Is your XP genuine?

[Mike10613]

I have a pop up on my desk top saying my XP isn't genuine. Microsoft want $150 to make it genuine. It's rubbish anyway. Loads of hotfixes plus it was even worse before I got SP2. I have a new laptop with XP home on it. No CD - just a sticker on the bottom saying the XP is genuine. What happens when the sticker wears off? I used to upgrade and system build. But I had major surgery and then was very sick. While I was out of action a friend of a friend upgraded my desktop and preinstalled XP pro. If it's preinstalled - how can you be sure if it's genuine? Unless of course you buy from a big company. This laptop was advertised as having a 100 gig hard drive. But 10% of that is a back up of XP home and maybe Works 8. Works 8 is not good compared to Office. This is software for the poor - so we don't have a chance to get rich like Bill Gates. When I first had a PC. It has MS DOS 3.3. I understood it. It came with an instruction book and I programmed it with GWbasic. How many people can program using Visual basic? They want you to go on a course now just to learn how to use basic stuff like Office. I just read the book and teach myself. Those days are over it seems. In the old days, the BBC linked with a computer company and there was a BBC computer and programmes on TV. But now we just get mindless stuff. People are real smart and do pages on Myspace that look good. Rupert Murdoch and his News International group make all the money from advertising and the poor punters provide all the content. We are just suckers! I hope Aria will let me have a copy of Win XP pro for my system. I'll keep XP home on this laptop, but XP pro on my desktop would be handy. Not sure if I can do anything about Office that was pre-installed too. I like Word and need FrontPage. This is costing me a small fortune. Maybe I'll look in to Linux. Even IBM have had it with Microsoft. Anyone else had their systems hacked by Microsoft with these Windows Genuine advantage files that won't delete? Anyone know how to delete them? I got all but 2 of them. They aren't write protected and won't del from the command line. I'd be interested in what others think. Incidentally, I know of people who's computers have suddenly uninstalled XP when they connect to the net or the Microsoft site. So be warned.

Mike10613

[Jip]

recovery console from xp install disc?

[Mike10613]

Thanks, I understood that, even the \"cough\". I thought, for a while there I thought I was getting too old for forums. I didn't understand any of the answers. If it's any help WGA is the letters you look for when you search your hard disk for those pesky files. I deleted all but two. No idea how to get rid of them. Not write protected. I tried attrib -r on the command line. Not even sure if you can use that any more. Showing my age..... But they will now delete. But if it's any comfort I deleting all the other copies and my system is still working. My firewall is stopping any more traffic from you know who........

[Aaron]

I have a laptop which has a genuine copy of XP Pro on it, and it came up with the piracy notification which was also rubbish. I came up with a fix if you do have a genuine copy of windows.

Just a bit of a disclaimer - It has worked on every box I have tried it on, but dont hold me responsible if you trash your copy of windows! Only do this once you have read through from start to end and are confident you know what you are doing! Also, make sure you back up the registry!! Just in case, but its always good practice for when you're poking around in the registry anyway

• 1) Unactivate it by opening the registry and changing one digit in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\Software\\Microsoft\\WindowsNT \\Current Version\\WPAEvents.
  
  2)Then Start>Run %systemroot%\\system32\\oobe\\msoobe.exe /a
  
  3)Click telephone activation
  4)Click Change Product Key
  5)Then type in your product key again and click update.
  6)Restart Computer

You can check that it went ok by repeating step 3 and it should tell you that Windows is already activated.

If it does all go horrifically wrong, and you cant get back into windows, hit F8 on startup and select \"Last Known Good Configuration\" and you should be able to do all this again.

[Mike10613]

Thanks, I don't fully understand that. I don't normally mess with the Windows registry. I'll back some more stuff up first. I do have a full back up - a few months old on DVD's but if XP packs up - not sure if that will restore. I also had a wireless network installed a day or two before this happened - so don't want to do a system restore past that point or I'll need the technician to fix that again. he had one hell of a job last time. Wrong book with the router and although a brand new model - needed a firmware download. But that is the best answer yet. I have most things backed up to my laptop. Except for email - I have to export that from Outlook Express and a few documents and My webs. If the worse happens. I can get another copy of XP pro and reformat. I want to reformat anyway - garbage builds up - just trying stuff out. I'm sure half my stuff on my HDD is garbage. I have something on that identifies me too. Not a permanent cookie - not sure what it is or where it is. We just know it's there! One server always identifies me. I'm not too bothered. But a friend with a laptop got stalked connecting to wireless networks in hotels - so we really want to know what that identifier is. We suspect it's something like a trojan.

I'm rambling, sorry. Thanks again good stuff!

Mike10613

PS: Don't use the word c**p in these posts - it gets replaced by the word aria! I'm sure it was Crapper who invented the loo and Aria don't sell them; yet.........

[Barley]

Bill Gates can come knock on my door and try to claim his £90 if he likes...

Besides, in China something like 90% of XP CD's are illegal.

