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Repair Computer, Repurchase OS?
An anonymous reader asks: "Recently, I have been bit by a computer repair on an e-Machines computer that involved a system board replacement. Though this was strictly a repair, not an upgrade, neither MS or e-Machines will provide for activation of the system. Why should a user have to purchase another copy of XP after repairing a computer? The system board is listed on the e-Machines website, but costs 4x what an off-the-shelf board with the same chip-set/capabilities costs, and furthermore is not actually available. The e-Machines rep even said repurchasing XP was my only option. This seems to me patently unfair and of questionable legality. Is it possible that there are enough disgruntled consumers bit by this problem to generate a class-action lawsuit?"
Call the 800 # (free) and talk to the outsourced individual and request an activation key.
That's an interesting question. Do we know how such repair cases exist? A class action presupposes a large number of people and that's one bit of data one would need.
I assume by activation you mean windows activation. In this case you have to go through Microsoft, not eMachines. If you can't activate online, and you haven't tried already, do the phone activation. Having reactivated plenty of systems for various reasons, that should do it.
I had this problem 2 months ago. It took 3 hours on the phone with Microsoft but their tech support finally gave me a new license key for my Windows XP OEM.