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Microsoft to Disable Online Windows Activation

CasterPod writes "As of February 28, Windows users who purchased their PC will no longer be able to reinstall without calling Microsoft and answering a series of questions. The move is part of an anti-piracy effort to close 'a loophole that enabled unscrupulous resellers to use Windows XP product keys that were stolen from large OEMs.' Specifically, Certificate of Authenticity (COA) labels on PCs are often unused because OEMs preinstall Windows and bypass product activation. The product keys can therefore be stolen and reused. First WGA, and now this."

5 of 1,067 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Great. Just what I want to do. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait


    could you honestly trust someone who 'BELIEVED' that Jesus came to save us?

    Yeah, better put a yellow marker on them and stick them in camps. Better yet, a serial number tattoo.

    After all, it worked once before, why not again?

  2. Re:Good Move Microsoft!!!! by jazmataz23 · · Score: 0, Flamebait
    Wow, I rarely have to correct the same retard twice in one morning. Especially someone with such a low an ID number.

    Prior to XP, the "home" line of products (95,98,ME) used the DOS kernel, and the "corporate" line of products (NT & 2k) used the NT kernel. XP is a development of that NT kernel, but is "friendly" enough for use by the mouthbreathers that heretofore used the DOS-based OSes. So now that both the "home" and "corporate" OSes are using the same kernel, Microsoft has one platform line to support.

    jaz

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  3. Re:Good Move Microsoft!!!! by AviLazar · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    Imagine this scenario:

    You walk out the store with a bag of stuff
    The store gaurd asks you to show the receipt
    You refuse
    The store gaurd thinks "that is weird, why would a person who just bought something refuse to show me their receipt...unless they are shop lifting."

    That is reasonable enough - ask a lawyer or a cop. The person is being suspicious by not showing their receipt. In addition the cop/lawyer/judge will tell you to just grow the fuck up.

    Jesus, do people just do asshole things to be complete dicks for no other reason? No wonder our world is screwed up - it's not MS that screwed up the world - it's the SOB's who do it.

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  4. Re:Good Move Microsoft!!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    Look at it this way: they use it, and there's a 99.9% chance that you'll get to be on the good side of a major lawsuit, to say nothing of assault charges. Depends where you live I guess. I doubt San Francisco would even allow the Door Nazi to carry a tazer, let alone get away with using it, while if you're black in Alabama, you'll be lucky if the judge and all 12 members of the jury don't taze you out of spite.

  5. Re:Good Move Microsoft!!!! by drinkypoo · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    When it's an AC I can make any kind of accusation I want, because no one cares about them. Seriously though, when someone is writing that kind of bullshit to me, I can't feel at all bad about flaming them. Fuck turning the other cheek to an asshole like that.

    --
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