This weekend...workin' on the comps

[Gig-O-Ram]

This weekend - if nothing else more pressing comes up - will be a computer maintenance weekend for me.

I will install a new HSF in my wife's computer (my old CNPS7000Bcu) in order to eliminate the noise that her stock fan makes. Of course this will mean completely ripping her maching apart just to get the thing installed...well, maybe not totally... I really hope that getting the stock fan off the board won't be too difficult. I had a hard time once getting a stock fan off an old Intel board I used to have.

Then it'll be to work on my machine, which may be a bit more intensive. I plan on wiping my hdd and doing a nice, fresh install of XP. My system has been going through a few issues that a clean install should take care of - nothing really serious, but enough to be irritating. Plus, M$ sees my current installation of XP as not genuine because I used that install disc that was used for another system I don't have anymore. Hopefully, I'll be able to get it validated with no issues. Right now, I can't get any updates and I can't get the new IE or WinMP thingys, so if I can get validation from M$, then I will. And I plan on a few changes to internet security as well. After all that...or maybe before...I am going to partially gut my case and rework some things and hopefully clean it up a bit in there. There's a few light converters and lots of wires that could be redone. If I can, I've been thinking of replacing my VF700cu with a VF900, but I don't know. If I do, it'll mean spending a bit more to drive to CompUSA to get one right now, instead of waiting on Newegg.

Yup...gonna be a fun time for sure... By the way, does anyone know how to go about contacting M$ by phone? All I ever see is for contact info is weblinks, and never a phone#.

[polobunny]

Originally Posted by Gig-O-Ram

This weekend - if nothing else more pressing comes up - will be a computer maintenance weekend for me.

I will install a new HSF in my wife's computer (my old CNPS7000Bcu) in order to eliminate the noise that her stock fan makes. Of course this will mean completely ripping her maching apart just to get the thing installed...well, maybe not totally... I really hope that getting the stock fan off the board won't be too difficult. I had a hard time once getting a stock fan off an old Intel board I used to have.

Then it'll be to work on my machine, which may be a bit more intensive. I plan on wiping my hdd and doing a nice, fresh install of XP. My system has been going through a few issues that a clean install should take care of - nothing really serious, but enough to be irritating. Plus, M$ sees my current installation of XP as not genuine because I used that install disc that was used for another system I don't have anymore. Hopefully, I'll be able to get it validated with no issues. Right now, I can't get any updates and I can't get the new IE or WinMP thingys, so if I can get validation from M$, then I will. And I plan on a few changes to internet security as well. After all that...or maybe before...I am going to partially gut my case and rework some things and hopefully clean it up a bit in there. There's a few light converters and lots of wires that could be redone. If I can, I've been thinking of replacing my VF700cu with a VF900, but I don't know. If I do, it'll mean spending a bit more to drive to CompUSA to get one right now, instead of waiting on Newegg.

Yup...gonna be a fun time for sure... By the way, does anyone know how to go about contacting M$ by phone? All I ever see is for contact info is weblinks, and never a phone#.

When you activate it, click on By Phone instead. Choose United States and dial the number. Walk thru the answering machine, then when the lady asks you to tell her your number at step 3, tell her. She'll ask you why you are re-activating, tell her the truth, you Windows XP installation was getting buggy/sluggish. She'll ask on how much computer this license is installed on, you answer only one. There you go ;D

[garetjax]

Yar, that's pretty much what my weekend will consist of as well. I've gotta install a new hard drive in a Dell box, the customer's Maxtor MaxLine died after two years of service. After the install, I get to re-install Windows XP, get it updated and all that good stuff.

The second job involves reformatting another customers hard drive after it became infected with over 19,000 unique viruses, trojans and other various bugs and crap. Commence another round of Windows XP install and updates and my weekend of computer maintenance will be complete. =)

[RangerXLT8]

I couldn't find the number for phone activation anywhere on MS site. However, the first boot into XP of your fresh install, when it ask to Activate Windows, click on PHONE activation and proceed as polobunny directed.

[Gig-O-Ram]

Originally Posted by polobunny

When you activate it, click on By Phone instead. Choose United States and dial the number. Walk thru the answering machine, then when the lady asks you to tell her your number at step 3, tell her. She'll ask you why you are re-activating, tell her the truth, you Windows XP installation was getting buggy/sluggish. She'll ask on how much computer this license is installed on, you answer only one. There you go ;D

I'm assuming by "tell her your number at step 3", you are referring to the key code? I know...stupid question, but I don't wanna mess anything up on this reinstall - which will be the first reinstall I've done since I built this system. BTW, I just wanna say that this is one of the best tips I've gotten in a while - Thanks polo!

Originally Posted by garetjax

The second job involves reformatting another customers hard drive after it became infected with over 19,000 unique viruses, trojans and other various bugs and crap. Commence another round of Windows XP install and updates and my weekend of computer maintenance will be complete. =)

Day-am! That is a serious messed up hdd! I'd like to know - how does someone let their system get THAT badly infected? Unless they just don't care what sites they visit or what they download. I could give them the benefit of the doubt and say maybe they're just unaware, but come on...

[Hitman]

I am so glad I have my corporate edition of WinXP Pro, so I don't have to worry about activation.

[Gig-O-Ram]

Originally Posted by Hitman

I am so glad I have my corporate edition of WinXP Pro, so I don't have to worry about activation.

So...how much did that set you back? I would assume that it would cost more than the average XP package, being that it's corporate. But I wonder though - doesn't a version of XP that requires no activation sort of defeat the purpose behind having to activate it, as it applies to anti-piracy and/or using it on more than one system at a time?

You could install it on 1000 different machines and give it to all your friends and sell it and all that (not that you would) - you see what I'm saying? Unless there is something else about it that gets around it's own loophole to prevent that stuff.

[Hitman]

Corporate Editions fall under a site license. The company buys a package that covers a set amount of computers. They can then install it on as many computers as they want as long as they don't go over the number of license they paid for.

I got my copy when I used to setup small networks on the side, a few years ago. One of the small businesses I setup a 25 client network, and they bought a 50 client license in hopes of growing. Well about a year later they went out of business. The owner let me keep allot of the software to include W2k3 server, Office WinXP pro and some other stuff, to make up for money he still owed me.

[garetjax]

Nice guy. Most people would just stiff you if they knew that they still owed money and were going out of business.

[Gig-O-Ram]

I'm gonna take a shot a guess that the person you were dealing with wasn't from California. I don't think anyone in Cali would be that magnanimous, but I know people in other states are more down to earth.