3 ms·

Windows activation is shockingly easy. Enter your key and when you go online it verifies it. If you're not connected to the internet make a 5 minute phone call.

by trotsky 15y ago

Windows activation is shockingly easy. Enter your key and when you go online it verifies it. If you're not connected to the internet make a 5 minute phone call. If you don't want to do that, no problem - there is no need to activate for up to 180 days. Really don't want to activate? No problem - it'll just turn your screen black and announce it's unlicensed software. It seems the author's only significant complaint is that they don't provide him with updated slipstreams to download. It's true - he'd have to make them himself with the free tools they provide. Maybe they should provide public updated slipstreams, but this hardly seems like a valid reason to refuse to pay for the software.

sp332 15y ago
I've tried 3 or 4 times, but I never figured out how to make a slipstream of Win7. It seems more complex than with XP.
dchest 15y ago
Online activation works only a certain number of times, and then you'll have to make a call. In my experience, this call took more than 5 minutes, and they asked a few none-of-their-business questions that made me think that I'm asking for their permission to please let me reinstall Windows once again. This was a few years ago with Windows XP, in Russia.
ChiperSoft 15y ago
Many other Microsoft products will not install on a copy of Windows that hasn't been activated. This includes all the Live apps and I think Office. I think it also restricts access to Software Update to only critical patches (been a while since I tried without activation).
- rjbond3rd 15y ago
  Yes, and also Windows Security Essentials. A family member has a legit retail copy which failed to activate, and just lives with the degraded experience. Quite a contrast with other OS's.
hrktb 15y ago
No it is not, at least not for every version. I didn't have to use windows for a very long time, and about a month ago I installed a windows XP SP3 in a virtual machine. The grace period ended a few days ago: - the automatic activation failed - my product key is said to have been pirated - the phone support for registration is now fully automated, and just rejects my phone activation. - the machine won't load whole subsystems of windows until is activated (you can monkey your way around from the IE instance you can launch from the activation dialog, but your system is not fully functionnal) - I am searching for how to get a human to deal with the situation I might be failing somewhere and this situation is all due to my lack of experience, but I am with a CD of windows in one hand and a hosed install on the other, and nowhere to go from there. This is just one of the worse software experience I ever have in a few years.
- trotsky 15y ago
  Windows XP launched more than 10 years ago. What I said was true for Vista (5 years old) and 7 (2 years old) and is true for Windows 8 afaik. I'm not sure what your point would be - that you'd pirate Windows 8 because you didn't approve of the ease of use of an activation system they deprecated 5 years ago?
  - robotresearcher 15y ago
    Why should he/she approve of the system that makes his legally licensed software not work just because it's 5 years old? If it didn't have the license activation anti-feature, it would work just as well now as it did 5 years ago.
    - trotsky 15y ago
      Because the blog was titled "I'm pirating the Next Version of Windows" (because I feel it will be too difficult to activate) and not "I'm pirating Windows XP"
- xist 15y ago
  It sounds like the problem stems from the 2 things: 1.) the media you installed from was not legit 2.) Windows gives you notices that it needs to be activated, which you ignored. You won't be able to fix that without reinstalling or using a crack. The phone activation will work but you need to change product key. There is an article of Microsoft support site on how to do that actaully. However, it's a problem with your XP Media... are you 100% sure that is a legit copy of windows? Where did you get it from?
peteretep 15y ago
No, the author's complaint is that he gets a better service as a 'pirate' than as a paying customer, which is backwards.

by trotsky 15y ago

sp332 15y ago

I've tried 3 or 4 times, but I never figured out how to make a slipstream of Win7. It seems more complex than with XP.

dchest 15y ago

Online activation works only a certain number of times, and then you'll have to make a call. In my experience, this call took more than 5 minutes, and they asked a few none-of-their-business questions that made me think that I'm asking for their permission to please let me reinstall Windows once again. This was a few years ago with Windows XP, in Russia.

ChiperSoft 15y ago

Many other Microsoft products will not install on a copy of Windows that hasn't been activated. This includes all the Live apps and I think Office. I think it also restricts access to Software Update to only critical patches (been a while since I tried without activation).

rjbond3rd 15y ago
Yes, and also Windows Security Essentials. A family member has a legit retail copy which failed to activate, and just lives with the degraded experience. Quite a contrast with other OS's.

hrktb 15y ago

No it is not, at least not for every version. I didn't have to use windows for a very long time, and about a month ago I installed a windows XP SP3 in a virtual machine. The grace period ended a few days ago: - the automatic activation failed - my product key is said to have been pirated - the phone support for registration is now fully automated, and just rejects my phone activation. - the machine won't load whole subsystems of windows until is activated (you can monkey your way around from the IE instance you can launch from the activation dialog, but your system is not fully functionnal) - I am searching for how to get a human to deal with the situation I might be failing somewhere and this situation is all due to my lack of experience, but I am with a CD of windows in one hand and a hosed install on the other, and nowhere to go from there. This is just one of the worse software experience I ever have in a few years.

trotsky 15y ago
Windows XP launched more than 10 years ago. What I said was true for Vista (5 years old) and 7 (2 years old) and is true for Windows 8 afaik. I'm not sure what your point would be - that you'd pirate Windows 8 because you didn't approve of the ease of use of an activation system they deprecated 5 years ago?
- robotresearcher 15y ago
  Why should he/she approve of the system that makes his legally licensed software not work just because it's 5 years old? If it didn't have the license activation anti-feature, it would work just as well now as it did 5 years ago.
  - trotsky 15y ago
    Because the blog was titled "I'm pirating the Next Version of Windows" (because I feel it will be too difficult to activate) and not "I'm pirating Windows XP"
xist 15y ago
It sounds like the problem stems from the 2 things: 1.) the media you installed from was not legit 2.) Windows gives you notices that it needs to be activated, which you ignored. You won't be able to fix that without reinstalling or using a crack. The phone activation will work but you need to change product key. There is an article of Microsoft support site on how to do that actaully. However, it's a problem with your XP Media... are you 100% sure that is a legit copy of windows? Where did you get it from?

peteretep 15y ago

No, the author's complaint is that he gets a better service as a 'pirate' than as a paying customer, which is backwards.