M$ has finally done it

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alex.barylski
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Post by alex.barylski »

Maugrim_The_Reaper wrote:He has 5 PCs and is breaching the EULA continually...;) Just joking... Some people like to take their PC to pieces and put it back together so often they need to constantly re-install. I've reinstalled maybe 30~ or so times. Won't be hitting 50 soon, but it's certainly possible... About 10 were due to fatal faults either to my PC or Windows itself.
Again...I mention I learn best from from starting at the ground up...so I guess i'm one of those disassemble/reassemble kind of people :P

I just like a guarnateed clean machine :)
alex.barylski
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Re: M$ has finally done it

Post by alex.barylski »

Grim... wrote:
Hockey wrote:...so M$ says now that I can't reformat more than 50 or so times in one license without reauthenticating my product code?
Well, you can see why, surely?
And I assume by 'reauthenticating' you mean 'I didn't have to pay for anything'?
No actually I can't see why...as that isn't breaching any EULA that I know of...I'm not installing on seperate computers...just one desktop...the same computer for the last...whenever XP came out...2001/2002 or so...

I've always been faithful and financially supportive of M$...never burning copies, etc...so me for to have to put up with this....is a pain in the arse :)
Charles256
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Re: M$ has finally done it

Post by Charles256 »

Hockey wrote:
Grim... wrote:
Hockey wrote:...so M$ says now that I can't reformat more than 50 or so times in one license without reauthenticating my product code?
Well, you can see why, surely?
And I assume by 'reauthenticating' you mean 'I didn't have to pay for anything'?
No actually I can't see why...as that isn't breaching any EULA that I know of...I'm not installing on seperate computers...just one desktop...the same computer for the last...whenever XP came out...2001/2002 or so...

I've always been faithful and financially supportive of M$...never burning copies, etc...so me for to have to put up with this....is a pain in the arse :)
i think it's safe to say the average users does not re-install 50 times..so yes 50 times is suspcious..though I had to call in after 10 with my laptop ;)
alex.barylski
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Re: M$ has finally done it

Post by alex.barylski »

Charles256 wrote:
Hockey wrote:
Grim... wrote: Well, you can see why, surely?
And I assume by 'reauthenticating' you mean 'I didn't have to pay for anything'?
No actually I can't see why...as that isn't breaching any EULA that I know of...I'm not installing on seperate computers...just one desktop...the same computer for the last...whenever XP came out...2001/2002 or so...

I've always been faithful and financially supportive of M$...never burning copies, etc...so me for to have to put up with this....is a pain in the arse :)
i think it's safe to say the average users does not re-install 50 times..so yes 50 times is suspcious..though I had to call in after 10 with my laptop ;)
50 is an random number... :P

Assuming I've had XP since it released...and I re-install about 3-4 months as the seasons change :)

It was just traditional spring cleaning after all :)

Meh...I still say M$ should know better...or discover better ways of preventing piracy :)
Charles256
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Re: M$ has finally done it

Post by Charles256 »

Hockey wrote:
Charles256 wrote:
Hockey wrote: No actually I can't see why...as that isn't breaching any EULA that I know of...I'm not installing on seperate computers...just one desktop...the same computer for the last...whenever XP came out...2001/2002 or so...

I've always been faithful and financially supportive of M$...never burning copies, etc...so me for to have to put up with this....is a pain in the arse :)
i think it's safe to say the average users does not re-install 50 times..so yes 50 times is suspcious..though I had to call in after 10 with my laptop ;)
50 is an random number... :P

Assuming I've had XP since it released...and I re-install about 3-4 months as the seasons change :)

It was just traditional spring cleaning after all :)

Meh...I still say M$ should know better...or discover better ways of preventing piracy :)
okay...last quote promise.. :-D

either way, no. they know fine. stop immitating pirate activities ;)
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AKA Panama Jack
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Re: M$ has finally done it

Post by AKA Panama Jack »

Hockey wrote:
Grim... wrote:
Hockey wrote:I reinstalled Windows XP today for the 50th odd time since purchasing the box and I get an product key is no longer valid error...
Why were you reinstalling for the 50th time?
I'm religious that way :P

Besides nothing beats a re-format...as far as cleaning, virus destruction, etc...

A system just runs better when reformatted...and seeing how i'm on a 950Mhz...I need every boost in performance I can get :)
If you want to avoid this find a copy of Norton's Ghost 2003. You can probably find a copy on sale somewhere for around $5. Avoid the later versions as they have become overly complex for what they do.

