WinXP RC1 Activation Problems, 1st Hand XPerience
This is just an exmaple of how much trouble product activation is going to cause customers, and I experienced it first hand. I signed up for the WinXP Beta program and just yesterday, i got around to installing RC1.
This is just an exmaple of how much trouble product activation is going to cause customers, and I experienced it first hand.
I signed up for the WinXP Beta program and just yesterday, i got around to installing RC1. Here are my system specs:
Abit VP6
Dual PIII 700CC0 @ 1001MHz
256Mb Ram
Geforce2 GTS
3Com 3C905
WinTV Theater
Gametheater XP
RealMagic Hollywood Plus
Adaptec 2940U2W
Well, RC1 installed fine, and on the first reboot after installation, WinXP prompted me to activate it. Knowing that I have a legitamate copy of WinXP, I clicked register over the internet, and in less than two seconds, it was activated. I thought, well, that was easy.
So I got into WinXP and got ready to install updated device drivers for my hardware. The first thing I did was go to device manager and see what was installed. WinXP installed working drivers for my Geforce2, SCSI Card, and NIC just fine.
My sound card was listed in the "Sound, Video and Game Controllers" as "Unsupported Crystal Audio Sound Device". I also had three entries in the "Other" field. There were two "Multimedia Controller" listed and a "Multimedia Video Controller" listed. I knwe these devices were for my DVD Decoder and my TV Tuner. I proceeded to update my Nvidia drivers and install my Gametheater XP drivers.All was still good. Next I installed the Hauppauge WDM Drivers for my Tv Tuner. I restarted, and on the next boot, WinXP said that I needed to activate the OS with Microsoft.
Aparently, installing the TV Tuner drivers was enough to trigger WinXP into thinking it was installed on a different computer. That was really bad, considering the expansion cards were installed, just unrecognized by the OS
with working drivers. So now I have to call Microsoft, explain them the situation, and get my copy of WinXP reactivated.
Now my question is, if a simple driver installation for my WinTV caused WinXP to deactivate, what is to say a simple ram upgrade or hard drive addition won't do the same.
My only advice to other WinXP users out there is to install all of your drivers first, then activate the OS, otherwise you could wind up in the same situation.
I signed up for the WinXP Beta program and just yesterday, i got around to installing RC1. Here are my system specs:
Abit VP6
Dual PIII 700CC0 @ 1001MHz
256Mb Ram
Geforce2 GTS
3Com 3C905
WinTV Theater
Gametheater XP
RealMagic Hollywood Plus
Adaptec 2940U2W
Well, RC1 installed fine, and on the first reboot after installation, WinXP prompted me to activate it. Knowing that I have a legitamate copy of WinXP, I clicked register over the internet, and in less than two seconds, it was activated. I thought, well, that was easy.
So I got into WinXP and got ready to install updated device drivers for my hardware. The first thing I did was go to device manager and see what was installed. WinXP installed working drivers for my Geforce2, SCSI Card, and NIC just fine.
My sound card was listed in the "Sound, Video and Game Controllers" as "Unsupported Crystal Audio Sound Device". I also had three entries in the "Other" field. There were two "Multimedia Controller" listed and a "Multimedia Video Controller" listed. I knwe these devices were for my DVD Decoder and my TV Tuner. I proceeded to update my Nvidia drivers and install my Gametheater XP drivers.All was still good. Next I installed the Hauppauge WDM Drivers for my Tv Tuner. I restarted, and on the next boot, WinXP said that I needed to activate the OS with Microsoft.
Aparently, installing the TV Tuner drivers was enough to trigger WinXP into thinking it was installed on a different computer. That was really bad, considering the expansion cards were installed, just unrecognized by the OS
with working drivers. So now I have to call Microsoft, explain them the situation, and get my copy of WinXP reactivated.
Now my question is, if a simple driver installation for my WinTV caused WinXP to deactivate, what is to say a simple ram upgrade or hard drive addition won't do the same.
My only advice to other WinXP users out there is to install all of your drivers first, then activate the OS, otherwise you could wind up in the same situation.
