h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I bought a PC in May last year and have since had to reinstall everything from scratch once a month roughly since then.
Long story, don't ask

I've recently bought another and have finally discovered (please ) what is wrong with the other. It seems you have to validate windows XP or it will cease functioning after 30 days.

I now know that this is problem because the old PC tries to start up the validate windows window (I only know this because I can recognise it now as what my new PC did) but it never gets anywhere, it just sits there as a blank window doing nothing.

I've gone to MS's website today to see how else I can do this but can't seem to find anything useful, google doesn't help much either.

Anyone have any idea how else validation might be achieved? I would be most relieved at finding there's nothing wrong with my old PC afer all.

Well, there is absolutely no point in doing a web search to find ways round the activation since it is illegal. So don;t do that. And, of course, Microsoft code is very efficient and clever so there won;t actually be any easily available means to do this.
So don;t even try.

I'm not trying to find a way around it.
I have a legal computer with a legal copy of Windows that I didn't even know I had to validate until yesterday.

I want to validate it.

I have heard of such problems, but can;t myself remember the details.
Are you SP2 or whatever the current is?

Aye (well I've a permanent download of SP2 on a second hard drive - this is the only way I can preserve info on the PC in any useful way)

Actually I've finally found the info on Microsoft's website but it just tells you to follow the instructions in the Wizard.

My wizard, by coincidence has now popped open and is...

completely blank...

so it won't even tell me the telephone number I need to use to validate my Windows

<>

you done any major upgrades to the machine since you got the copy of XP on it?
Might just be that it thinks it has been pirated y'see.

Nope.

Actually I've just got off the phone to MS.

It seems there is a problem with my video card of some description that prevents the validation window from appearing correctly.

So we've updated the drivers and now I have to wait for the validation window to appear again so that I can try again.

Not trivial and a real pain in the butt. I shalln't be phoning MS next but my PC manufacturers, there *is* something wrong with it...

Shame I spent hours and hours on the phone to them before without getting anywhere near finding the solution. What a waste of space they are.

Packard Bell, not mentioning any names...

By way of techie info by the way. My theory of what was wrong is definitely the problem

In C:/WINDOWS/System32/
is a file called wpa.dbl that is changed to another file named wpa.xxx (ie. something else) when Windows is validated. This has not happened on this PC so it is definitely validation that is the problem...

Instead of playing the waiting game you could always fire up the Activation program manually.

Start->Programs->Accessories->System Tools->Activate Windows.

Which isn't there.

I wasn't on the phone to MS for an hour without trying that one you know

It was only after finding that it was missing that we went hunting around the system folders.

Serves me right for being lazy and buying off PC world

The latest PC is generic, a much happier state of business.

As the man/woman said, microsoft write very fine, high quality, un-crackable code. The possibility of anyone else on the entire planet out-thinking their brilliantly executed (as you have experienced) activation system is terribly remote. And illegal. So Ictoan's probably right. It's a practical certainty that no-one's even attempted it.

A search for 'Windows XP activation crack' would almost certainly prove fruitless.

Shame that.

>> A search for 'Windows XP activation crack' would almost certainly prove fruitless. <<

This should be in the Tell Me a Joke Thread!

XP activation crack brings up 164,000 hits. Windows XP activation was cracked about a week after it was released. However, there are drawbacks. MS inserted code into SP2 that recognizes cracked versions and will not install it.

Donald

>> I bought a PC in May last year <<

Presumably, still under warranty, then. take it back and ask (no, *tell*!) them to give you one that works (i.e. does what it says on the tin).

RF

I already did that. Unfortunately I refused PC worlds very generous £129 mastercare plan (upgrades for free sir? -er, they're not free, duh!) when I bought it.

So PC world won't touch me with a barge pole and as I said PAckard Bell's helpline just goes around in circles.

However, now I've identified the *real* problem, I think I will ring PB again and get them to give me a motherboard with a correctly functioning video card.
It is a bit of a weird problem, hence the length of time its taken to work it out. I didn't know about the windows activation thing because I hadn't had XP before.

A word of warning to those who don't know. Packard Bell don't provide you with any bootable disks at all when you buy your computer. Hence if you have a problem like mine you will find the cost of your computer increases when you have to buy the "master CDs" that will reinstall windows for you.

You may have guessed that I'll never be buying a branded PC again after this experience

If the problem is with hardware, PC world *have* to replace it. If the equipment doesn't do the job it's designed for due to mechanical failure, it's the retailer's responsibility to fix it or replace it. It comes under the Sale Of Goods Act. You don't need to buy their rip-off insurance scam for that to be true. Threaten them with Dogwatch, Esther Rantzen, the Daily Mail etc.

RF

Yeah I wondered about that, I wasn't sure what my legal rights are.

Cheeky buggers. I actually went into PC world about 30 days after I bought it and demanded a refund but they refused under the grounds that it was beyond the 28 days they allow for this. I had waited 10 days for the master CD's to be delivered, during this period. Unfortunately this only occured to me after they'd fobbed me off.

Orcus, at least you got through to the right place to get master CDs off Packard Bell! I was given a number (by PC World) and I've just gone round and round in circles trying to find the right person, but no-one was particularly helpful...

Do you remember the number you called? I don't really fancy going into PC World and asking them *again* ...

Afraid not sorry, try their website, there are a number of user forums there where someone should be able to help you.

">> A search for 'Windows XP activation crack' would almost certainly prove fruitless. <<

This should be in the Tell Me a Joke Thread!"

I don't often say this Donald, but, like, duh?