Microsoft to Disable Online Windows Activation 1067
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."
Thanks A Lot (Score:5, Interesting)
As if installing windows isn't enough of a headache. I had to reinstall windows in Japan, and let me tell ya, my Japanese isn't what it should be.
On a side note, I envy the Mac people here in that they can seamlessly switch between English and Japanese versions of their OS just by setting a preference.
In windows land, it's purchase both or suffer. Now more activation heedaches.
Thanks guys, thanks a lot.
Re:Good Move Microsoft!!!! (Score:5, Interesting)
Forced to install between 9-5 (Score:2, Interesting)
call center (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Original Media (Score:1, Interesting)
The end of the home user (Score:5, Interesting)
Just think all they would really need to do is roll out a good, non-bloated version of Office for Macs and Linux that is compatible with their office version of Office and they can stop having to worry about whiny home user.
Re:Great. Just what I want to do. (Score:5, Interesting)
Nooooo! Not my genitals! (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Good Move Microsoft!!!! (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Great. Just what I want to do. (Score:1, Interesting)
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Enough is enough - has their 'activation' programs really impacted priacy at all? Has it done anything beyond bother paying users?
Well it's encouraged me to use a pirated no-activation corporate edition for my personal installs instead of the legal copy I own. I suppose that's not had any real net effect (since I own XP Pro), but I'm quite sure there are scores of folks reading this thinking "well fuck buying a copy, I'll just keep pirating it if they're going to be such asses."I find this outrageous because it's trying to force me to contact them. I bought the damn thing, I'm legit, and Microsoft doesn't need to know anything else. I don't register any of my software as I don't see that the companies have any need for my personal information. If I lose my copy, well that's my fault, I won't go crying to them.
Frankly I think this is going to bite MS on the ass big time. Activation already pissed off tons of people, and the new move to make you prove you have a legit copy to get security updates pissed even more off. Now they're going to force you to make a phone call instead of online activation, and it's going to piss off an order of magnitude more people this time. Many people tolerated activation because it was simple and could be done painlessly online. Make those people call and wait on hold, even if it's just a few minutes and they're not going to tolerate it anymore. And yes, I realize this is only applicable to reinstalls, but with all the spy/ad/mal-ware out there reinstalls are quite common, so this is going to be a major prooblem for them.
Perhaps Microsoft should ask Intuit what happens when you push too far with product activation. They ended up killing it completely and running a full page ad in the New York Times basically apologizing and promising never to do it again. Why the ad? They felt the customers they'd pissed off wouldn't bother reading any mail from them, and they were right.
On phone activation... (Score:5, Interesting)
Well lo and behold after he enters in his proper key for the product he legitimately purchased when he got his Dell PC, it promptly tells him the key's invalid, buhbye and HANGS UP ON HIM. There was no option to speak to a CSR at all, and he has no recourse (Dell can't do anything about it, and there's no phone numbers to call at Microsoft to talk to someone). The whole experience has pushed him that much further towards getting a Mac and waving a not-so-fond farewell to Windows XP.
Re:Microsoft to Disable Online Windows Activation (Score:4, Interesting)
- Sure they have that right, but they're adding more and more conditions on how you prove it. They're also starting to restrict more and more things that customers require until they can prove they own the software. (Security updates, reinstall activation so far. What's next, will they require you to prove you own the OS before you can install a driver?) What about customers who lost their CD/CD Case but have a legit copy? Is it right to tell them to FOAD because of that? Should I really have to waste 3-5 minutes of my time to
- prove I'm not a crook. That's what it boils down to, MS doesn't care so much about their customers, in fact they're beating them to death with the anti-piracy club while the pirates happily install their no-activation copies they downloaded.
You should be thankful they're not giving it away free or you could kiss goodbye to something other than Windows ever being on a computer's desktop.Re:Microsoft to Disable Online Windows Activation (Score:3, Interesting)
In my experience, when you've lost the CD case you've also lost the CD that comes inside it. Of course, unless you're actually one of those VERY rare...and I mean VERY rare person that makes a copy CD of all your software. (yeah, I know there are a ton of people that fight for the right to keep/burn a copy of their software disks, but come on, who really does this? No one I've ever met or worked with or known has ever done this...ever. Yes, I'm sure there will be some on here that will say that they do, but do you really belive them? Still, I'll fight to the end our right to do this, even if no one really does.)
But getting back to your statement, if you've lost the case, you've lost the CD. Or, if you DO backup the CD to another CD, wouldn't you write the code ON the CD...I mean, you're going through all that trouble to back up the media, so why not back up the code?
But regardless of all this, MS is shooting themselves in the foot. The only one's they're hurting are the legit owners of their products...as always when it comes to piracy issues. It's like no one really get's it.
Re:it will be bypassed... (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Good Move Microsoft!!!! (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Good Move Microsoft!!!! (Score:1, Interesting)
LOL - you're funny. Linux isn't making any inroads on the normal computer user's desktop. Sure, Linux is "easy" in terms of getting to the net and email - if that's all you want. Lemme know when there's more than a handful of REAL games out there, with linux clients...Then we can talk about inroads.
