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Geek Culture / Microsoft will soon disable online activation for XP, forcing us to call when we reinstall our OS!

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Jeku
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Posted: 26th Feb 2005 04:53
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http://www.betanews.com/article/Microsoft_Closes_Activation_Loophole/1109293194

This is bad news for me as I have to reinstall XP every 3-4 months. The service had BETTER be toll-free from ALL countries or I want to see some kind of class action lawsuit start.

Let's imagine XP is pirated, oh, 30% (which is a very high guess). Microsoft would rather inconvenience 70% of their legitimate XP customer base for that?


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Mr Pointless
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Posted: 26th Feb 2005 04:55
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Good thing my lappy came with it pre-installed and pre activated.
Also a good thing they haven't done something stupid like Steam.

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bitJericho
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Posted: 26th Feb 2005 04:58
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looks like people will be pirating a corporate edition so they don't have to waste time calling


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bitJericho
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Posted: 26th Feb 2005 05:38
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Quote: "on OEM keys used by the top 20 worldwide PC makers. "


seeing as I would never buy the incredibly overpriced pc's by the "top 20 worldwide PC makers" i've no reason to worry


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Benjamin
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Posted: 26th Feb 2005 05:39 Edited at: 26th Feb 2005 05:44
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I think I speak for all of us when I say microsoft sucks.

EDIT: So that online registration thing, was that just when you buy it in shops? Because I've never seen that before, but, its probably because it came installed on this pc.


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Jeku
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Posted: 26th Feb 2005 05:54
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Quote: "seeing as I would never buy the incredibly overpriced pc's by the "top 20 worldwide PC makers" i've no reason to worry"


Actually that's just the first phase--- the second phase, as stated in the article, is to phase the entire online activation out for everyone.


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John Y
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Posted: 26th Feb 2005 06:09
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I have switched full time to my Mac, and have not looked back. All my PC is now is a test bed for my programs, and for the occassional game of Half Life 2 or something.

It isn't the answer for everyone, but it is one.


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Benjamin
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Posted: 26th Feb 2005 06:12
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Maybe we should all switch to Linux.


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bitJericho
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Posted: 26th Feb 2005 06:13
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ya, and then later we can gouge our eyes out with sharp pencils.


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Benjamin
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Posted: 26th Feb 2005 06:15
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Come on now, thats not a nice idea.


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Jeku
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Posted: 26th Feb 2005 06:33 Edited at: 26th Feb 2005 06:33
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Well if we all switched to Linux, then we wouldn't get DBP to work properly. However, all of us XP'ers should promptly install Win2K (no activation) then dual-boot with Linux so we can go "nyah-nyah!" to MS.


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bitJericho
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Posted: 26th Feb 2005 06:34
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*reads rest of article*

contemplates switching to linux..

realizes its a bad idea and gouges eyes with a blunt object

Sticks to windows because it is indeed the best OS around and I haven't pirated mine...


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Neofish
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Posted: 26th Feb 2005 08:20
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What's really annoying is that I need to format a PC of a friends (1007 object found by 3 programs....not good) and I wont be able to activate XP so can't do it...

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Major Payn
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Posted: 26th Feb 2005 09:03
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Total BS, I don't want to have to call everytime I re-format! But then again, what can you expect from a monopoly like microsoft.

Guns arn't the problem, people are the problem, shoot all the people and guns arn't a problem anymore.
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Phaelax
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Posted: 26th Feb 2005 10:02
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I have myself a legit copy of XP professional. And I still use activation cracks on it because simply put, I think that online thing is bs! But I run win2kpro anyway.

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ionstream
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Posted: 26th Feb 2005 11:17
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All this phone thing is going to do is encourage better and more advanced piracy. And once it is cracked, it will spread faster than the Ebola virus (not funny, but true).

I am beginning to see that Microsoft is not as great as I thought it was.

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Los
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Posted: 26th Feb 2005 12:36 Edited at: 26th Feb 2005 12:42
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majorpainintheass


I have xp pre-stalled by Compaq. I don't want to phone up some weirdo. can't we do it over the Internet? thats a phone line. if I didn't hear if from you, I wonder what they would say in an update?
Hidden away in the licence agreement. YOU MUSFST FONE mE! BiLL GATZZZ HOWR HOR HAWW!!

"Hello customer helpline who can I help?"
"Me. I'd love to re-install XP please. I uninstalled it you see."
"OK Sir hold on.... "
*music*
"Yeah go on then."
"Thanks." *click*

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Ian T
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Posted: 26th Feb 2005 12:43 Edited at: 26th Feb 2005 12:43
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*cough*crackit,it'sreallyeasy*/cough*



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GothOtaku
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Posted: 26th Feb 2005 13:08
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I really don't see the problem. If you buy from a licensed OEM or a legitimate copy of Windows then you should be able to get the reactivation key no problem. Sure, it's a pain to call up customer support but you shouldn't need to reinstall repeatedly (if you do you should probably either fix your computer or get a new one). I have yet to reformat ANY of my home computers EVER, all of which ran Windows. Microsoft is just trying to protect their product like any of us would do whether it be a game, application, or operating system.

