This is a story aboout Windows Activation in the corporate world – the world of global giants with dedicated procurements spread over multiple divisions all resembling a feudal hierarchy out of the middle ages and Microsoft, guardian and protector of its revenue stream.
Most if not all of us who run a Windows operating system are familiar with the Microsoft Windows Product Activation process for protecting us against software piracy. Us? You mean Microsoft. Got time to read about it, then visit the Microsoft web site. Sure there are people who want something but don’t want to pay for it – think morons who are getting govenment support checks or who oppose the Affordable Care act. There are people who want to resell intelectual property without becoming authorized resellers – think Mafia, Russia and China. But there are those of us who purchased a PC with Windows installed on it or bought a boxed copy to upgrade or replace a previous version of Windows.
So what’s the problem? You’re connected to the Internet, so Windows connects you with their automated process and your Activated. You get a Windows Genuine Logo to appear in your System’s properties view. No Iinternet? Use the phone number provided and meet Bob, the automated attendant who will goude you through the process of collecting 45 digits from you that are provided by the operating system and then giving you 45 more digits to enter into the activation window. Problems? Just say “Repeat”, “Back up” or “Start over”. I don’t know what this conversation is an a language other than EN-US (English US) but I’d be willing to give it a listen. Does the Gekko do voice-over for Australian?
No matter, it just works the first-time. But what happens when your hard drive crashes and you need to reinstall the OS that you already own? Or when you add more memory to make Windows run acceptably fast and crash-free? Or when you buy a replacement CPU and motherboard to upgrade your desktop? Operative word here is “replacement.” What happens? Windows knows things aren’t the same and suspects foul play. It offers to re-activate. Nine out of ten times, activation goes off without a hitch but what happens when you are forced to activate the same copy of windows more than once? Say, you add memory, add more memory, replace a hard drive? Wel you get the qualifing question. “How many times has this copy of Windows been Activated?” Well the simple anser is “one.” Any other response will result in a conversation with a person in a foreign country. You want to avoid this. Remember “One” is the loneliest number but it works.
This posting is provided “as is” with no warranties, guaranties or any rights whatsoever. All content is based on the author’s experiences and opinions and is not intended to influence the actions of the reader.