Because, right now, most folks use Windows because of the software choices and availability. The companies making the software won't write their stuff for Linux because there's not enough penetration, and not enough folks will use Linux because there's not enough software that THEY want. Wonderful Catch-22, isn't it?
I don't see the big deal really.
Re:Good Move Microsoft!!!! (Score:2, Interesting)
It can be fun to go to a place like that or Fry's when it's really crowded, everyone is waiting in line to get checked and you walk right on by.
Here's another loophole... (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Good Move Microsoft!!!! (Score:4, Interesting)
Use Windows 2000 (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Good Move Microsoft!!!! (Score:2, Interesting)
Cracking the phne activation takes no skill (Score:1, Interesting)
Re:Good Move Microsoft!!!! (Score:3, Interesting)
Eventually, people will have to pay for the greater service workload or deal with the hotline themselves.
Re:Good Move Microsoft!!!! (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Microsoft to Disable Online Windows Activation (Score:2, Interesting)
Yeah, that's really rare since I went through that last week.
Re:Oh good lord (Score:3, Interesting)
But, you on the other hand. Are clearly NOT a technical user of windows. When I did run windows...years ago...it needed to be reinstalled frequently. The short time I had XP on a laptop that was a pain to install linux on and ended up being exchanged for a mac, I had to reinstall XP twice.
I change my hardware quite regularly. I have a new motherboard coming today in fact. Granted, it's not all that often that I replace my motherboard, but hard drive replacement is VERY common, more than once a year on average. Video card replacement is also fairly common.
Personally, I can't imagine dealing with that crap. I typically have five or six pcs/macs at home at any one time and I can't be bothered to remember which "certificate of authenticity" goes with which computer. Fortuanately, with OS/X and Linux, I don't have to.
Re:Good Move Microsoft!!!! (Score:4, Interesting)
Well, of course, I had gone out only for 20 minutes and came back in (entrance is seperate from the exit, so he didn't see me), but on my way out again, he stepped in front of me and said, 'You are not leaving until you open your bag.' I replied 'Wrong. I'm leaving. Call the police if you like.' More yelling ensued.
A public library! I was there with my (mortified) girlfriend, who happily opened her bag twice. The worst part is that their 'examination' of the bags are so cursory as to be useless. My girlfriend had four books in her bag from another library, indistinguishable without removing and examining them. But she gets waved by. They have a magnetic-strip-beeping-system-thingie, so what's the point? Better to post those goofs somewhere where they can prevent real damage and loss to the library: making sure that people don't bring food in. While I was there--I'm not making this up--I saw a guy with a whole Big Mac meal pawing through a stack of journals from the thirties. Gimmie a break!
Bah.
Re:Good Move Microsoft!!!! (Score:3, Interesting)
Just disable PA (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Good Move Microsoft!!!! (Score:3, Interesting)
You know, it's amazing that this company stays in business. I definitely will be buying a Mac for my next desktop (already have an iBook) and as long as Apple doesn't implement similar "activation" crap in their OS I will continue to be a fan of OS X.
The sad thing is I have several legitimate copies of Windows XP Pro at home that activated on the hardware and this kind of crap makes me feel like a criminal if I do something crazy like have to replace a motherboard or upgrade my RAM or CPU. Frankly I don't need Microsoft deciding when or where my operating system should stop working because they consider my upgraded computer an entirely new system. Screw that. I'll spend $2000 and buy a Mac before I spend $200 on another fscking copy of Windows XP Pro for an upgraded system.
Comment removed (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Good Move Microsoft!!!! (Score:4, Interesting)
If you want to have some real fun, just keep walking out the door when the Wal-mar security alarm goes off. It is even more entertaining when the door nazi tries to stop you. But if you walk with just the right spring in your step and determiniation that you are not going to stop, they will let you go. Most states have laws stating that in order to be stopped someone has had to watch you from the moment of concelment to the point of leaving the store. Since most employees don't do that, they rely on the fact of you admitting the theft when you are caught. I have had one Wal-mart guy stop me once. I just looked at him and asked him, "What did I steal?" He just looked at me with a blank stare. I then told him that if the inept cashier would do his job and disable the security tags that it wouldn't have happened, and for him to have a nice day. I walked away, got in my car and left. No problem.
But for some real fun, you take the undisabled security tag and then put it in your wallet. Everytime you walk into a store or leave a store the security tags set off the alarm. If you get five or so of your buddies to do the same thing, and enter and leave a store at the same time, one after another, it causes some real fun. You usually get the store manager throwing some vague threats of calling the police. Since you didn't steal and they can't prove it, the ensueing frustration is always entertaining. BTW, only do that if you have a little time.
Re:Good Move Microsoft!!!! (Score:3, Interesting)
The other time was about a month ago. I had updated the motherboard/cpu on my desktop and used my Dell Laptop Win XP cd for the original installation. Obviously Win XP asked me to re-activate. I called, and spent about 15 minutes on the phone. I can't recall if the person was Indian, but I did understand them. The only annoying part was the automated system which reads your serial key. It took me about ten minutes to get through that (it didn't work twice). The person was much more helpful.
Overall, this portion of dealing with MS was kinda painless.