But we all know where this is going to end up. Microsoft will eventually start selling Windows that requires you to pay a yearly fee to use it. Red Hat Enterprise Linux requires you to do this now (but also supports the free Fedora Core) and Microsoft has said they've been toying with the idea before.

Regardless, I've pretty much decided that I'm tired of Microsoft and its bullsh!t so after they drop support for XP I'll be switching over to Linux or BSD fulltime. I see no reason to pay them money for overpriced and buggy software. If it wasn't for their near-monopoly and influence would the majority of us be using Windows? I'd say probably not.
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Lost in Thought
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Posted: 26th Feb 2005 13:51
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I have to call them already for re-install (If I re-activate it more than once a month). It doesn't bother me though they do have a toll-free number for here.

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Jeku
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Posted: 26th Feb 2005 15:26
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Quote: "If you buy from a licensed OEM or a legitimate copy of Windows then you should be able to get the reactivation key no problem. Sure, it's a pain to call up customer support but you shouldn't need to reinstall repeatedly (if you do you should probably either fix your computer or get a new one)."


Huh? For one thing I have a licensed copy. I figure if there's one important piece of software you shouldn't pirate, it's the freaking OS (the main software on your comptuer). Another thing--- you might find it a pain to reinstall Windows (obviously if you've NEVER done it before), but I CHOOSE to do it every 3-4 months, and it's none of MS' business what I do with it once I've purchased it. And some people need to constantly reinstall their OS for their jobs.


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Shadow Angel
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Posted: 26th Feb 2005 17:07
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Or maybe we should all switch to apple macintosh?

-AliM-

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OSX Using Happy Dude
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Posted: 26th Feb 2005 17:25
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Quote: "And some people need to constantly reinstall their OS for their jobs"

Thats why images are taken - so it can quickly be re-installed.

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Los
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Posted: 26th Feb 2005 17:51
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Think ahead people. Windows is dead. Make great games for Linux and Apple.

" Ahh to finish something! My boy, have you ever accomplished anything? "
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OSX Using Happy Dude
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Posted: 26th Feb 2005 18:36
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Quote: "Windows is dead"

And what have you been smoking ?

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Neil19533
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Posted: 26th Feb 2005 19:20
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Some people have made the win32 api avalible to linux users and there is also and open source os called reactos which uses the win32 api. when that is finished there is no need for paying microsoft so you can use most programs. for those who are intrested http://www.reactos.com/

Any spelling mistakes are totally In tensional.
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Luke B
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Posted: 26th Feb 2005 19:43
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HA I have corporate edition, which was given to me by my OEM. Unfortunately its on a Vertabim disc, which kind of means that its illegal, but it has the reg number on the back of the photocopied case inlay. I'm going to re-intall windows in about a week when I upgrade my machine, and I'll just sit back and laugh at M$.

GO LINUX!!

"The Oppression" (See Biog)

PC: Athlon XP 2400, 512mb, 120gb, XP Pro, DX 9.0c, GForce 2
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Neofish
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Posted: 26th Feb 2005 21:12
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I have two legal XP disks yet I don't want to phone them...also my friend has lost her home disk (or never got one) so I'll just crack the activation on it, fair enough considering I technically haven't used one of my disks...the code might even work

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MicroMan
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Posted: 26th Feb 2005 21:50
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Tech people i IT departments around the globe will just LOVE Microsoft when they start this policy... It will spread much cheer and good feeling for Redmond there.

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Phaelax
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Posted: 27th Feb 2005 02:13
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Quote: "Thats why images are taken - so it can quickly be re-installed."


That's what I planned on doing next time I have to reformat.

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Teh Go0rfmeister
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Posted: 27th Feb 2005 03:38
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to think a majority of reformats are because of bugs and things in windows which put the user in a mess.

surely you should only hasve to activate by phone once and never have to again once its in the database or something? :S

and isnt a CD key enough? ms use 3 billion a yr through piracy, but thats like a fiver to me for bill

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Newbie Brogo
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Posted: 27th Feb 2005 03:54
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If they charge monthly fees, I'll move full time to my linux...

Luckily, my dad can get cheap copies of computer software through his work.



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Jeku
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Posted: 27th Feb 2005 04:50
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Quote: "Thats why images are taken - so it can quickly be re-installed."


That's something I'll never do again. I ghosted my current XP install fresh after setup, and it took 5 CDs!


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GothOtaku
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Posted: 27th Feb 2005 06:21
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Jeku, why do you reinstall every 4 months?
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Jeku
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Posted: 27th Feb 2005 06:26 Edited at: 27th Feb 2005 06:29
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@ GothOtaku - I reinstall every four months because I find it makes my system run faster. I install new software almost on a daily basis, and most if not all of them have installers which add registry keys. Windows is set up in such a way that it is the responsibility of the programmer to remove those keys if and when the user uninstalls their program. Of course not all of them do that, so the registry slowly builds up over time.

With a fresh install of the OS, everything runs faster. I admit that 4 months is a little too extreme for most, but one year is the maximum for me before I go crazy. I used to build and fix computers for a living, and I have found that most, if not ALL OS and software problems are fixed with a simple fdisk/format/reinstall.

