August 25th, 2007
Windows activation not working for you? Join the club
By Michael Santo
Executive Editor, RealTechNews
And this is reason #1 that I hate any software that’s activated and that, if I can avoid it, I won’t buy it. It seems, however, I have little choice when it comes to my OS (yes, yes, I know about Linux and OS X 
). Users trying to activate both XP and Vista since yesterday weren’t able to, as a Windows Genuine Advantage server outage occurred…
We contacted our sources at Microsoft, who told us off the record that the company is aware of a major WGA server outage affecting users across the globe. The Windows Genuine Advantage support forum has exploded with complaints, as a result, and Phil Liu, WGA project manager, says that he won’t sleep until the problem is fixed. Windows Vista and XP are affected, 32- and 64-bit versions. Source: Ars Technica
We Say: According to a post at the Microsoft WGA support forum, the outage is now fixed. Though the outage caused understandable outrage and makes one wonder why the WGA program can’t simply figure out the server is down rather than saying your software is invalid.
Druid says:
I’ll just admit upfront that I am a Mac user, but I use Windows at work and have used it (at home and work) for years before switching, so I really do understand your addiction. Your like an alchoholic who says he can’t quit and when someone says “why don’t you just quit” he says “you just don’t get it”.
I find it sad that you say you have no other choice and then point out a very valid one but dismiss it out of hand. The truth is that you think you need Windows but you don’t. Just how painful do the activations and bluescreens and viruses have to be before you can sober up?
August 25th, 2007 at 2:37 pm
Freud says:
Well I’m writing this on a Mac and I can give you a multitude of reasons why XP / Vista is needed.
Diversity and compatibility are two points that come to mind. There is a plethora of software available for XP / Vista that you cannot use under OS-X. Take Truecrypt as an example. I use it on my server and can access the files using Linux or Windows. Not OS-X.
Utilities. OS-X supposedly doesn’t need to be defragmented. Well, not until you want to partition that drive, anyway. Then you pay some outfit in Japan for the only defragmenter that works properly on an iMac.
Blue screens? Nope, not in OS-X. Instead its grey or white screens. About a week or so back, after an OS-X update, three programs just plain quit working (including my Firefox browser) and had to be re-installed.
I like OS-X and I’ll update the system when the new version comes out. It’s a good operating system and excels in memory management, making it a great platform for editing Photos and video. But anyone saying that it doesn’t have problems and drawbacks of it’s own isn’t visiting the Mac forums very often.
August 25th, 2007 at 7:26 pm
Another Mike says:
I think I can enlighten some people on that subject. I’m a half Mac user. I happily use my macbook everywhere I can, but my main desktop pc’s are Windows XP/Vista.
It’s not that I dislike OS X or especially like Windows. I just have work and applications that will only work in Windows. On top of that for the past year I haven’t had bluescreens, slowdowns, activation problems, viruses or any problem that OS X has been naturally immune to.
And that is where the rub is. A system is only as good as it’s administrator. You treat a system good whether it’s XP or OS X and it’s going to do alright. Most people don’t really need to switch operating systems on their $300 computers, they just need to understand the issues and deal with them. These machines are tools and I use each one depending on the task at hand to get the job done easy and quick.
August 25th, 2007 at 8:32 pm
Mike says:
Very well said ANOTHER MIKE!
If you take care of a system, dont load 80billion pieces of software on it that you will never use and you dont put illegal items on it, you shouldnt have too many troubles.
I am having trouble in Vista myself now with dll’s crashing ALL the time! I have at least 85 icons on my desktop because I was trying a bunch of software out and i think that is what is causing this - not sure, but pretty sure.
Mike
MS operating systems are not BAD, they just are not ready to be released when they release them. Look at how everyone bitched about XP when it came out, now everyone is doing the same with Vista - blah. Most of us could not switch to Mac even if we would want to ( why would we anyway? ) due to the LACK of software!!
August 26th, 2007 at 2:41 am
Michael Santo says:
Druid, the fact of that matter is that like “Mike” there are simply many programs I use, including but not limited to games, that work only in Windows. Additionally, I didn’t simply dismiss the alternatives. The scope of the article was over the WGA outage; the mention of Linux / OS X was so readers would know (they should already) that I’m not “stupid” and do know - and have in fact tried - the alternatives.
August 26th, 2007 at 5:35 am
yourshop.cc says:
Rolex Sports Models
December 15th, 2008 at 12:08 am
Sickofthiscrap says:
If I was a rich man and could afford to spend double on a MAC I would surely do so…. unfortunately I live in the real world and could only afford a PC. It should still work, any other company would have a class action suit launched against it for selling a faulty product like Windoze.
Could you imagine buying a brand new car where the brakes may or may not work…but months later maybe you could take it in th get the brakes fixed…if the car maker felt like it…..
The day I can get into a mac and away from the tyranny of Gates, I will.
June 4th, 2009 at 9:20 am