Re:Good Move Microsoft!!!! (Score:3, Interesting)
The door checker is probably a bonded security guard. Getting caught would cost them a whole pile of money, more than they're likely to make on a scam, not to mention that they'd never work in the field again. Most security guards don't have a lot of other useful skills. Not to say it doesn't happen, but that and the difficulty of getting a conspiracy of three especially when the cashier and guard don't even know each other (working for different companies) make the likelihood low enough that an insurance company would call it a significant risk reduction. There aren't any absolutes.
I go to CompUSA (also has Door Nazis) because they're two blocks away from my house and they have real big rebates (that I always forget to mail in -- I'm the reason for their profits right here). Otherwise I mail order (and CompUSA has mail order). The door nazis don't bug me, but mostly because most of the ones that store are actually friendly.
Guess I'm about done with MS (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Good Move Microsoft!!!! (Score:3, Interesting)
Err, right. Companies made money on Microsoft's incompetence. Microsoft fixes their incompetence, makes their product better, but it puts companies out of business. Never mind that anti-virus etc doesn't lose MS sales. Heh.
Uh. Sorry man, not trying to give you personally a hard time. I've just noticed lately that when people put their minds to something they hate, they can cook up all kinds of justifications to hate them. A lot of the time, the justifications sound alright because a negative is measurable (i.e. "businesses will go under. That's what Microsoft wants!") but further analysis (usually dislike prevents this analysis from happening) often yields more enlightening info about reality.
Microsoft is usually the butt of these insightful ramblings, but I see it all the time. The thought process, in my view, is utterly unhelpful. "Why would I want a camera in my phone?!?" as opposed to "If I had a camera in my phone, what productive work could I do with it?" I work in a field where creative solutions need to be sought on a regular basis. Unfortunately, some people develop opinions like these and end up closing off an entire avenue of solutions. (i.e. Maya users and LW users baring their teeth at each other.) I've learned the hard way this is a bad way to behave. That's why I felt compelled to reply to your post. I often reply to these comments like I did in the first paragraph here, the idea being to show people that there's often more to the story than they've allowed in. Unfortunately, I come off sounding like a Microsoftie.
Okay, not the most on-topic post in the world, but hopefully at least you'll understand why I don't take assumptions about Microsoft's behaviour too seriously. All it takes to be seen as evil is a pre-supposition that you are.
Re:Good Move Microsoft!!!! (Score:3, Interesting)
Basically, I never do online activation, I *always* call. 800 numbers and humans all cost money, some mindless server does not, so I do not buy in to that. I tell them each time if the code comes up "in use" that I had Total Catastrophic Hardware Failure. Wether its the first time I'm activating or tenth for that license, same reason, most of the time it's true.
Re:Good Move Microsoft!!!! (Score:2, Interesting)
The date that I tried to activate was February 20th, 2005 mid day and lasting a few hours.
This laptop ships with a bios with broken cpu codes for power management, so I had flashed the bios using firmware from a different company that sells an identical machine. Mostly to get apci working under linux dual boot.
On first boot after doing the cd restore, Windows indeed forced an activation before it would let me log in, so no network settings; and No, no 30 to 45 days grace period.
--- are you sure you were on the phone with MS
Yes, I called the number given by xp on the activation screen. After MS' IVR repeated "invalid key" for the 10th time or so, I pressed 0# and was transferred to a human with a strong Indian accent. (I'm not racist just stating facts of the situation)
--- MS has written policy for its tech and activation people to never ever ask the customer to restore from disc.
The exact wording they used was "uninstall and reinstall". When I challenged them on how exactly one uninstalls an OS, I was rewarded with silence, so I guess they did follow guidelines.
--- First, the policy is that activation issues are always free, period. Second, every copy of XP has two free support incidents included with it, even most OEMs copys.
I was given the option to contact the OEM. They gave me a Vancouver (604) number which they insisted was toll free and which I insisted was not toll free. I refused to call the OEM as 1. this is not a hardware or OS issue and 2. the laptop is out of warranty but Windows was still actively being supported. Besides, I knew that this was just another punt.
By the way since I mentioned punting;
The first tech responded that I should shut the machine down for 10 to 15 minutes and then call back. I knew it wouldn't make a difference but did it anyway.
The second tech gave me the OEM number. I then asked for a manager. The manager told me to do the "uninstall and reinstall". Again, I knew it would make no difference but did it anyway. The managers name was Roger I think.
The third call I asked for "Roger" the manager immediately after breaking out of the IVR. I got a different manager who told me that Roger had left ten minutes ago. I could have sworn that I had talked to him less than 10 minutes ago. Anyway, this manager asked me to regenerate my activation ID by entering my Windows key. Same situation arose. After much back and forth, I was offered free online support or paid $35 US telephone support. When I complained I was told to read the restore cds and look for wording stating that all tech support is the responsibility of the OEM.
I finally resolved the problem by reverting to the broken bios firmware and then doing the factory restore.
Interestingly, a few months ago, I flashed the bios on this machine. It did want me to reactivate but since it was a running install, was able to do an Internet activation.
If anyone at MS or the media wants to see all this in action, I'd happily go through it all with them.