Simviation Forums

This may answer some questions.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927007/en-us


One of the important FAQs is:

"Q4: How many times can I activate the product?

A4: You can activate games for Windows two times. Removing and then reinstalling the game will not affect the game activation quota as long as you have not changed any hardware components on the computer."

I interpet this as meaning you can re-activate it as many times as you want as long as you don't change (major) hardware.
Otherwise you get to change hardware once and activate it before you have to call the toll free number to activate.

So, this is basically like activating XP.

MS Is going to hear a lot of complaints about the activation thing.... personally I dont agree with it, 1 computer, 2 installs..... and you cant change hardware... what a load of bunk!

Gunny

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answers mine



sorry got it now

Now that doesnt sound to good.

Also it mentions if you un-install / re-install its ok. What if you re-format though? thats not the same as un-installing / re-installing. Granted you are keeping the same hardware components but erasing all the registry etc.

Oh well time will tell on this one.  What is rubbish is I was planning on installing it as soon as I got it (due soon) but in a month planned on a HDD upgrade to a 150gig 10,000rpm raptor drive. Thats my two goes up so when I build a new system mid next year I am going to have to ring someone just to activate my game  :(

I'm all for being against piracy but this will just end up being annoying for some.

This is really bogus. I'd rather they'd have kept it where you need a startup disk, and put some sort of anti-copy feature on the disk. It says their own pc upgrades may change the system ID. So in essence THEY could send you a WINDOWS up grade that will change the system ID and make THEIR game uninstallable. Isn't that sweet.

Keni

I don't mind what Microsoft is doing with the activation process because I'm getting sick and tired of all the piracy that has been going around recently. Like I said long ago, piracy has become so problematic that even the economy as well as the FS community is negatively affected by it.

Apple is also known for having tight restrictions with their iTunes service. Did you know that if you purchase music or videos from the iTunes music store, you can only play those on a limited number number [five at the most] of computer that have iTunes installed? For example:

Let's say you have 5 computers in the house and you have authorized all of them to run your favorite Stargate episodes through iTunes. Since 5 is the limit per account, you've reached you limit. And if you clean out one of the 5 computers without deauthorizing it first, then the same computer won't run it because the iTunes server doesn't compensate for systme-wide clean outs and you've also reached your limit already. Not only that, the computers that authorized need to have iTunes installed as the episodes you have were downloaded through the iTunes music store.

So you see, Microsoft is not alone in the matter. Piracy is a serious thing. It's so serious, that if the RIAA [Recording Industry Association of America] catches you with pirated media then you'll face a very heavy lawsuit big enough to put you into deep finacial debt.

So, if you don't like the direction that Microsoft is taking with this, then put up with it as other companies are doing the same thing as well to combat piracy. In which case, you should blame the pirates for causing your convenience to deteriorate.

This is really bogus. I'd rather they'd have kept it where you need a startup disk, and put some sort of anti-copy feature on the disk.

Dude, there will always be a professional hacker that will be able to crack the anti-copy feature. Therefore, an anti-copy feature is fruitless.

I'll bet they will charge for the call to reactivate after the second attempt.

I'll bet they will charge for the call to reactivate after the second attempt.

I'm not gonna be surprised if that were to happen by ANY company. Here in college, if I lose an activation code included in one of the math books [which costed me $130] then I have to pay some cash for a new code which is needed for the math lab in my local college.

There will always be pirates..... Simple. To be technical the Registration thing doesnt appear to work, I think somebody has already gotten around it! and its been out what? a week!?

I think, with the right knowdlege, that you could fake the program into activating itself.

I would think a way to get by this is just to copy all the files to a separate hard drive, and then once you get the computer all set up again transfer them back. I will probably try this when/if I get FSX

Like the Gunny said, hackers are going to find a way around whatever piracy measure they take. I guess my point is that activation or startup disk they're going to get pirated, at least with the startup disk loyal customers don't get pirated by purchasing a disk that WILL eventually become useless. Let's face it, the hard core simmers change hardware often enought to make buying a new set of disks everytime they get up enough scratch to upgrade an expensive proposition.

Keni

A pirate is someone who rips you off.

Previously I have had to do multiple installs  on (2nd rate obviously) MS OS's.

In life - I pay money - I don't expect problems.

So - with MS I have to re-install (their OS) a couple of times & then I've paid money for something that won't work ....  

I buy a program I want to install on 3 home PC's + my laptop for fun? It's ABNORMAL to use one PC today - many of us have 5 or six placed around....  Jeeeez

Who is the criminal?

Hackers or no, pirates or no, one should be allowed to upgrade one's hardware especially as it seems most people will have to in order to run Vista and DX10. I'm curious to know if the European versions of FSX have this problem seeing as here XP installation does not need "activation" by M(qualcosa)s. Having said that Only XP Pro can be moved on to new hardware. With "Home" you're stuck fast with the hardware and cannot upgrade.
Vololiberista

...its a funny old do....
But I just ran Saitek's program here...>>

http://www.systemrequirementslab.com/referrer/srtest  

...and the report came back that all my system hardware, etc, was fine for running FSX.......
...except for Windows XP Pro SP2, which got almost zero marks... ...!

What do you make of that then... ...?

Paul.... ....!