Author: Scott Gasch
Date: 12:36:09 08/06/01
Go up one level in this thread
It's really hard for me to read posts like these and stay quiet. I have no idea what the author is referring to with statements like the following: >>Even when you replace XP with another OS and delete all XP files, the damn thing still invisibly resides on your HD and still radiates nfo. What does that mean? It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. What does radiate nfo mean? Does that mean XP is sending out your private data to MS while its installed? If so, I can assure you it does not. But this was not your statement -- your statement is even more impossible. How can something that has been deleted from your hard drive still "radiate nfo"? Is this magic? >>The functional files are not a damn better than Win98 but their >>protection makes them as unefficient as can be. What language is this that you are writing in? I again have no idea what you are trying to say here. >If your OS crashes or if you wish to reinstall it, you need to buy a new >licence. I think I understand your confusion here, though. I assume you are talking about the windows product activation stuff (WPA). Basically when you buy a copy of XP it comes up with a challenge number. This number is based on your CD key and your hardware configuration. You have N days (N = 60 I think?) to "activate" your copy of XP. You do this over the Internet automatically or by calling a toll-free phone number. When you activate, your number is stored in a database at MS (which is what has people so worried about privacy issues). Now that MS has your number you won't be allowed to activate the same copy of XP on another machine without talking to someone and saying "I am not using it on the first machine anymore". Also if you drastically change the hardware configuration of the first machine you may have to reactivate it. The details of how this algorithm works are posted all over the web. Suffice to say you have to really change the hardware configuration of the machine before it starts giving you trouble. A new motherboard, diff processor and new amount of memory, for example. I am not sure this whole WPA system is a good idea for MS, personally. However for legal copies of XP it is at worst a minor inconvenience. I think the real reason people are so pissed about WPA is because they want to share XP with all their friends or be able to download it from a warez site. Hopefully WPA will make this sort of thing harder to do as revenues from XP sales are paying the salaries of a lot of people who work very hard. I'm sure some hackers with a burning hatred for all things MS and too much time on their hands will figure out a way to break this scheme, though, so thieves have nothing to worry about. If you hate MS and think windows is crap, go use Linux or something. I don't care. But don't blather nonsense opinions on this board like a dolt. Scott
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