Surreptious Microsoft???
 

Just re-formatted my HD yesterday, installed my GENUINE windows Xp Home Edition and having gone to 'activate' it as we have to via the little key icon on the taskbar.
Surprise, Surprise!! Told 'too many activations', purchase another product key!!

Just spent 3 hours here in the Uk trying to get some help here from Microsoft uk and they told me to buy another 'Retail' disk only £164.00.

Just what is happening?? Are we being pushed onto Vista?

steinbeck :damn: ...............I HATE MICROSOFT!......... if there was an alternative which will run SH4+ I would be having a look at it now

Just reactivate it by phone. Don't use the 0800 number, it's never answered.

When they answer, give them the request code and they'll supply you a new activation code. If they ask (they probably won't), just tell them you had to reinstall due to a virus.

They can tell your copy of XP is genuine from the request code.

Or get a Linux distribution instead :D (Well, too bad SH4 won't run under Linux. Yet.)

I was lucky when i got winxp pro when they came out it was an OEM version from work and came with an unlimited key code, so i can install the os a trillion times on a zillion pcs and no need to activate. Its still unlimited to this day. Only problem with OEM's is they dont like the service packs to well - hassle to install. Not even going to bother with SP3.

OEM!
 

Mine is an OEM disk....And the phone number given foor the UK is just a ring tone....in otherwords it's dead? I am so damn annoyed by M*********. The've really P***** me off

steinbeck:damn:

Phone number
 

So what number are we talking about? please, I have only come across the 0800 number
steinbeck...:hmm:

When you choose to activate XP by phone, it will ask you to enter your location. When you do that, it will give you the 0800 number and, IIRC, an 0845 (premium) number.

If I ever have to reactivate my copy, the 0845 number is always answered in mins.

You should see a screen like this: (I know this is US but the same is true for the UK version)

http://www.mbentley.net/oc/screen_sh...atebyphone.png

I personally would get a copy of windows by other means... *cough*

Or go to linux... good OS that. I'm running a linux system downstairs and its never let me down, which is more than can be said for windows.

coughing quietly!!
 

I visit * demonoid* every day, wonderful place and already have * another*

Thanks anyway!! Loathe to use it tho'

steinbeck :up:

Must be OEM from the retailer where you have to activate, company oem's no need to activate. They come with one key that works for unlimited installs.

Anyways thats pretty crap for MS telling you to go buy another xp OS.:roll:

Talk of piracy aside, a little know fact is that SH3 will run just fine with Linux, using WINE. There is also a commercial Windows emulator for Linux that is tuned for gaming, called Cedega, that supposedly works even better than WINE for gamers.

The recent editions of SH3 that do not have Starforce copy protection will run flawlessly in WINE. Older versions, patched to 1.4b, will also run just as well, but require a little tweaking.

The last report on SH4 was for the "out-of-the-box" version. It was listed as "Garbage" in WINE's AppDB. Recent patches may have changed that, but you'd have to find out for yourself by trying it.

Check out WINE's website, winehq.org, and look for the AppDB link that will take you to the page listing Windows games and software that work with WINE.

Ok, I'm activated now but they told me, everytime now I'll have go through this procedure. And, for Uk people, Curry's now do NOT stock any Xp disks, they will only supply 'Vista' disks??

steinbeck.. :yep: Thanks for all contributions to my plight, even support is always a positive!!

Never mind, Windows RIP, here comes VISTA........:rock:
But wait.
There she (VISTA) go's :huh: .............. new system already on the cards from Microsoft isn't there?.
Then nothing will run.:rotfl:

This is for future infomation ......

This only works IF ! it's the same system with nothing added or removed..

XP ONLY

Never Re-Activate After Installation

If you have to reinstall Windows XP you normally will have to reactivate too. Well not anymore.
Just copy wpa.dbl after you activated the first time. It is located in the WINDOWS\system32 folder.
Now if you reinstall Windows XP just copy the file back and you're up and running again.

Activate Windows XP from Floppy Diskette Backup

Circumstances arise where you'll need to reinstall Windows XP on your machine when no hardware changes
have been made. Rather than go through the reactivation process, create a floppy disk to back up the activation
status file. Once XP has been reinstalled the floppy can be used to restore the previous activation status.

Create the Activation Status Floppy Diskette
Navigate to %systemroot%\system32 folder.
Copy the wpa.dbl and wpa.bak files to the floppy diskette.
Reinstall Windows XP
Reinstall XP in the normal manner. After the install is completed and the XP Out Of Box Experience (OOBE)
appears where you'd normally activate the product, decline to activate and let the installation complete.
Activate the XP Reinstallation
Restart the computer and use the F8 key to bring up the Advanced Boot Options menu.
Select Minimal Safe Mode using Up and Down Arrow Keys and press Enter.
Navigate to %systemroot%\system32 folder.
Rename the existing wpa.dbl and wpa.bak files.
Using the floppy diskette, copy the previously backed up wpa.dbl and wpa.bak files to the
%systemroot%\system32 folder.
Reboot the computer.

.................................................. .................................................. ........
I have found that Microsoft themselves actually have a small 'prog' for this very problem. Found this on 'Demonoid', did a d/l and it worked straight away. So, problem solved

steinbeck...:up: