iamwhatiseem
Diamond Member
Welp, not replacing XP, obviously but will never move beyond Win 7 after my M$ experience today. Replaced an old smaller HD with a nice new large HD a month ago, did a fresh load with the legally purchased and activated Win 7 disc I used on the old drive. Today I get the black screen with Windows 7, Build 1706, This is not a genuine Windows (or something like that). Tried activating and the damn activation was still spinning a hour later so I closed it out and called tech support. Explained what I did, gave them the product code and they told me it was an invalid key, I would have to buy a new one.........
Basically they told me it was pirated, BULL SHIT!!!!! Told them they just lost another customer. Looks like M$ just forced me to chose and I'm not choosing M$.......... Maybe I should learn to write high graphics games for Linux........
I know you know this, but others reading this may not --
When you buy a copy of Windows, and you install it, it records info about your motherboard and Harddrive.
That info is then applied to that product key. It is now invalid on anything else other than that HD on that motherboard. Period. You can call M$, but the internet is loaded with people saying the exact same thing as you - "sorry, we show that as an invalid key".
M$ doesn't want you to upgrade your computer. They want you to buy a new one, or another copy of Windows. Period. This is why people put a "$" in Micro$oft.
Now it would make much more sense if M$ just recorded info ON THE MOTHERBOARD ONLY. This would let you upgrade HD's, install a slave HD, replace a bad HD - etc. But that would make way too much sense, and the only "sense" M$ understands is "cents".
But of course it gets worse, M$ has been trying to get software makers to "join in" and if the system does not appear "genuine" - then the software will not install.
They have successfully partnered with some graphics card makers to also check the validity - look this up on the internet and you will also see plenty of complaints about people not being able to upgrade their graphics card.
Anyone who thinks this is about battling piracy is a sheep. It is not about preventing theft, it is about selling more copies of Windows.