Product Activation.... The End

Has anyone give any thought to what will happen to a clean install of XP etc if and when Microsoft withdraw product activation support?
Will my Win2k CDs become genuinely 'golden' in worth?

:innocent :innocent :innocent

Studio T

 

excellent idea for microsoft to provide vista!
but it is absolutely unreal cos the most part of users after they are cheated by microsoft this way, will become the successful linux users. So, MS will never do it. Somewhere in the inet I saw the MS ceo interview where ms even offered users to steal their OS! Because if you don't use Windows, you can't use and (probably) pay for the other ms software like ms office, etc.

 

I believe office runs on Apple as well, if not linux, but thanks for the thought.

Studio T

 

Office runs fine if you want a different interface and want to buy another version for the platform(OS X). Office runs fine in Linux too, if you want to pay for Crossover Office. Wine support is sketchy.

Win2k CDs will be no more "golden" than Windows 98 CDs...

As for moving to Vista, good grief people, Windows XP is 6 years old!

 

Doesn't it take 6 years to get a Windows machine running properly - I thought it did - so mine are just running right now -so why change?

Studio T

 

Results vary I suppose. It only took me an hour after installation. The hour is for drivers, system updates, software installation, etc.

Been like that since Beta 2 of XP. Of course, I understand that there is no such thing as a bug free OS, and probably never will be.

 

I remember reading that MS will issue an update that will disable the activation requirement. It makes sense to me since MS has to maintain those activation servers. It would no longer be profitable to continue to pay for this when they no longer bring in an income from the product.

 

Let's hope someone keeps reminding Microsoft of this. Do you have a reference to this announcement?

Studio T

 

I have computers that are over 20 years old, and still work well, doing things the new machines can't always do. If I wished to keep a K6/2 with Win98se I should be able to. Newer isn't always better.

The concept of obsolete hardware/software being trash is flawed IMO. We're not talking about support, but planned obsolecence to the point that the manufacturer decided to "kill" a product.

 

Be fair, Bill. Did I say anywhere that old software is trash? Furthermore, did I say that nobody should be allowed to use older software?


Every manufacturer in existence does planned obsolescence. Its business, not charity work. Its true that newer isn't always better, but I challenge anyone, ANYONE to show me something windows 98 does better than say, XP. Obviously, running programs meant for 98 would not be a fair comparison, unless you were to compare products meant specifically for XP.

Whether the current OS gets the job done or not, isn't the issue. The issue at hand is people crying in their beer because Microsoft is doing what every manufacturer does--moving on to a newer product and retiring an older one. I saw less gnashing of teeth when Windows 98 came out, replacing Windows 95. How is that any different than this, aside from price points? I wish Vista was cheaper than it is, but I also wish a dollar could buy me what it could 20 years ago, too.

I still stand on that XP is a 6 year old OS. No manufacturer will continue to make something that is behind the times vs the competition. XP cannot compete vs OS X Tiger...much less Leopard. Microsoft knew this, and responded. XP is less secure than...well almost anything save Windows 9x. It has ushered in a state of severe security problems across the world. Vista is undoubtedly more secure. So while its not perfect, its a step in the right direction. If MS unwittingly participated in making the computing world such a dangerous place, its also their responsibility to try and rectify it. This is a good move. Of course, they are out to make a buck, too. If anyone has a problem with the business model of Microsoft, I challenge you: Be a man, and boycott them. There is plenty of non MS software out there that can do the job. If you buy their products, then you support them, and their practices.

Wow...all that from someone who uses OS X, and Linux.

 

As the challenged party I believe I have choice of weapons.

I choose subroutines at dawn.

The first pc I had which could do more than the old 8086 based Compucolor2 was a pentium based 'clone' by Redbox, with a triton motherboard. This started on Windows 3.1 but was 'Windows95 ready'!

