The_LED_Museum
*Retired*
As everyone by now knows, a new, reliable computer is at this moment speeding its way across the country headed for my doorstep, and I have a question about the Windows XP Home Edition that it runs:
Is it true that you have to call Microsoft every time you add or remove a peripheral? I received this from a trusted advisor who knows his way around computers: (See #2)
---------------
I know some horror stories about 2000 and XP:
1. Both of these run only in "protected mode". That means the processor
needs more clock cycles to execute instructions (probably not all
instructions). This will slow things down.
At least with the massive speed upgrading you are getting, you should
still have a major net gain in speed.
1a. Protected mode only means no DOS.
2. For XP only - I have heard absolute horror stories about their
anti-pirating authorization system. They may have eased this, but I
have heard that if you make any hardware change in your computer, even
add or remove a hard drive, XP goes on strike until you call
Microsoft and get it reauthorized. Limit of three of these, after that
you have to buy another copy of XP.
So one story (possibly only rumor) goes, an executive who installed
XP on his laptop finds that he had to reauthorize his installation of
XP after docking a removable hard drive.
Then he gets on the plane with that hard drive removed. XP requires
reauthorization again! He can't get any work done on the plane!
When he lands, he calls Microsoft and they tell him that he can only
reauthorize by calling the 800 number from the phone number on record
in the registration of that copy of XP.
The way I heard it, that's why some major investment firm (I somewhat
remember it being Solomon Brothers) decided that their next operating
system upgrade will be to Linux and not a Microsoft product.
It may not be that bad, or may not be that bad now, but I am wary.
You may not be able to do much hard drive swapping.
--------------------
Any thoughts on this?
If this is truly the case, that you have to call Microsoft every time you add or remove a component and you only get three tries, that could cause some real trouble. I'd use up two of them in the migration process (add HD, then remove it) plus I have two cameras, a printer, and maybe a SPECTROMETER (yay!) to install after that. That's six hardware change operations, and I'd have wasted two copies of XP, and looking to buy a third, if this were to happen.
Anyone here run XP and have any problems adding or removing parts from your computer?
Is it true that you have to call Microsoft every time you add or remove a peripheral? I received this from a trusted advisor who knows his way around computers: (See #2)
---------------
I know some horror stories about 2000 and XP:
1. Both of these run only in "protected mode". That means the processor
needs more clock cycles to execute instructions (probably not all
instructions). This will slow things down.
At least with the massive speed upgrading you are getting, you should
still have a major net gain in speed.
1a. Protected mode only means no DOS.
2. For XP only - I have heard absolute horror stories about their
anti-pirating authorization system. They may have eased this, but I
have heard that if you make any hardware change in your computer, even
add or remove a hard drive, XP goes on strike until you call
Microsoft and get it reauthorized. Limit of three of these, after that
you have to buy another copy of XP.
So one story (possibly only rumor) goes, an executive who installed
XP on his laptop finds that he had to reauthorize his installation of
XP after docking a removable hard drive.
Then he gets on the plane with that hard drive removed. XP requires
reauthorization again! He can't get any work done on the plane!
When he lands, he calls Microsoft and they tell him that he can only
reauthorize by calling the 800 number from the phone number on record
in the registration of that copy of XP.
The way I heard it, that's why some major investment firm (I somewhat
remember it being Solomon Brothers) decided that their next operating
system upgrade will be to Linux and not a Microsoft product.
It may not be that bad, or may not be that bad now, but I am wary.
You may not be able to do much hard drive swapping.
--------------------
Any thoughts on this?
If this is truly the case, that you have to call Microsoft every time you add or remove a component and you only get three tries, that could cause some real trouble. I'd use up two of them in the migration process (add HD, then remove it) plus I have two cameras, a printer, and maybe a SPECTROMETER (yay!) to install after that. That's six hardware change operations, and I'd have wasted two copies of XP, and looking to buy a third, if this were to happen.
Anyone here run XP and have any problems adding or removing parts from your computer?