viciously circular

[freckles_and_doubt]

Rant list time! Today's rant list is a marvel of elegance and simplicity.

1. Windows. Windows XP. Windows XP which, despite being installed perfectly legally from a legit copy with the right million-digit code and all, has effectively locked me out of my dad's computer by requiring to be activated before it will let me into Windows. Activation requires an internet connection. I can only connect to the internet once I'm in Windows, which I can't do because Windows isn't activated. Because it needs the internet. Which it can't have. See this head banging against a brick wall? that's me, that is. That's my girlfriend.
2. Parcelforce. No idea what they've done lately, but I promised Scroob.

Things not on my rant list:

1. my mother;
2. my friends.

Y'all are wonderful and are keeping me sane.

Comments

[egadfly.livejournal.com]

You should be able to activate Win XP by phone. Ask the lovely man who gave you the disk which number to phone.

[extemporanea.livejournal.com]

Interesting technical point here - do they have some mystic way of activating it by phone when it's not actually connected to the internet? because if so, scared now...

[egadfly.livejournal.com]

do they have some mystic way of activating it by phone when it's not actually connected to the internet?

I think they give you a code which you type in somewhere. I don't remember the details - it's been a while since I did this. They will ask you stuff on the phone to try to determine whether yours is a valid copy of Windows, which is another reason to talk to Robbi - not only should he know which number to phone but also what info you'll need for the call.

[(Anonymous)]

I thank you for your consistency and loyalty to the cause.

They haven't done anything *lately*, but it's only a matter of time.

scroob

PS My captcha: "program arsenic". Is this thing reading your mind re Windows and vengeful thoughts?

[extemporanea.livejournal.com]

Hee! "Program arsenic" is truly perfect.

I failed utterly on the Milo bar re-supply front, I'm afraid - did my usual and forgot to look for them until just before my mother left, and then of course none of the shops had a supply. It'll have to be December, I'm afraid.

[grumpyolddog.livejournal.com]

Apparently, bypassing Windows Activation is illegal, so I certainly wouldn't recommend using AntiWPA in any way.

Because that would be wrong of me, regardless how helpful it actually is.

[extemporanea.livejournal.com]

Thank you for that very helpful non-suggestion! I shall certainly consider carefully the full implications of not using it because it's illegal.

[wolverine-nun.livejournal.com]

P also says to phone Windows support. It's apparently very simple to do by phone. I promise if you have any computer problems, he won't say "why don't you use linux?" as most of your friends do. Just saying. If you have any problems at some other time.