hi i need help with my XP

[EviL_SoliduS]

ok my grandma gave me a copy of XP :) i was happy untill i found out i can't update it...when i try to(off of windows updater)it says my product key is invalde(how when i installed it and it was fine)i am thinking its cause of my burned copy of XP...i don't know if you guys do this or not...so don't flame me about it...what can i do to update my XP off my burn copy?

[saturnotaku]

Go out and buy a legitimate copy of XP. That's the only way it'll work.

[Riptide]

Yeah, or get a good pirated OEM copy anyway. And a key for it.

I'm starting to wonder whether or not I should feel bad about using pirated copies of MS software. What with TCPA and all I'm starting to think we should stick it to them as much as possible before they screw us over. TCPA is ugly...

Frankly, I wouldn't mind paying for XP since it's a good OS. But $300 for a full copy? No frickin way. $100, sure. But 3 bills? That's really pushing it. And don't even get me started on Office.

FWIW, I've removed everything MS from my machine that's pirated except for Outlook. And I'm still actively looking to get rid of it. Partially because I want to minimize the pirated software on my machine and also because I don't trust MS's security any more.

Look at what just happened with .NET? It's sickening.

[jAkUp]

windows o.s's are so expensive... they jack the price up because they know everyone needs one... but you can get an oem one for around $100.. my xp home costed $100

[The Baron]

My WinXP Pro cost $80.

I love educational discounts. :D

[darkmiasma]

Originally posted by Riptide
*snip* ... Frankly, I wouldn't mind paying for XP since it's a good OS. But $300 for a full copy? No frickin way. $100, sure. But 3 bills? That's really pushing it. And don't even get me started on Office.

FWIW, I've removed everything MS from my machine that's pirated except for Outlook. And I'm still actively looking to get rid of it. Partially because I want to minimize the pirated software on my machine ... *snip*

Completely agree with that ^

[Machine_1969]

If you don't like paying the price.

There's always Linux!

[PsychoSy]

If the games I have don't come with pre-compiled Linux binaries, then Linux isn't an option. I'm not emulating my games thru WineX, period. Why? There's always incompatibilities and performance hits with emulations. Also, I didn't spend hundreds of dollars just to emulate things - I want robust code built specifically for the OS I intend to use, not mumbo jumbo.

The bottom line is Microsoft wouldn't be here today if it weren't for piracy and now that they have become a monopoly, their suddenly against the very thing that brought them to the dance in the first place - piracy.

They could sell WinXP for $50-80 and still turn a profit.

But no...

They, like any monopolous organization, want to use their stranglehold on the market charging us hundreds of dollars for the only OS that the majority of the third-party developers will support and they turn around and use all the profit to further fund their hemoraging, profit-less, business ventures...like...say...for intance...the X-Box.

IMO, Microsoft needs to be carved up and strictly regulated just like Reagan did to AT&T in the 1980s.