Today I wanted to reinstall my original Windows XP and at activation got a messagge "Your product was activated to many times. Please purchase aditional licenses"

So if I want to install it every other month (because it dies on me), I have to buy it every couple of months? This is so MicroShit like. This lincensing is going over the top.

God save the Win!!!
Long live the Lin!!!

Moved: This thread is more suitable in General and has been moved accordingly to help your thread/question get the exposure it deserves.

You are supposed to call Microsoft to get them to give you an access code.

You can call and explain you are reinstalling and they will give you a new key after you jump through some hoops... You will need your original CD and/or serial number.

doesn't calling them cost like $1-2 a minute?

Maybe an 800 # but having to call them to reinstall is absurd, if for no other reason that they made an OS that needs reinstalling so often

I have no problem reinstalling.

I don't need to reinstall more than once a year or so.

Mine runs just fine.

People need to quit making excuses for why Windows is bad.

Windows runs just fine. Linux runs just fine.

Deal with it

Peace,
Whitehat

I'm not saying it runs bad, It just gives problems with lincensing.

It's the only way they can keep people from stealing it. So you'll need to call them and they will give you the key. No problem.

I've called them before. I got some dumb blonde girl on the other end.

I was trying to install another copy on the same computer (Under VMWare). The girl had no idea what that was, but was glad to help me anyway. I swear, I could have said this is the seventh computer I'm installing this on...

bull, you know how easy it is to get keys?, they even have free key generators for practically every windows program., keys don't do anything but annoy people that have to type them in

Yes, but I heard that Microsoft's patches to fix their countless security problems don't work if the key was not generated by Microsoft. So all cracked versions of Windows XP are probably super-insecure.

I wonder what would happen if my computer died and I had to transfer Windows XP to my Linux box in order to run games and Office 2003. Wouldn't I be screwed since Microsoft would prevent my reactivation of the same Windows XP CD? They probably wouldn't give me a new activation code since they'd think I'm just 'pretending' that my first computer was broken so that I can install another copy of WinXP on the second...

I´m with you here marghorpf,
If the thing of licensing is going to be like that:
"If you reinstall too many times you´ll have to ask for another activation key", they should tell you (when you buy your copy):

1.How many times you can reinstall it

2.That the call to get the activation key is (should be) for free, cause you have already paid for your copy, you do not have to pay for it again.

Exactly. Of course all of us have another copy of windows, that is illegal, but that version is not updated by Microsoft.

Billy here, wants to make some money, instead of admiting that his OS chrashes and requires additional installations. If you ask me, IF you payed for something, It is yours. Not to pay for it again in a couple of months, not even for a phone call. If you missed it, I'm not from US. No 800 numbers.

I have sent an email to support and am waiting to see how long it takes to reply and what the response will be.

Pretty impressive phone you have.

Naw, the dont stop non-microsoft generated keys from updating. Thats just a myth.