Windows XP help needed

[Idris]

Trying to get my rents computer running again. Spyware and junk overload only let me get some data off before I had to floppy boot and format the hard drive. Origionaly installed with win2000 - disks lost or too scrached to use. Me and '98 won't drive the computer.

Installed windows XP home edition (only 4 hours to get this one to work). I need to find out how to get the 30 day time limit to go away. I only have very slow (2 min per page on TGR) dialup. Being in the hills of north wales and only having 2 days to fix this I have to work with waht I have. I would be greatfull of any help the maggots can give me.

[wildstyle]

Just register the copy of XP home.

You don't have to give any personal details and the amount of data that is communicated is minimal as the registration process was designed to work on old school modems.

[RShea]

I assume you are talking about the 30 days left for activation on the Win XP. If that is the case, then you need to activate the OS, either over the internet - if it allows you or over the telephone. Click activate now (no need to register the software) and it will prompt for internet or phone. If you select internet it will try to get a connection and the screens will prompt for the activation key, etc. If it fails (ie the software has been activated before or used on other systems) then you have to call in and do it over the phone. Again they will ask about the situation and if the software is on other computers- this is a basic copyright protection. Otherwise if the activation fails, then you have to go by a new copy of the software (since the machine did not come with a license of XP from what you are stating).

Registration is not required for any XP software.

[Core Shot]

eventually they will cut you off.
I had a similar problem where a machine would not recognize its ethernet port, so I deleted win 2000 ans installed my copy of win xp.

that was the 3rd machine I installed it on.
when it went to activate, it was denied.
I guess I could call in to microsoft to get it straightened out.

Rather than buy a new copy of XP, I just bought an entire computer (2.3ghz, 256MB ram, 90GB hard drive AND XP) for $280.

[Idris]

Thanks Wildstyle and RShea. Activation worked. The main problem was to get it to access the net. Still very very slow dialup here.

Core Shot - Such deals do not come from your local store in Snowdonia

[wildstyle]

if you are going back into the stone age connectionwise, a good thing to do is to turn off all images and animations in internet explorer. 90% of data you get from websites these days is piccies and animations.

Whenever i am abroad with my laptop and use my mobile phone, its the only way to make the connection useable.

in internet explorer, go to tools-->internet options-->advanced , scroll down until you get to multimedia and then untick everything. This will allow you to cruise the web 10 times faster on dial up.

If you come across an image that you do want to see, just right click on the image space and 'show image' .

[Idris]

Up against the same problem. Had to replace the hard drive. Tried to activate windows. Microsoft claimed it has been used too many times. Needs a new product key . I am in france the software and computer are from another country. Any ideas.

[RShea]

Go buy a legit copy of Windows that is new and has not been loaded on many systems. Or load upt he Win 2000 or what ever originally came with the system and is legit again. (a CD can be borrowed if the original was damaged) Activation is for Microsoft to know the system and major components, if too many of these change activation fails over the internet. If you tell it to activate over the phone and they deny you then it is probably for a reason such as they have the same key used too many times on too many different hardware configurations. They have now also added a Windows Genuine download to their updates that will pop up that copy of Windows may not be Authentic if the key looks suspect too.

[hemas]

Up against the same problem. Had to replace the hard drive. Tried to activate windows. Microsoft claimed it has been used too many times. Needs a new product key . I am in france the software and computer are from another country. Any ideas.

Just do the activation over the phone (no worries, even though you're in a different country), and just say that that you swapped the mainboard...

They'll give ya the activation code and be done with it (had the same problem... Broke the damn mainboard, swapped a new one and XP started bitchin' about too many changes in the system...).

[Free Range Lobster]

Just do the activation over the phone (no worries, even though you're in a different country), and just say that that you swapped the mainboard...

They'll give ya the activation code and be done with it (had the same problem... Broke the damn mainboard, swapped a new one and XP started bitchin' about too many changes in the system...).

activation line is automated.
nobody to bitch at you.

[hemas]

activation line is automated.
nobody to bitch at you.

I know, just did it...

The bitchin' was done by my XP on the comp, when I fired her up...

[AsheanMT]

Ditch windows for Linux and enjoy a life free from Microsoft!!

[Free Range Lobster]

Ditch windows for Linux and enjoy a life free from Microsoft!!

And a life free of any useful software! hooray!

[bio-smear]

And a life free of any useful software! hooray!

Come on, get some communism.

Lighweight linux distros can actually resurrect a lower spec machine, and old people usually only need basic office apps anyway, so OpenOffice suffices. Old people also love to attract spyware and viruses, which isn't a problem with linux (for the most part...they can just forward it to their friends.)

[fez]

And a life free of any useful software! hooray!

besides games, exactly what software do you mean?