Richard Urban said:
It may be the correct code for the version of Windows you had
before (there are many versions). Now you have a different
version.
Tech people are in a rough place. A person comes in with a
badly mangled system which necessitates a reinstall. You did
NOT bring him your software and install key, right. He had to
use something! So, he installed a copy of Windows that he had
access to.
No, that's not a "rough place", that's simply how it is. More
importantly, did the tech ASK for the CD and key? I bet not
because even if he had it, like you, he wouldn't use it, jumping
to the excuse of "too many variables, it might be OEM" and so on.
Now YOU are in the uncomfortable position of having an
"illegal" operating system on your computer.
For which the tech can be sued and beat easily in small claims
court, I am very happy to say.
Take your computer back to the tech, along with YOUR copy of
Windows XP, and tell him to install YOUR version. Of course,
you will have to give him the valid install key, that came with
YOUR product, for him to do that. Do you trust him?
Or, he could simply plug it in, and do it right there in front of
you and if you're really scared of his worthiness, let you enter
the key. Prepare to stand around for an hour or so.
Expect to pay extra for a second reinstall.
Bullshit: He screwed up the computer, didn't tell the customer
he was goign to do that, and returned an iillegal system to the
customer. He is clearly in the wrong and unless it's spelled out
in his contract that he does that, he's responsible for making it
right. It's not rocket science after all.
Whenever I work on computers I assume that a reinstall "may" be
necessary. I always instruct my customers to bring me the
media, and install keys, for any programs they want me to
install, including the operating system. If they don't have the
install keys, their only option, as far as I am concerned, is
for me to install a virgin operating system (new - out of the
box), and they "will" pay for the system.
No, their only option, in any legal opinion, is to avoid you and
not give you the machine and then go find someone who knows what
they're doing. There is NEVER a reason to give a customer back a
machine which cannot be reinstalled or legally operated. NEVER!
If you disagree with that, get out of the field - you're an
extremely bad businessperson and you are going to lose out to the
likes of ME: Someone who has NEVER given a machine back without
a perfectly legal and fully functional operating system
configured as the customer expects it to be.
You are woefully misinformed and prepared for this type of work.
Get out, because your customers are coming to ME and telling me
about all the crud YOU guys pull. And they're pretty upset, too.
What return business you do get is a strange bunch of people,
aren't they? Mine aren't, and I'm in the process of hiring two
more people to handle the load.
Worst of luck to you; you're a real wart on the ass of progress
and a criminal to boot.