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Responses to this topic
Just in case anyone missed it, exactly what hardware modification which will force re-activation is described in a paper at http://www.licenturion.com/xp/
(To the person who remove the SCSI card without having to reactivate, it sounds as if you added a different SCSI card, you would probably trip the mechanism.)
(To the person who remove the SCSI card without having to reactivate, it sounds as if you added a different SCSI card, you would probably trip the mechanism.)
the OS is NEVER going to stay down at a low amount of space, I mean, now a days, 1 GB is pretty much nothing, if you can't handle 1 GB of usage, then your screwed anyways
Sorry guys, but I think all of you are missing the point. Keeping your OS up and running is not the point of concern.
The point of concern should be, can YOU keep a perfectly good copy of XP up and running WITHOUT the help of benevolent MS?
The point of concern should be that MS has decided that you will not be able to load and reload an OS you have already paid for for as long as YOU feel is appropriate. Unlike MS-Dos, Win3.X, Win95, Win98, etc..., you will only be able to reinstall your perfectly good OS for as long as MS choose to offer the reactivation service.
What do you do, when MS comes out with XP2, XP3, etc.....and then decides they no longer "support" earlier versions? Who gives you the reactivation code?
What do you do, when you attempt to reactivate your XP OS via web or phone, but find the the website and phone are no longer active for XP v.1?
As has been said many times before, "It's not that you are paranoid, it's that you are not paranoid enough."
This whole reactivation scheme has NO, NONE, ZERO benefits for users. It simply puts you at the mercy of MS to decide when it's time for you to upgrade your OS. Bad idea!
Don't get sucked into a discussion about how easy it may or may not be to reactivate the OS. Once you even begin to engage in a discussion about how to make reactivation work, you have already lost the battle. Simply put, you should not need to ask permission to use, for however long you decide is appropriate for you, a product you have already purchased. Why would you even want to consider putting thousands of dollars worth of XP software you have purchased at risk, by ASSUMING MS will always provide you with a reactivation code.
SnapperOne
The point of concern should be, can YOU keep a perfectly good copy of XP up and running WITHOUT the help of benevolent MS?
The point of concern should be that MS has decided that you will not be able to load and reload an OS you have already paid for for as long as YOU feel is appropriate. Unlike MS-Dos, Win3.X, Win95, Win98, etc..., you will only be able to reinstall your perfectly good OS for as long as MS choose to offer the reactivation service.
What do you do, when MS comes out with XP2, XP3, etc.....and then decides they no longer "support" earlier versions? Who gives you the reactivation code?
What do you do, when you attempt to reactivate your XP OS via web or phone, but find the the website and phone are no longer active for XP v.1?
As has been said many times before, "It's not that you are paranoid, it's that you are not paranoid enough."
This whole reactivation scheme has NO, NONE, ZERO benefits for users. It simply puts you at the mercy of MS to decide when it's time for you to upgrade your OS. Bad idea!
Don't get sucked into a discussion about how easy it may or may not be to reactivate the OS. Once you even begin to engage in a discussion about how to make reactivation work, you have already lost the battle. Simply put, you should not need to ask permission to use, for however long you decide is appropriate for you, a product you have already purchased. Why would you even want to consider putting thousands of dollars worth of XP software you have purchased at risk, by ASSUMING MS will always provide you with a reactivation code.
SnapperOne
EddiE314........
So long as you're OK with being totally dependent up MS simply to use your OS........have at it!
Good Luck! MS has proven many time before that it can sell snake oil to the unwary.
SnapperOne
So long as you're OK with being totally dependent up MS simply to use your OS........have at it!
Good Luck! MS has proven many time before that it can sell snake oil to the unwary.
SnapperOne
imtim83........
2KPro!
And, if XP is as good as EddiE314 says, and the Corporate Version can get me around the Activation scam, count me in! I'm not foolish enough to walk away from a better OS, assuming of course I don't have to call home (MS) every day to get permission to use it.
SnapperOne
2KPro!
And, if XP is as good as EddiE314 says, and the Corporate Version can get me around the Activation scam, count me in! I'm not foolish enough to walk away from a better OS, assuming of course I don't have to call home (MS) every day to get permission to use it.
SnapperOne
