Driver Update Can Cause Vista Deactivation

[Mr. Analog]

After weeks of gruelling troubleshooting, I've finally had it confirmed by Microsoft Australia and USA -- something as small as swapping the video card or updating a device driver can trigger a total Vista deactivation.

Put simply, your copy of Windows will stop working with very little notice (three days) and your PC will go into "reduced functionality" mode, where you can't do anything but use the web browser for half an hour.

You'll then need to reapply to Microsoft to get a new activation code.

How can this crazy situation occur? Read on for the sorry tale.

http://apcmag.com/vista_activation

Now I'm fairly sceptical of this whole story because it seems insane, but if it is true this is the worst thing I've heard about Vista yet. I'm always leery about letting software detect hardware changes but this takes the cake, @%&#s on it and drops it on an orphan.

[Shayne]

Adobe product activation is worse I think.  I've had Microsoft reset my Vista key a few times already and its never an issue, a quick call, 2 minutes later I'm good to go.  With the Adobe CS3 products though, they tell me that if I reinstall my OS I have to "unregister" my product or I will have to call them each time.  So if you have an OS crash or whatever and you dont have the ability to unregister you gotta call, discuss at length the issue, they log it all, then some indian (from india) tells you what to enter in a voice thats barely understandable.

[Mr. Analog]

Seems easier to pirate eh?

[Shayne]

Yup.  I doubt I buy another Adobe product simply because of the headaches I have had with my copy of Web Premium.  Its just so much hassle to go into each product, unregister, and then do a format or whatever.  I always forget

[Mr. Analog]

Well I think that's probably a good reason for me to save my $700 for something else...

[Thorin]

The big issue raised in that article is not that re-activation was required for a hardware change, but for a driver change.  How often do people upgrade drivers?  Some do it every time a new driver becomes available, some do it only when Windows tells them they have to.

How long have you had Vista installed, Shayne?  And you've had to re-activate more than twice already?  In that whole time, I've *never* had to call the vendor of my OS to re-activate it...

And it's not stopping the pirates.

If I were working for either Microsoft or Adobe, I would bundle into the software a piece that figures out whether the software is pirated, and if so have a button in the UI that asks for a donation.  When Microsoft came out with WGA and then offered to let people buy a legit copy of XP for $99, I seriously considered doing so.  The problem was, it would try to install the legit copy on my computer.  I'd be happy just giving them the $99 and leaving my computer be.  Sorta funny, I was willing to give them $99 for not switching to their legit copy of the software...

[Melbosa]

Biggest thing to remember with this new hash style activation is to install all your proper drivers before activating.  If you go from a generic Microsoft WHQL, or a Microsoft WHQL for your say video card, and then to the manufaturer's driver, you are more than likely going to have to reactivate (some part of the hardware identifiers is elevated or decommissioned between drivers, causing windows to thing you have changed out the hardware).  Good thing is Vista lets you do this up to 5 times (as long as the hash doesn't change so significantly - say if you swapped out your mobo, nic, and video) before having to call M$ and get the license back.  This does not (at least in my experience) if you stick with the same driver set (manufaturer or microsoft).  I've been on vista now for over a year at work, and update my drivers pretty frequently - as much as I would on my gaming rigs, as I pretty much do them all at once (one reminds me of the other).

Something you just learn through doing, and no I don't agree with it, but I know how to work within the system.  I have to agree with Shayne with Adobe, as they are the worst - no leeway, its their way or no way.  At least with Vista, or XP for that matter when you activate that as well, you have a margin of change.

[Shayne]

Has anyone had this actually happen to them though?

[Melbosa]

The driver de-activation on Vista?  Yes on both Vista and XP.  But only because I forgot to install the Chipset and Video drivers before activating.  So within the first couple of days of about 5 computers over the last 2 years, but never since they have been running for a while.

[Shayne]

Thats the only time I have ever had it happen as well. Activate, then install drivers.  Ive never had it happen upgrading/replacing drivers though.

[Darren Dirt]

The esteemed Mr. Greenspun would surely have some anti-desktopOS opinions to express about this "Delenda est Desktop Apps"

[Mr. Analog]

The esteemed Mr. Greenspun would surely have some anti-desktopOS opinions to express about this "Delenda est Desktop Apps"

Care to elaborate?

[Tom]

I've never had to reactivate my windows installs. Then again the last copy I owned was 95 OSR2. Might pick up a copy of XP at some point, but eh, only if I desperately need it.

[Darren Dirt]

The esteemed Mr. Greenspun would surely have some anti-desktopOS opinions to express about this "Delenda est Desktop Apps"

Care to elaborate?

the first few sentences in that "DeDA" section of that page:

Delenda est Desktop Apps
Marcus Porcius Cato (234 BC to 149 BC) went onto the floor of the Roman Senate every day and decreed "Delenda est Carthago" ("Carthage must be destroyed"). My personal crusade since 1993 has been against desktop applications. Desktop apps promised to deliver the power of computers to the ordinary citizen; in fact, they delivered the pain of a corporate system administration job right into the ordinary citizen's home or office. Desktop apps] promised to help people collaborate; in fact they have imprisoned individual contributions on individual machines.

What people need and, with the ubiquitous Internet, can finally get, are collaborative Web-based applications. Web-based apps let people use computers without becoming mired in system administration. Web-based apps help people collaborate. Web-based apps can weave an individual's contribution into a larger work produced by many people over the decades.

^ says it all i.e. "The problem is not the OS functionality being Micro-stupid or Micro-shortsighted, it's being on the individual's desktop in the first place" essentially.

[Mr. Analog]

Well I'm glad you picked out the details, it's odd I know but sometimes even if you just drop a link I don't get what you're saying or even what might be in your brain at the time. Though I happen to very strongly disagree with this philosophy though XD

Let me 'splain.

With the CMD.EXE EDIT command I am able to write a book just as well as I could with Google Apps, the only difference is that there are FAR more dependencies involved with Google Apps could I be more or less productive with either given the task at hand? Really that's a personal preference however if for example I went to Google Apps with my browser and the native OS blocks me from doing that by "getting in the way" then I, as a user, have a problem.

This is the key to what Microsoft is doing wrong and what Linux was doing wrong for ages. I don't want to edit X config files nor do I want to "Cancel or Allow" access to every goddamn thing to do what I want to do. I should just be able to do what I want when I want, without restrictions. Software, no matter origin, should not stop me from doing things.

This is not the fault of the desktop concept it's the fault of implementation and people in committee meetings deciding things that no one wants.