TV with DVR & Internet: $89.90/mo
Windows XP: Lending XP Home disk and Product Code?
Have OEM WIN XP Home Edition
by DarCLew2 - 5/20/06 11:00 AM In reply to: Actual repercussions... by rquesadaNot from EBay, but from a Microsoft Partner that sells Genuine Windows. It was a topic and this is a copy of various prices:
Microsoft Windows XP Home With SP2 3-Pack - OEM
NewEgg.com price: $268.95
From eDirectSoftware.com
Microsoft Windows XP Home
Windows XP Home Edition gives you the freedom to experience more than you ever thought possible with your computer and the Internet.
$78.99
Manufacturer: Microsoft Type: CD Only (tax free)
The SP2 update is shipping only, eDirectsoftware is no taxes and this is their site:
http://www.edirectsoftware.com/product_category.php?catID=72 they provide tech support and it is guarenteed for a full year. They do have either Gateway or Dell logos but they are genuine windows. Also the SP2 from Microsoft is a CD and it is cheap.
If you have a lot of free space on your hard drive, (mine is only 14.33 GB) I had both WINME and WINXP in. You can forat your HD from the CD. Darrell Lewis
Validation process
by jackintucson
- 5/9/06 11:17 AM
In reply to: Lending XP Home disk and Product Code? by seafox13
will get either you or her. When you want to get updates from the Microsoft website it will ask you to run a program that generates a code. You feed that code on the website. If it matches the profile determined by the OS when it was first installed and activated it will allow downloads.
Microsoft's anti-piracy programs are getting ever tighter. And they are starting to track down illegal copies through this validation process. First they deny the service and then they GET YOU! Look for a nasty letter in your mailbox.
You violate it by giving it to her. She violates it by installing it. Do you really want to risk it?
and life goes on...
Jack
I would echo this except the Ebay
by chuckieu - 5/9/06 12:42 PM In reply to: Validation process by jackintucson
A real OEM full disc runs about $85 US at Newegg and no worries. At Ebay you might get a real disc that's good to go, or one you can't activate because it is still registered to someone else. More likely, it will be a pirated copy or you just get ripped off. Big gamble.
chuck
Got nasty letter but it was an illegal burnt CD WIN98SE
by DarCLew2 - 5/10/06 10:25 AM In reply to: Validation process by jackintucson
It was burnt by a person who had no conscience. I thought he was reputable!
When I got a legal WIN98SE, I replaced the other. I kept thinking, what if anoter person or persons went on the internet as the same time as me with the same registration code??
Now, that is something that anyone should really think about, I was paranoid for a while. Was it worth it?? Nope. Darrell L.
(NT) free, legal, and pretty darn good = Linux
by linkit - 5/9/06 12:18 PM In reply to: Lending XP Home disk and Product Code? by seafox13Why steal - Get LINUX
by jimhrrt - 5/12/06 5:26 AM In reply to: (NT) free, legal, and pretty darn good = Linux by linkitI have to agree, even as a rather newbie to Linux. With the mutltitude of distros available, and all of them free , plus the number of open source programs available it's just nuts to mess with Microsoft. While we still run one XP pro based system, all our other systems are Linux based, including my 6 year old sons' computer. We can easily do more with the free programing available, and save big bucks on upgrades and security issues.
Try It!
Linux != windows
by Aaronatblue - 5/12/06 6:08 AM In reply to: Why steal - Get LINUX by jimhrrtIt's not "just nuts to mess with windows". If you've ever done any kind of tech support and had to deal with Joe average computer user, you will know that linux ain't quite ready for the big time.
Plus, if you're running any newer chipsets than you are out of luck when it comes to linux. Try getting ubuntu or any linux distro to run on an nforce4 motherboard with sata drives and nvidia sli video. It won't happen.
Windows is cheap and it works on pretty much everything. You like playing games? Stick with windows. People like to bash the big bad microsoft, but when you look at the complete package nothing compares to it. OSX included.
As far as the moral implications of using your neighbours copy of windows? The worst thing that'll happen to you is activation will fail and your pc won't boot into windows. The fbi aren't going to break down your door.
It doesn't need to be
by rquesada - 5/12/06 12:47 PM In reply to: Linux != windows by AaronatblueI know a couple of people who set up Linux boxes for their elderly parents, and they've been working just fine for years now.
Also, most people don't care about using all the latest stuff, they just want something that can function as a word processor and internet terminal. Linux can do that exceedingly well.