[Mike10613]

That sounds easier - thanks if it works I come back shake your hand and kiss our ****. lol

[Anonymous]

[Removed at the request of the author]

[Mike10613]

Good replies. I'm sorted thanks for the info. I didn't even need that website. I realised from your answer the file wouldn't delete because it was in use. End it with task manager - I'm getting too old for this! lol My ADSL was off all day. I thought maybe the server was down. Not sure what I did - but it came back on at 4 minutes to midnight. I only fiddled with the Modem/router a bit and switched it of and back on to reset it. I now have 30 or 40 emails and annoyed off friends who couldn't reach me on MSN IM. I wish this wouldn't replace my swear words with aria! lol

[matt_2k34]

If your smarter - you get pally with someone who has access to a 'corp' disc, if you install the corp disc you get free upgrades, updates etc. and no validation junk as it uses a code which allows many 1000's of computers to be online... best if you dont share the cd tho =)

not that id know to do that ??


Have 2 pc's, one with Windows x64 (paid for, - wish i hadnt), and Windows Server 2003 on a slow server but hopefully getting upgraded soon..


Microsoft software is among the easiest stuff - Visual basic i find very easy - however ive been tought it in school etc. and i never really used dos or any other languages... so instead of having to learn new - its standard to me..

(Also if you use macros, macros in excel, it is the same as visual basic)

oh and i have a copy of visual basic 6 too - very good..

Im not a microsoft fan - just ive used linux and its much better =)

[Mike10613]

Thanks for that Matt, interesting. I may have to go back to college or maybe Learndirect and learn some stuff. I tend to think if you have to go on a course to learn how to use a program; there is something wrong with the program. Some are made deliberately complicated. For example I found Roxio Easy CD creator - easy! Nero, uses terms like ISO *** - and you think what the hell is that? I bought a book on Visual basic, I didn't understand a word of it. I used to program in Quickbasic, years ago without too much of a problem. I read a book ( a very thick book ) on web design. It didn't mention, FrontPage, Dreamweaver or HTML! It did say to be sure none of your pages were 4 clicks away from the Home Page. That was good advice! lol I did go to this site over the weekend:

http://www.tibosoftware.com/downloads.htm

I downloaded a sample of a program that lets you turn any picture or video in to a zigsaw puzzle. When you've done the puzzle it lets you hang it in a really cool 3D art gallery. I was so impressed - I bought the program - without even thinking much about it. I hate giving my credit card number to American companies. But this program is cool. I even set up an MSN group dedicated to jigsaw puzzles! Unfortunately, I mispelt it and the group is called zigsaw! lol

Hence it's:

http://uk.msnusers.com/zigsaws

Sorry those URLs aren't right, can't get that right either! lol

Mike10613












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[Razor1984]

lol after reading all this i kinda feel like the odd one out for not haveing issuse's with XP, myns just an origial XP home and iv never had the probs, ow though im still on my old 3 year old P4 2.4gig system lol once your finished laffin at me :wink: i know my systems out dated by quite alot but iv kept it running well and it still kicks butt cuz it still plays every game iv ever tryed hehe

[Mike10613]

It's interesting to see that over 40% of people who have joined this discussion have had problems. That's a high percentage. In contrast to Microsoft and some other companies I could mention. I have come across a company in Eastern Europe who have a program that is amazing. A few bugs in it, so I'm beta testing it for them. It's still great despite the bugs. It cost me less than £10 for the full version. I'll post news of that soon - so you can all share in the excitement. I found it by accident on a site in Latvia. I didn't understand a word of it! But managed to get pictures, music and this program. I then found the company and they are great, personal service, good program, no rip off and not even a cookie put on my computer. I'll post more news when they have ironed out the minor bugs.

[Mike10613]

As far as I know. My copy is legal! But it is preinstalled - so I can't be sure. I am thinking of buying XP pro from Aria. Just so I have the CD and can reformat whenever I want and get rid of all the garbage that builds up on your computer over a few years. I've backed up data and reformatted then reinstalled all my software in the past and it's amazing how much disk space suddenly becomes available that was used by something before. What that something is - I'm not sure. But downloads from Microsoft are quite often duplicated, then there is permanent cookies and I'm not sure what else. But when my computer was upgraded. XP office professional was also preinstalled. That is expensive to buy the disks! I don't fancy spending £500 for software I already have on my computer. The upgrade was expensive. We are also talking about software that is about to become obsolete anyway. XP is old and being replaced. Aria is selling it cheap compared to some rip off merchants. Office 2002 is old too and unreliable. Microsoft Windows Live ( MSN messenger replacement) - beta - nearly drove me crazy this morning. All I wanted was to check an email! But I ended up allowing all cookies. I'd already configured it to allow MSN cookies - but that isn't enough. They want access for all their mates for their spyware too!

In contrast, I'm doing some business with http://www.tibosoftware.com . They are European. A few bugs in their software and so I've been beta testing. They think they have all the bugs now. But no spyware, not even a cookie! I've had two emails from their CEO this week - how's that for service - anyone had an email from little Willy Gates?

[phil - 745]

when you delete them three files does that make ur xp activated? soooo...you can then download sp2 from microsoft?....

anyways, ive reformated about 6 times on this same pc, all i do is telephone them, free of charge, then i do the auto activate thing with a robot and it says incorrect bla bla bla cos ive used it so many times, then i get through to a real person they ask me for my code then ask;

1) have u used this version of xp before? (say no)
2) is this the first time your installing xp? (say yes)

then your away!!! they give you ur code and it takes all of 5 mins and you have an activated version of xp and you can download all you want from microsoft cos they think your genuine =)

p.s. my xp cd is a copy to start with =)