I have purchased a dealers verison of Windows XP Pro for use in installing drives here in Tahiti. The other day one of my clients called me and told me that my Windows was not showing illegal. I picked up the computer and worked with Microsoft on this problem. It was brought to my attention that someone has found my code which is very easy to find using one of the key finder programs that is out on the market today. They have then taken my code for my install disk and used it to make an illegal version of the software. It appears they have taken a Vista program and reconfigured it to make a Windows XP Ultimate CD to install inside their computers. Using my code it shows that the version is genuine. Microsoft had a flood of my code coming in for updates and noticed the software was not mine so they have put my code on the illegal list and when my clients try to get a certain update on their system it will turn off their version of windows and show it is illegal. Microsoft has give me a new key to use in installing my OS on systems and now when my package turns off I need to jump all over the place to get it to work again.

I was wondering if any one has noticed this problem in recovery. It was told to me from microsoft that they are trying to use this status to disactive or put some codes into the partition table of the drive so that it will loose the partition of the drive. I am not sure about all of this but did receive a drive in here yesterday that I had found that the partiton table of this drive was disactivated and a lot of crap was written to the drive to fill up the complete drive. I got the partition activated again and could go into the drive and see the data from the client and could see a lot of code and updates that had flooded the drive from Microsoft.

Has anyone else found this problem or even experienced anything like this before. I know that virus can destroy the partition table of the drive and a good recovery program can get it back and that is what I have used to rebuild my lost partiton inside the drive. Just curious that is all and wante to know if this was a problem that might be popping up more and more on the efforts of microsoft to destroy illegal software.

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Iorana Haraharaini

I am aware of that issue about destroying user data. I think the idiot that I had to work with on this problem is just trying to find out who is making illegal copies of their software. But it sure seemed strange to me after having this problem I had two cases of lost partitions inside a disk to recover in the last two days. I was able to rebuild the partition table really easily and get the data off the disk which was not sure a big problem. Just some time and work to do all of this.

Here it is a big problem with illegal software and they are trying to stop all of this now on the islands. Before they got away with it and there was a lot of people popping up all over here claiming to be repair techs for computers and using illegal software to install in clients drives and charging them for it.

It also didn't stop them from shutting off my code and putting it on the illegal list after I have purchased it either. I have the legal paper work that it belongs to me and they have now maked it illegal and are shutting off the computers that it is installed in and marking them with illegal versions of the software. How legal is that one? Have an answer for that?

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Iorana Haraharaini

No I have a new code to use. Have to install it inside a update code program, then reboot computer, after reinstall genuine advantage, then go to web site and check on validate my program all over again and then it will shut off the illegal status on my programs that have already been installed. This is the second time it has happened here in Tahiti to me. Next time I will force people to buy their own programs for me to use to install into the computers. Kind of angry with Microsoft for this mess right now. Causes a lot of problems and work here. I have to activate all my programs before returning to clients and then in the end they can shut them off as they please. Not really a good solution to all of this. Once activated after install they I should be able to tell that their was a problem with my codes. No they continued to let me activate my program after each install then when running inside and after installing service pk3 and a few other update shuts it off like it was nothing.

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Iorana Haraharaini

Nice idea but I am lienced here and Microsoft is after me all the time. If I start to play around with their program and they find out could mean problems for me here. It is great if I do not have to play by the rules like others do but need not alter the program in anyway so if they do check it is by the books.

Microsoft gave me the program to use with their server to change my codes with so that is what I need to use for now until they come up with a better idea and leave my program alone.

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Iorana Haraharaini

I don't know but it might be a problem and asking if anyone else has seen this sort of thing. When I finished to recover the partition and took a look at the drive the illegal program was on there was only 20G of data on the drive plus around normal 7 to 10G of program. But the 160G drive was filled to the limit and there was no place on the drive for anything else to be written to it. When checking the drive is filled with a lot of garbage documents and updates that I can find no reference to what so ever. After recovrey I checked this drive for bad sectors and there is none to be found what so ever. Zero filled the drive and put it back inside the computer formaterd an reinstalled windows inside and it works great. I do not believe this is a drive problem what so ever and did a virus check on the drive after recovering the partition and only found 1 virus on the drive. Normally if the drive is filled with virus this can be the cause of this problem. But considering 1 virus I am not so sure about all that one. I did check the legal status of Windows and it shows tha the program is an illegal copy. I checked to see when the last updates were done and from what I can see they were installed the day before all this happened and the drive shut down and lost the partiton.

If there is another explainatoin for all this please explain it to me to understand all this crap. Before I never had this kind of problem but have been called from 6 other people having the same problem with their drives and needing me to pick them up and see if I an recover the data off of them. That is the only reason has anyone of you started to get this kind of problems in where you are loosing the partition of the drive and it is filling up with garbage and writting every sector on the drive?

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Iorana Haraharaini

Solution 2: Sell Xp or Vista OEM on each computer sold, each one has its product key. Oem is for distribution with new pc only and comes in single or multiple pack - Cd + manual + product key sticker. Attach the label on the pc case, report the key on bill/invoice and then the problems are between user and Microsoft just in case he gives out the activation code. You're out.

@"poehere"

You got the simplest way from spildit to reacto for the future:

1. MS changed your legal license key into illegal, without informing you: They broke a contract !

2. You had to go for a new code - you lost time

3. You have troubles with existing clients - you loose / lost reputation

4. you will have to change the codes of every customers pc - you loose time

5. What the hack should keep you "NOW" from installing the few add ons
. - advised by Spildit - to all customers pc, to prevent that such a thing happens again ?

This is definitely not illegal !
It just prevents a customers pc (with a legal licensed sw on it) to "phone home" to ms and
perhaps to get the instruction to disable itself. I would say that is illegal !!!

6. there is a big plus on this point:
You cant prevent that even the new code will be stolen from someone, but if at any time
ms switches your new code off - your customers will stay active. Only the black copies
will be switched off !

7. At least ms should compensate your problems with some free copies of sw - and dont
. behave like a rabbit in front of a snake - you are their customer !!!
. you can allways install OpenOffice to each computer you repair - just as I do !

bye
Walter