Microsoft to Disable Online Windows Activation

CasterPod writes "As of February 28, Windows users who purchased their PC will no longer be able to reinstall without calling Microsoft and answering a series of questions. The move is part of an anti-piracy effort to close 'a loophole that enabled unscrupulous resellers to use Windows XP product keys that were stolen from large OEMs.' Specifically, Certificate of Authenticity (COA) labels on PCs are often unused because OEMs preinstall Windows and bypass product activation. The product keys can therefore be stolen and reused. First WGA, and now this."

Good Move Microsoft!!!!

[farrellj]

Now you will be forcing more people to move over to Linux and Mac computers!!!

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

ttyl
Farrell

Simple answer ...

[Dark$ide]

http://www.linuxfromscratch.org/ [linuxfromscratch.org]

Hope they're up late

[CypherXero]

Because the last few times I've reinstalled Windows, it's been around 12am.

Aw man..

[imrec]

Calling in every time I changed a bit of hardware is the only chance I get to talk to a woman...

oh.. ONLINE activation only... *WHEW*

...and here are the questions:

[Cuthbert Calculus]

1. Are you sure you want to reinstall Windows? 2. Really? 3. Really? 4. Seriously, really?

Tux the Penguin says ...

[Muad'Dave]

"The more you tighten your grip, Darth Gates, the more systems will slip through your fingers." ... and migrate to Linux!

Re:...and here are the questions:

[MikeDX]

*Ring ring*

<user> Hi! I'd like to re-install windows please!
<clippy> Hi there! I see you are trying to reinstall windows. Would you like some help?
<user> Erm.... *click*

Re:Forced to install between 9-5

[kylegordon]

Knowing Microsoft, I'm sure they're open 7/24... 7 hours a day, 24 days a month...

Re:Great. Just what I want to do.

[This is outrageous!]

Enough is enough - has their 'activation' programs really impacted priacy at all?

Yes!

"Our vision is to be the most priacy-respected company in our industry."

Peter Cullen
Chief Priacy Strategist [microsoft.com]

Re:Hope they're up late

[clickety6]

Yeah, but this is a call centre call. So 12 am for you is only about tea-time in New Delhi.

(Or for our American readers - New Delhi, India.)

Re:call center

[His name cannot be s]

Needless to say, this is pi**ing me off!

Pinging? I don't understand. ...

OH! pimping! .. wait aminnit.. hrm...

I'm just pissed off that I can't see those two letters :)

Re:Hope they're up late

[XMyth]

American readers? Didn't you hear? Slashdot outsourced its readers to India. Half of us are IN New Delhi!

Re:Good Move Microsoft!!!!

[Anonymous Coward]

The only reason left to use windows is gaming.

Cool. I can hardly wait to get to the office today.

The Questions

[dangitman]

1. What did you do to your computer to make Microsoft's World Class OS stop working?
2. Where did you steal your computer from?
3. How do you pronounce Linux?
4. What's the Capitol of Finland?
5. Do you own an iPod?
6. How much wood would a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
7. If a train left Redmond traveling at 60MPH, and another left Cupertino traveling at 40MPH, when would they arrive in Kansas?
8. Who's your Daddy?
9. How much Vaseline is currently on your keyboard?
10. When did you stop beating your wife?

Re:Good Move Microsoft!!!!

[glyph42]

You can't have "manslaughter" without "laughter".

No no no, that's supposed to be:

One manslaughter is another man's laughter.

Re:Hope they're up late

[badfish99]

For the benefit of any other English readers: I wish someone would bring me some crumpet around 4 this afternoon.

Re:Good Move Microsoft!!!!

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm hung like a donkey - is that the same thing?

Re:Microsoft to Disable Online Windows Activation

[CmdrGravy]

Uh, I make copies of my software and usually keep the copies at various friends or colleagues houses to protect against fire or catastrophe at home.

Re:Good Move Microsoft!!!!

[Air-conditioned cowh]

I cannot help but wonder whether top level management at MS got a bad batch of LSD and its done something to their brains.

Hey! It worked for Steve Jobs :-)

Re:Microsoft to Disable Online Windows Activation

[RayTardo]

Everybody lives overseas... :)

Re:Good Move Microsoft!!!!

[steve6534]

I know I sure do ! I now make a habit of ignoring them and walking right past. I would like to see them grab me to make me show my receipt.

Re:Good Move Microsoft!!!!