Make your initial windows install with all updates and no applications installed except for Ghost. Now perform a Ghost backup of the entire drive/partition windows is located. Make sure you save it to a different drive/partition.

You now have a backup of your base windows install. If you ever need to reinstall windows all you have to do is run Ghost and reinstall from the Ghost Backup. This will revert everything back to just like your initial install and you will not have to reactivate. You will have to reinstall all of your applications. This is one of the ways to reinstall windows xp without having to reactivate it.
alex.barylski
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Post by alex.barylski »

I've considered that in the past for other issues...and to just avoid reinstalling...problem is...I wouldn't trust storing that info even on a seperate partition...as it's still technically possible for a virus to infect it...

Despite any partition cloaking techniques, etc...

I don't have an external HDD and can't afford to buy one...I don't have a CD burner either, so my only option is partition...but for the reasons I mention above...it simple won't work for me :(

Thanks though...as always :)
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AKA Panama Jack
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Post by AKA Panama Jack »

Well, I haven't heard of any virus that can infect a Ghost backup. :)

Plus you can compress the image backup and it can be password protected so nothing can get into it. It is far, far safer than you think. :)
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Chris Corbyn
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Post by Chris Corbyn »

I couldn't agree more that having an image of your installation makes things like hundreds times faster to start-over.

You don't even need Ghost... just a linux live CD with dd on it and you're all set :)

Most large IT companies just use images to set up new machines...
alex.barylski
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Post by alex.barylski »

AKA Panama Jack wrote:Well, I haven't heard of any virus that can infect a Ghost backup. :)

Plus you can compress the image backup and it can be password protected so nothing can get into it. It is far, far safer than you think. :)
I wasn't aware you could password protect it (although it makes sense)...but that still doesn't prevent a virus from screwing with it???

If it's changed even in the slightest...it's garbage...as I would only have the one copy on a seperat partition... ?
alex.barylski
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Post by alex.barylski »

d11wtq wrote:I couldn't agree more that having an image of your installation makes things like hundreds times faster to start-over.

You don't even need Ghost... just a linux live CD with dd on it and you're all set :)

Most large IT companies just use images to set up new machines...
Like Knoppix?
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AKA Panama Jack
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Post by AKA Panama Jack »

Hockey wrote:
AKA Panama Jack wrote:Well, I haven't heard of any virus that can infect a Ghost backup. :)

Plus you can compress the image backup and it can be password protected so nothing can get into it. It is far, far safer than you think. :)
I wasn't aware you could password protect it (although it makes sense)...but that still doesn't prevent a virus from screwing with it???

If it's changed even in the slightest...it's garbage...as I would only have the one copy on a seperat partition... ?
As with anything it could be messed with. If you are that paranoid you could copy it many times to many different locations. Have as many copies as you want. Make a copy and change the file extension to something obscure to foil any possible program that looks specifically for ghs and gho files.

Personally, I have three different backup files of my windows c: drive stored in different directories on my h: drive. :) Compressed and uncompressed. :)
alex.barylski
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Post by alex.barylski »

AKA Panama Jack wrote:
Hockey wrote:
AKA Panama Jack wrote:Well, I haven't heard of any virus that can infect a Ghost backup. :)

Plus you can compress the image backup and it can be password protected so nothing can get into it. It is far, far safer than you think. :)
I wasn't aware you could password protect it (although it makes sense)...but that still doesn't prevent a virus from screwing with it???

If it's changed even in the slightest...it's garbage...as I would only have the one copy on a seperat partition... ?
As with anything it could be messed with. If you are that paranoid you could copy it many times to many different locations. Have as many copies as you want. Make a copy and change the file extension to something obscure to foil any possible program that looks specifically for ghs and gho files.

Personally, I have three different backup files of my windows c: drive stored in different directories on my h: drive. :) Compressed and uncompressed. :)
I'm not a fan of maintaining more than one backup :)
alvinphp
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Post by alvinphp »

You are unlucky if you had to reinstall 50 times. I put my XP through brutal punishment installing and uninstalling everything under the sun and it keeps chugging along. It is significantly better then the Window 95 days.
alex.barylski
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Post by alex.barylski »

Fundementally...it's a different OS...so yea it's better in many ways :P
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