Slightly OT - XP activation when trouble shooting Grafix card?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Shawk
  • Start date Start date
S

Shawk

Hi all,

Sorry this is slightly OT but I guess you must have come across it. My new
Sapphire 9800 Pro had problems (looks like the core was overheating) and its
now been RMA'd. However while trying to find the problem I took out the
Audigy soundcard (testing for potential conflict) , disconnected the CDRW
drive, disconnected the DVD drive etc (testing for poor PSU performance)
..... all the things you'd normally do. Unfortunately with all these changes
to my system Win XP Pro threw a little fit and demanded I reactivate. My
question is...... is there a way around this? I'm gradually upgrading this
PC and the new bits (and the potential tests of those bits) could require me
to reactivate so often I'll use up the quota? How do others get on?

Many thanks, Shaun
 
Shawk said:
Hi all,

Sorry this is slightly OT but I guess you must have come across it. My new
Sapphire 9800 Pro had problems (looks like the core was overheating) and its
now been RMA'd. However while trying to find the problem I took out the
Audigy soundcard (testing for potential conflict) , disconnected the CDRW
drive, disconnected the DVD drive etc (testing for poor PSU performance)
.... all the things you'd normally do. Unfortunately with all these changes
to my system Win XP Pro threw a little fit and demanded I reactivate. My
question is...... is there a way around this? I'm gradually upgrading this
PC and the new bits (and the potential tests of those bits) could require me
to reactivate so often I'll use up the quota? How do others get on?

Many thanks, Shaun
Click to expand...

Ask the MS people when you call them.

A few others have indicated they're pretty good
about this...let us know what your experience was
like.

Seems like their code for detecting that you reconnected
all the stuff you had before you disconnected it is
a little broken-point that out to them.
 
V Green said:
require

Ask the MS people when you call them.

A few others have indicated they're pretty good
about this...let us know what your experience was
like.

Seems like their code for detecting that you reconnected
all the stuff you had before you disconnected it is
a little broken-point that out to them.
Click to expand...

Just hit the button to activate now (online) - will phone next time tho'.
See what they say. Ta, Shaun
 
Shawk said:
Hi all,

Sorry this is slightly OT but I guess you must have come across it. My
new
Sapphire 9800 Pro had problems (looks like the core was overheating) and
its
now been RMA'd. However while trying to find the problem I took out the
Audigy soundcard (testing for potential conflict) , disconnected the CDRW
drive, disconnected the DVD drive etc (testing for poor PSU performance)
.... all the things you'd normally do. Unfortunately with all these
changes
to my system Win XP Pro threw a little fit and demanded I reactivate. My
question is...... is there a way around this? I'm gradually upgrading
this
PC and the new bits (and the potential tests of those bits) could require
me
to reactivate so often I'll use up the quota? How do others get on?

Many thanks, Shaun
Click to expand...

Just reactivate. If you are "lucky" you get to make the phone call - hope
you can type numbers well! <g>

I've reactivated my copy about 30 times since the first install. I just
tell them I beta test, and rebuild a lot. I'm always cheerful, and polite.
I've yet to have one single problem. Each time took about 3-5 minutes max.

Oh, I have the "upgrade", not the OEM version. If you have the OEM, don't
volunteer too much info! <g>

Steve
OldManCompute
 
There's no quota. At worst, you'll have to activate by 'phone.

I can't speak for the UK, but in the US it's a toll-free call, and the hold
times were brief. Be prepared to explain that you're sticking to the one
license/one machine rule. I suppose that the Microsoft people might start to
become suspicious if you activate too often, but I don't know if they have
formal rules as to how often that might be. I'd hope that if you are polite
and straightforward, there would be no problem.

It's an annoyance, but it only takes about five minutes.

The activation check does seem to be a little dicey. I once set it off by
uninstalling Intel's IDE drivers ("Application accelerator").

Have fun.

Bob Knowlden

Address may be altered. Replace nkbob with bobkn.
 
Steve Colburn said:
Just reactivate. If you are "lucky" you get to make the phone call - hope
you can type numbers well! <g>

I've reactivated my copy about 30 times since the first install. I just
tell them I beta test, and rebuild a lot. I'm always cheerful, and polite.
I've yet to have one single problem. Each time took about 3-5 minutes max.

Oh, I have the "upgrade", not the OEM version. If you have the OEM, don't
volunteer too much info! <g>

Steve
OldManCompute
Click to expand...

