and will try it out in 6-12mos

 

Yes I know that trick and I tried it several times. It doesn't work.
Next time, I will try it again, but I don't depend on it.

 

I mentioned this in my first post : the internet activation works only THREE times, after that only the phone activation will help.

If you want to get rid of activation forever.
Install Windows completely, drivers included, ACTIVATE it and do a backup with your image backup software and keep that image forever.

If you want to re-install Windows on a formatted or zeroed harddisk, restore that image first and then continue with the rest of the installation.
At least that is my theory, never tried it in practice.

It should work, because I don't have any activation problems with restoring an image, but I can't install Windows from scatch anymore. I have to call M$.

PS: That doesn't mean I'm happy now with this image, because that's not the way, I wanted. Besides it's not only Windows, the other activations are also a pain and it will become worse and worse each year.

 

what was the time frame during which you "activated too often" ? It may be an urban myth but I have read that Microsoft on looks back for the last 90 days.
If this is true then a new activation every 91 days should be allowed as many times as required.

In practice the only "solution" is, as you say, to make an image. I have one machine left without a base image which I will soon move to a new case, replace the hard drives and memory and then reactivate. The CPU, motherboard and graphics remain the same. I know that I have activated this 2 or 3 possibly times. The last time was in 2004 so hopefully Microsoft will not notice.

 

I don't remember anything, because I didn't expect that M$ would count my activations, when I installed WinXPproSP2 on the VERY SAME computer WITHOUT any hardware changes.
I only know for sure that I re-installed WinXPproSP2 a few times with activations.

I couldn't see any counter on the internet activation screen either. This counter would have warned me and I would have taken my precautions.
As always M$ has no brains, only money. M$ is never able to create good solutions. Their WGA doesn't work either and creates nothing but other problems. Look at M$ security, just a bunch of little security softwares without any structure or plan.

 

A couple of times I have disabled my network connections and then forgotten and rebooted to get a message demanding activation ( sorry can't remember the wording). booting from my Acronis Disk has always sorted the problem.

 

Re: Windows - Activaton

This is what I was refering to as I have re4matted 4 (or 5) times with no probs with onLine activation, but my disk was not an installation disk-it's the factory recovery disk! It seems maybe MS favors the factoy installs but gives a hard time to those who purchase the (over-priced) installation-disks. I have an xpHome inst.-disk that I activated 2-3 times, and don't look forward to the long distance charges that I know I'll have to pay the next time I use it! HAD I KNOWN THAT I WOULDN'T HAVE BOUGHT IT!!!

 

Windows isn't my main concern, I'm more worried about the future, when all paid softwares start using activation.

 

Almost makes you want to start looking into the freeware market, eh?

 

I can't help but wonder what you guys are doing wrong. I have in the past owned several computer shops and have installed and reinstalled windows thousands of time without the problems you are having Even when there had been major hardware changes. when I was trialing Vista I probably had it reinstalled six or seven times and had to call MS suppost only on the last time and they activated it with out problem. And I promise you if you would dump about ninty percent of the excess imaging and security software and just installed a good AV.AS/AT and firewall and just use and enjoy your computer and quit worring about everything that maybe in an alternative universe might infect your computer your comps would run 100% better. It took me many years to realize that, and amazingly without all of the security crap I used to think I had to have, my computer is still not infected and runs much better without all of the excess baggage.

bigc

P.S.
security PARANOIA is a very easy trap to fall into.

 

Get rid of the AV.AS/AT and machine runs better still.

 

I am not that stupid yet

 

Activation is still very much a minority sport. Hopefully those who do require activation will do the same as Scansoft (and others). You activate on machine A and when you want to run the program on Machine B you unistall and deactivate as you do so. Not all companies are as primitive as M$

 

LongView I agree fully with you on that. I believe that is probably the road most software companies will take

 

Thanks - you had me worried in post #47. Just for a moment I had to consider the possibility that it was my stupidity which had kept me virus and malware free all these years as opposed to me just being lucky