[letxa2000]

Ues, which is also why I say "no" to them as well.

I like saying "No, thank you". Throwing in the "thank you" confuses them long enough that they don't even try to insist until you're out the door.

Re:So what?

[DickBreath]

i'm sure MS knows all this. They're not that stupid.

Of course they aren't. Microsoft doing something stupid would be completely unprecedented in the history of the industry. For instance, Microsoft would no more let an important phone number be disconnected than they would forget to re-register an important domain name.

Re:Microsoft to Disable Online Windows Activation

[CmdrGravy]

No seriously, half a dozen people I know are looking after various Windows installation backup disks for me, in return I am looking after some of their game backups for them.

Re:Great. Just what I want to do.

[femtoguy]

I think we need to look at this as an opportunity. If every slashdotter called every week to re-activate a windows install, we could bring them to theit knees. Now that is a slashdotting I would love to see.

Re:Good Move Microsoft!!!!

[rabel]

I agree - as I get older my understanding about how the rest of the world isn't so stupid after all is growing. Yes, the bulk of the planet cannot compile a new kernel. That doesn't make them stupid.

However, why don't the Linux vendors go ahead and have a user-stupidity ranking system and actively reject the morons. When someone like one of us super-smart Slashdot readers calls Red Hat with a super-smart question like "when recompiling the kernel, I tried to optimize using the gcc 64 bit libraries, but as a result I'm only getting 7% greater performance rather than the 8.2% I was expecting. What gives?" - the caller would then be granted access to the "normal" tech support helpline.

However, when a caller has a stupid question, demonstrating their obvious mouth-breathing status such as "I installed your lin-nucks and now my drink holder don work no mo" the response should be "WHY YOU'RE A STUPID IDJIT! WHY DON'T YOU CALL MICROSOFT! DUUUUH!"

The end result will be that Microsoft gets all the stupid customers and Linux vendors get all the smart ones. This would be a more pro-active method of destroying Microsoft while also purifying the Linux user base. Microsoft eventually goes bankrupt by all the support calls they have to field, the rest of us can finally breath easier and just reject all SMTP requests from any windows boxes, effectively quarantining viruses and spam to windows users only, and marginalizing the windows world.

Re:The Questions

[Cheerio Boy]

1. What did you do to your computer to make Microsoft's World Class OS stop working?

I bought a Mac.

2. Where did you steal your computer from?

You.

3. How do you pronounce Linux?

"I pronounce Linux as Linux."

4. What's the Capitol of Finland?

Rejavick. Wait! That's Iceland! Umm...

5. Do you own an iPod?

*takes off white headphones* What did you say?

6. How much wood would a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

WTF? First penguins now woodchucks? What? Do you have some sort of animal fetish?!

7. If a train left Redmond traveling at 60MPH, and another left Cupertino traveling at 40MPH, when would they arrive in Kansas?

Nowhere - they would not be able to pay the Microsoft Transport Fee(tm) to leave their respective stations.

8. Who's your Daddy?

Harvey Birdman but don't tell anybody!

9. How much Vaseline is currently on your keyboard?

Only what I used to protect myself from this activation plan...

10. When did you stop beating your wife?

About the same time I stopped using Windows...

Re:Good Move Microsoft!!!!

[Mildew Man]

Wrong. Steve got a batch of the good LSD. Can't you tell the difference. He's not running around all paranoid like a sweaty monkey. He's groovin' on some cool tunes on his iPod.

A series of questions

[Mark Edwards]

This is Microsoft installation support. How may we help you?
A message box just popped up, saying I have to call you and answer a series of questions, before the reinstallation can be completed.

Yes ma'am, that is correct. Question number one: What is your age?
I'm 25 years old.

Are you single or married?
I'm single.

What are you wearing right now?
What th'? Why do you need to know that?

Okay, we'll come back to that one later. What is your bra size, and do you hook in front or in back?
That's TWO questions, and it's NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS.

I'm sorry, ma'am, we can't successfully complete your reinstallation unless we get accurate answers to all our questions....

Mark Edwards
--
Proof of Sanity Forged Upon Request

Re:Good Move Microsoft!!!!

[Geek of Tech]

>> probably closely related to the Second Law of Termodynamics

For those who don't know, the Second Law of Termodynamics reads as follows: "For every post that contains a correctly used term, another 5 posts on slashdot will contain misused, mithspelled(pun) or misunderstood terms.

This is closely related to the Theory of Repostivity.