Thanks Steve, have the upgrade version here too. Appreciate the reply.
Shaun
 
Shawk said:
Hi all,

Sorry this is slightly OT but I guess you must have come across it.
My new Sapphire 9800 Pro had problems (looks like the core was
overheating) and its now been RMA'd. However while trying to find
the problem I took out the Audigy soundcard (testing for potential
conflict) , disconnected the CDRW drive, disconnected the DVD drive
etc (testing for poor PSU performance) .... all the things you'd
normally do. Unfortunately with all these changes to my system Win
XP Pro threw a little fit and demanded I reactivate. My question
is...... is there a way around this? I'm gradually upgrading this PC
and the new bits (and the potential tests of those bits) could
require me to reactivate so often I'll use up the quota? How do
others get on?

Many thanks, Shaun
Click to expand...

No, there is no LEGAL way around Windows ProductActivation. However,
the way it works things out to WHEN you have made enough changes for it
to decide you MAY have a different system now is interesting.
IF you keep the same volume ID on your HD and you do NOT change out your
NIC and keep the same CPU, then you've kept enough 'votes' to ignore the
rest.
WPA does not look at floppy or optical drives. It does not look at your
sound card. It does look at your HD volume ID number. It does look at
the CPU itself. It does definitely look at your NIC (if there IS one).
It looks at your RAM. And it does look at your video card. It also
looks at the amount of time it's been since last Activation. If it's
been 16 months (I *think* that's correct) the slate is cleared and WPA
starts over, there are no 'votes' to reactivate.

Shaun, I've recently swapped out motherboards twice, swapped out CPU's,
took out a CL Live! card and dropped in a TB Santa Cruz, swapped out the
FX5900 and 9800 Pro a couple of times, pulled out the 52X CDRW and
popped in a dual format DVD RW and the only time WPA wanted to
reactivate was when I initially had a mobo die and replaced it with a
new one. That was two motherboards ago. The NIC's are built into each
of the three mobos and all are different. The most important single
factor is the HD volume ID number. That's stayed the same throughout,
the same installation of XP Pro. That alone keeps 3 votes I think and
the NIC keeps 4 votes. It takes 7 votes TO require reactivation. those
two things alone will demand a reactivation. But they really allow a
lot of latitude. And, if it won't reactivate automatically, then a toll
free call and simple explanation of what you're doing (upgrading the
same system XP is installed to, reformatted the HD, etc.) is all it
takes. 6 mins. Then you're set for another few rounds of upgrading!!!
McG.
 
No, there is no LEGAL way around Windows ProductActivation. However,
the way it works things out to WHEN you have made enough changes for it
to decide you MAY have a different system now is interesting.
IF you keep the same volume ID on your HD and you do NOT change out your
NIC and keep the same CPU, then you've kept enough 'votes' to ignore the
rest.
WPA does not look at floppy or optical drives. It does not look at your
sound card. It does look at your HD volume ID number. It does look at
the CPU itself. It does definitely look at your NIC (if there IS one).
It looks at your RAM. And it does look at your video card. It also
looks at the amount of time it's been since last Activation. If it's
been 16 months (I *think* that's correct) the slate is cleared and WPA
starts over, there are no 'votes' to reactivate.

Shaun, I've recently swapped out motherboards twice, swapped out CPU's,
took out a CL Live! card and dropped in a TB Santa Cruz, swapped out the
FX5900 and 9800 Pro a couple of times, pulled out the 52X CDRW and
popped in a dual format DVD RW and the only time WPA wanted to
reactivate was when I initially had a mobo die and replaced it with a
new one. That was two motherboards ago. The NIC's are built into each
of the three mobos and all are different. The most important single
factor is the HD volume ID number. That's stayed the same throughout,
the same installation of XP Pro. That alone keeps 3 votes I think and
the NIC keeps 4 votes. It takes 7 votes TO require reactivation. those
two things alone will demand a reactivation. But they really allow a
lot of latitude. And, if it won't reactivate automatically, then a toll
free call and simple explanation of what you're doing (upgrading the
same system XP is installed to, reformatted the HD, etc.) is all it
takes. 6 mins. Then you're set for another few rounds of upgrading!!!
McG.
Click to expand...

Thanks McG

Was looking for legal advice only. Your post makes a lot of sense and makes
activation seem reasonable however I cannot now understand what I did to
trigger it this time. The hardware I moved were all items that you say it
ignores, (soundcard and the two optical drives). Wierd.

Oh well, everyone swears MS are very reasonable so I'm more relaxed about
it. Less relaxed that I still dont have the graphics card, case and new PSU
I ordered a looong time ago but that's another story - 1 problem down, 6 to
go :-)

Shaun
 
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