One of the best programs I have ever had, Design View, ran superbly under 3.1 but refused to even install under 95. there never was an upgrade version and I have never seen another program with its capabilities, although Mathsoft did offer 'Imagination Engineer' as a pale imitation in the late 1990s.


Studio T

 

You didn't read the rules.

Software designed for a particular OS does not count. Furthermore, the comparison is vs 3.1 and 95.

 

I thought we were talking about the possibility of MS retireing XP, and in no more activation (and forcing it to die). This would be a really sucky move, because they decided to exclude a lot of older hardware (which works fine, it's just old) in their new OS. Lack of support, no problem, I used my C64 long after the company died (and actually got better support because of it). But the thought of deliberately killing an OS that has so much hardware behind it is chilling. I doubt they'll do it, but then, M$ has done some fairly unethical stuff before, so I'm not sure, if you get my drift.

Did you know that M$ wrote the C64 OS? They lost the rights because of contract violations, they didn't follow up on specified upgrades. Learned from it too.

But hey, it won't happen thinking about it. Before I got several legit copies of XP the devil popped up on my shoulder and offered a code key. I decided against, but I know it is still out there.

From what I've seen XP is pretty tight. Not perfect, but polished. I'll still be slapping my Win98SE HD in this machine to run my older stuff now and then.

 

Well, unfortunately, this thread was posted without any research being done, which is why I chose not to even bother with that point.

Straight from the MPA FAQ:

http://www.microsoft.com/piracy/activation_faq.mspx

This mirrors what Just Playin noted.

 

Hey Adrynalyne lighten up it's a karmic universe.

Thanks for the link with the information.
The price of trust in Microsoft is eternal vigilance.

I have a stock of legitmately bought XP disks that have yet to be installed on any computer. When I paid for them I was promised all the 'benefits' listed in your link FOREVER because as far as I can see there was no time limit or explicit expiry date. There is nothing in their promises to prevent Microsoft deciding that after a certain date they will stop activating new installations of XP and only support re-activation of existing ones for service purposes.
Suppose, after such a change by Microsoft, I need another pc, perhaps to replace a dead one, and decide to install XP because Vista will not do what I need, perhaps run existing hardware or software??? That is what worries me.

Studio T

 

Why would it concern you?

If its past the XP support period, you install whatever mechanism MS gives to deactivate WPA on the new machine. The EULA still binds you by the way. Its just that MS isn't making you abide by it anymore at that point.

As for the comment I made earlier, I hold technical people who help others to a higher standard. Believe it or not, people here look up to technical resources, and when they post something of this caliber, they assume that prior research has been done and that there is no other information on it. In this case, as you can read in prior posts, it caused concern, when there was none needed.

 

Quote (M$ Q&A)

Is there rechecking of the activation done after initial activation? Is there any secret data transfer to Microsoft?

The product does check itself from time to time to see if it is activated and if it is still on the same PC on which it was originally activated. At no time whatsoever is information transferred to Microsoft as a result of Product Activation except while the user is actually in the process of activating the product. There absolutely is no "secret" data transfer.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that what got them in trouble with WGA (Windows Geniune Advantage)?

More quote:

Will Microsoft use activation to force me to upgrade? In other words, will Microsoft ever stop giving out activation codes for any of the products that require activation?

No, Microsoft will not use activation as a tool to force people to upgrade. Activation is merely an anti-piracy tool, nothing else.

Microsoft will also support the activation of Windows XP throughout its life and will likely provide an update that turns activation off at the end of the product's lifecycle so users would no longer be required to activate the product.

I hope this is the case, like I said, M$ is not a paragon of virtue. They have stolen other peoples/companies code and called it their own. We know about the cases where they were sued and lost, but we'll never hear about the cases where the victims were resource poor and couldn't afford to take them to court. Trust is always a fragile commodity, hard to gain, easy to loose. Lately they seem to have been better, only time will tell.

Thanks for taking the time to point out the facts, I'll try to keep an open mind. Now if I can stopped messing up my XP, but that's another post on another thread.