[NEWS] Microsoft to Disable Online Windows Activation

[Mr.Guvernment]

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| Microsoft to Disable Online Windows Activation |
| from the pay-to-play dept. |
| posted by CowboyNeal on Friday February 25, @08:07 (Windows) |
| http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/02/25/0350219 |
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CasterPod writes "As of February 28, Windows users who purchased their PC will [0]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 [1]WGA, and now this."

Discuss this story at:
http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=05/02/25/0350219

Links:
0. http://www.betanews.com/article/Microsoft_Closes_Activation_Loophole/1109293194
1. http://linux.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/02/17/1318212&tid=125

So what about people whio live in areas that they do not have an 800 for o rr can not use 800 such as Costa Rica??

So now we have to pay for a long distance call to active windows becuase they dont want to allow me to do it online?

Screw you MS - as usually screwing your legit customers first!

 

[cornbread]

Seems they make it harder and harder for the customers, sad thing is they know there is little we can do.

 

[veryhumid]

eh, that's okay all my copies are maxed out on online activations anyway

 

[shadowdr]

MS is always looking for ways to cheat people.Last year my wife thought she had lost a credit card while Christmas shopping.We called the company and canceled the card and were issued a new account.She later found the card,so we had no worries about someone using it.One of the gifts my son received was a PS2 game that could be played on line and had a three month subscription free with it.It had to be activated on line using a credit card,so I used the canceled card because no charges could be made and the account should terminate after the trial period.I soon received an email that the account needed to be terminated because the trial would be up soon.I clicked the link and canceled.He played the game less than a month before it quit working and trashed it.

Almost a year later my wife asked me why I had used her card for a subscription from MS.Of coarse I had not.After contacting the credit card company we found that MS claimed we had an agreement with them before the old card was canceled so the credit card company was charging the new card.MS refused to reimburse us the money,even though they had to lie about the transaction dates to convince the credit card company that we had a prior agreement.They had been charging us since the account was first created so there was no free period at all.They suck!

One day I hope to have the opportunity to repay their kindness.

 

[cornbread]

Microsoft is closing a loophole that enabled unscrupulous resellers to use Windows XP product keys that were stolen from large OEMs. The result: customers who purchase Windows on a new PC will not be able to activate, nor reinstall their operating system without first calling Microsoft.

This also sucks because it seems it only affects oem versions, so if we purchase a license from Newegg for example we have to call MS.

 

[cornbread]

Another thing...LoL.

Seriously, I think one way users and business alike could hurt the big MS is to switch from the MS Office apps to others like the Corel set or the Open Office, because that is a little easier than just switching OS'es.

 

[gigabit]

Can anyone say Boycott

 

[cornbread]

Can anyone say Boycott

I'm just boycotting Best Buy right now , look in my sig. I also wanted to say that's a very nice avatar you have there gigabit .

 

[dicecca112]

boycott doesn't work because the average joe sixpack usually doesn't have to activate windows. And linux is too conplicated for most users, and even some people here.

 

[wizard james]

that means if i gota reinstall windows.. i am going linux....but damn i got an ati card.. GERRR ..thats it..lets all sue mircosoft .. ocforums vs. microsoft lol

 

[dicecca112]

hey if your paying usre

 

[David]

I can see both sides of it. They are trying to close security holes, and protect their profits. However someone will always get shafted, even if it is not deliberate.

I think perhaps they could have done more for those unable to make a free call to activate windows. Perhaps even have the activation start online, and a customer service representative from Microsoft call you. Let them pay the cost of the call, after all you just shelled out £70+ for a copy of Windows....

 

[dicecca112]

Them: This is Microsoft calling, would you like to activate windows
Me: (Homer type surprised scream), I mean hello, yes sure.

My roommate in the background (Oh s**t they finally caught up to him, Microsoft is coming to get him for all the bashing he did, and didn't you just dual boot with linux, oh s**t were dead, dead I tell you.)

 

[gigabit]

I'm just boycotting Best Buy right now , look in my sig. I also wanted to say that's a very nice avatar you have there gigabit .

Thanks she is a Hotty

 

[deathman20]

Bah my copy of windows is shot anyways. I gotta reactivate it every damn time I reinstall anymore. Great now will have to deal with this with future OS's, happy happy joy joy.

 

[obsolete]

Hrmm, thats great MS wants to protect their monopoly or whatever, but why don't they focus on all the security leaks/problems "us" users face rather then how to make more money.

Seems like the future is going to be spending your time calling places to sign up & activate things to use that you have already paid for. Almost like being tagged at stores for purchasing that Anarchy book (use to do that anyways). As a consumer, you can go by your software or game, OS, whatever. Then you may want to surf the underground scene so you don't have to deal with the sign up BS.

You think I want to call MS everytime I corrupt my HD due to high OC's & have to reinstall windows? That could be an every other day thing......Just an example.

 

[JimmyG]

Windows XP sucks anyway. Long live Widows 2000.

 

[Carbon]

Time to learn Linux *sigh*



(the *sigh* is directed at the learning part )

 

[deRusett]

So what about people whio live in areas that they do not have an 800 for o rr can not use 800 such as Costa Rica??

So now we have to pay for a long distance call to active windows becuase they dont want to allow me to do it online?

Screw you MS - as usually screwing your legit customers first!

IF the person cared to actually read the news release he would see that ONLY the computers that use CD keys form the top 20 OEM's will not be able to activate online

the rest of us still can, if you have a LEGAL, copy of Windows XP, that has been purchased with a cert of Auth, you have nothing to worry about.

its to stop mom and pop shops that rip people off.

 

[Mr.Guvernment]

The issue is , they are trying to stop illegal version, but there have been "work arounds" for activations since XP came out - now it just means more people will use them and they are easy enough to find so in the end MS is stopping nothing and only creating more issues for legit money spending people / companies.

I think MS needs to study a LITTLE harder the "illegal" side of how their software is being used and getting by these checks because they obviously did not on this one killing online activation.