EDIT:

And before anyone adds, I don't install spyware/adware infested slimeware such as KaZaa, etc... Almost all of the software I install is either software dev. related or open source.


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Three Score
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Posted: 27th Feb 2005 13:59
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ok havnt read everything yet so i may go back and edit

but to solve the windows vs linux thing
basically it is impossible to choose which is better because they are both OVERALL the same but have extreme weak and strong points
for windows
pros:
all kinds of software
easy to use
good for n00bs
fairly universal
cons:
not the best for running servers
poor user control in anything but servers and pros
not free/cheap
activation sucks

Linux
pros:
extremely stable
can easily be made the most secure os by a few editings in the source of the kernel
free for private and commercial use
opensource

cons:
not exactly noob freindly
setup is a pain
if you dont edit the kernel then hacking can be easy therefor opensource also goes into cons
not much software on the market
a lot of text based configing
you have to search down programs for linux that do what a windows program does usually

so pretty much it is best depending on the use
for home then yes windows is probably my first choice
for office especially servers then linux would be my choice(free and stable what could be better)


ok back on topic
man that is going to suck cause i am about to update from win2k pro to win xp pro sp2(although windows xp has never got alogn with my hardware since i got hit with a virus worse than mydoom(my bro made it and it screwed up hardware and everything appearntly he was beta testing his virus on my pc but it was undetected by over 5 popular antivirus programs plus i have neevr heard of anyone who got hit by even anythign similar)

or well i think i may just reinstall windows 2000 instead though i have just really been in need of a reformat though cause my hdd is filled with over 10gb of tmp files i made or cleanups i forgot to go thru(like have u ever just made a new folder on your desktop and put everythng there so your desktop would look nicer that is what i do about once a week)

quit hiting the computer; computers can only do what they are told so we must be telling them to do wrong things
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Jeku
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Posted: 28th Feb 2005 05:11
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Believe me, there's no virus that can wreck a piece of hardware, except for a media drive like a hard drive.


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Neofish
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Posted: 28th Feb 2005 05:12
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well it could if the system was badly bodged

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GothOtaku
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Posted: 28th Feb 2005 05:13
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Quote: " Believe me, there's no virus that can wreck a piece of hardware, except for a media drive like a hard drive."

Nowadays maybe but I definitely remember DOS viruses being able to break the processor or motherboard.
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Three Score
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Posted: 28th Feb 2005 05:50
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you can crash the flash bios

and all i know is that i had the virus after coutless reinstalls of windows(or well my pc was real slow after i got it)
and ym sound card for whatever reason was no longer plug and play you had to manually install the driver(the pc didnt even detect it was there until after you installed it)
im not usre what i did to get my pc to work again i think it was install soem driver thing and then it worked but i never installed it on any other reinstalls and it still was good so who knows

quit hiting the computer; computers can only do what they are told so we must be telling them to do wrong things
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Osiris
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Posted: 28th Feb 2005 08:15
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Quote: " Believe me, there's no virus that can wreck a piece of hardware, except for a media drive like a hard drive.
"


Oh yes there is, there is one that con stop all of the fans or some such thing like that, then it brings up 100% prossor use untill it either starts on fire or explodes.

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Benjamin
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Posted: 28th Feb 2005 08:37
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Isn't there an option in the BIOS to select whether you want software to be able to access stuff like that?


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Trowbee
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Posted: 28th Feb 2005 09:17
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Most motherboards come with C.O.P now anyway, to stop the processor before it overheats
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Mason
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Posted: 28th Feb 2005 09:36
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Quote: "Oh yes there is, there is one that con stop all of the fans or some such thing like that, then it brings up 100% prossor use untill it either starts on fire or explodes."

Thats crazy! Can that happen nowadays?! Or does the C.O.P. Fix that?

¤§Mason§¤

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Eric T
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Posted: 28th Feb 2005 09:40
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I've seen "Progams" in the past that could fry your CPU by making it do too much to the point of overheating... just not seen any recently as most Bios prevent the CPU from reaching a certain temp.

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ionstream
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Posted: 28th Feb 2005 11:25 Edited at: 28th Feb 2005 11:27
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Just run 1000 threads in an infinite loop and put them on max priority. Then we'll see how hot it gets . (I picked that pic because his hair kinda looks like fire).

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Lost in Thought
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Posted: 28th Feb 2005 16:00
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If the software that comes with my motherboard allows me to overclock my processor until it burns up (I can change anything in real time from frequency to voltages), I'm sure a virus can do the same. I have an MSI motherboard BTW.

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Eric T
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Posted: 28th Feb 2005 16:05
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I have a gigabyte MoBo and it came with "EasyTune 4" overclocking software. Though it freaks out sometimes when i set it to high or too low.

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Van B
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Posted: 28th Feb 2005 17:35
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That's why I have no plans to install XP on my machine, ever! - Win2kPro is simply the most stable M$ OS you can get.

I think your legally entitled to 'downgrage' to 2k from XP though, might be worth considering.


Van-B


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bitJericho
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Posted: 28th Feb 2005 22:40
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2K runs quite a bit better on older hardware, and prolly on newer hardware too


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