And for the record, Ubuntu is a heavily modified Debian, which itself is probably the most "out there" distribution of the major players. It's the least compatible with ANY of the other distributions, even if you're using the testing branches. Ubuntu has already progressed to a point where it's largely incompatible with Debian now. If you use some of the more mainstream distributions like Fedora Core or Mandriva, you should be able to use nVidia's chipset drivers just like their video drivers.
OS X is kind of nice in that it's largely a black and white scenario with hardware. It either works or it doesn't for the most part. If you've ever dealt with "sort of working" hardware on Windows and the multitude of problems it often brings, it's a nice change.
Aside from gaming, there's no real need to have all the latest fancy hardware in your system, and this is exactly why I went back to consoles for gaming. Even if I went out and got an Xbox 360 Premium now, I'd get a complete gaming system for less than I could spend on just a video card for a PC. Games are all written to that specific hardware spec, so there's no risk of my going out and setting down $50 for some new game and it not working because my system is underpowered in some way. I don't need to worry about other programs conflicting in some way, bad video driver releases, or anything else. I buy a game, pop the disc in the unit, and away I go. I'll be a good half hour into a game by the time you get your PC copy installed. So I don't get all the latest graphics... How often do you stop to admire the scenery in a game?
Running Linux or OS X doesn't mean you have to give up gaming, it just requires a different strategy. One that can ultimately save a bundle of money. I have an Xbox, PS2, and GameCube... Even if I bought them all brand new at full retail, and the same with all the games I have for each (around 35 between them all), I'd probably still come out spending less than most people do on their SLI setups and I pretty much guarantee I'll get a lot more life out of my setup.
Anyway, that's my rant on the issue.
Uh huh..
by roadiebob - 5/12/06 2:26 PM In reply to: Why steal - Get LINUX by jimhrrtI spent 15 days or so and 2 linux distros trying to get a PVR built (MythTV). Searching for drivers, finding several that did not work. Trying to get wireless networking set up.. more driver issues...trying to get compiles to work... more issues.
Finaly I dropped 100 bucks and installed XP home. 2 hours later I was done. it detected and installed drivers for everything. If I have some time to kill, I will play with Linux, if I need to finish the job, I am going with Windows.
just so you know, I am a professinal computer tech. I cant imagine what a casual user would go through with linux.
And as a professional...
by drat_ninny - 5/13/06 4:17 AM In reply to: Uh huh.. by roadiebobIt never occurred to you to do a little research beforehand to find out what sorts of hardware works and what doesn't presently?
I can't count the number of DIY PVR guides I've seen, and I'm sure you can find dozens more with a simple Google search. I've looked at the MythTV site in the past, and seem to recall them having a hardware compatibility list.
Seems to me, that your impetuousness is what did you in. Linux requires a little planning, just like most things worth doing.
Linux
by Treker - 5/15/06 8:47 AM In reply to: Why steal - Get LINUX by jimhrrtI totally agree! I have a few Linux programs which I'm starting to familiarize myself with. I've recently run into some issues with trying to change hard drives from one machine to another with store bought, legal softward programs from Microsoft and it's a pain in the BUTT! I'm tired of Microsoft ripping people off. If you can't run your own programs in your own machines the way you want, that's ridiculous. They're never gonna stop people from doing illegal stuff, but why do honest people who buy and use their own programs have to suffer for it. Linux is getting easier to use and I'm seriously thinking of educating my family and having all of us switch over to it. I'm sick of Bill Gates, Microsoft and all his money-grubbing, paranoia, greedy legal crap. And that's all I have to say about that! Ahhhh, felt good too 
(NT) Much as I imagined : thankyou all.
by seafox13 - 5/9/06 9:06 PM In reply to: Lending XP Home disk and Product Code? by seafox13Immoral and illegal
by seegod1 - 5/12/06 3:33 AM In reply to: Lending XP Home disk and Product Code? by seafox13So let me see if I've understood you correctly: it's not stealing as long as you're stealing from people who are rich.
Hmmm... well morally-speaking, the 8th commandment says "You shall not steal", not "You shall not steal, unless it's from a Really Rich Guy, then it's okay."
Legally-speaking, at least here in Canada, our Criminal Code says that theft is committed when anyone "...fraudulently and without colour of right takes... anything, whether animate or inanimate..."
Nope! No exception there for rich people...
I conclude therefore that it is both illegal and immoral, period.
Just my two cents...
Immoral
by herbw2 - 5/12/06 6:42 AM In reply to: Immoral and illegal by seegod1I just finished weeping for Bill Gates. How moral is monopoly achieved by lobbying (bribing) Congress?
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