Don't know who to hate more HP or Vista....

S

Superspacemunky

New Member
SO, I've had nothing but problems from Vista on my hp pavillion since the first time I reformatted. The first few times was due to some unkown driver I had to download from HP's website that allowed the program that lets me authenticate my copy of windows do its thing. Now this last time I had to reformat it won't let me do anything. It gives me the countdown that states if I don't either buy another copy of windows in 21 days or re-type my key code it will no longer work. I call HP's customer service AGAIN and I get some a-hole telling me that its my fault that I didn't burn a recovery disc even though my computer came with a windows disc... news to me. He then told me that I didn't, in fact, get a disc with my computer because HP doesn't ship any with theirs. Guess its just my imagination that I have this plastic case with a windows logo on it containing a disc that ways windows vista on it sitting on my desk.

Basically here's my choices:

a. Buy a recovery disc from HP for $35 to fix the faulty equipment I recieved from them

b. Buy a new version of Vista for some god awful amount of money.

c. Kill everything that breaths on this planet

The only reason I have Vista on my computer is because it came with it and no one makes a computer that gives you the option of a different OS. I never thought I'd say it but I miss XP. I never had this many problems with XP. Too bad I can't find it for under $100 either....
 
Call again and pray that you get someone with some sense. You should've asked to talk to that guy's supervisor.

Also, isn't the code on the bottom of your lappy?
 
a. Buy a recovery disc from HP for $35 to fix the faulty equipment I recieved from them
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that would be a good option it would apply in your case.If your key is invalid then you need to get a new license
b. Buy a new version of Vista for some god awful amount of money.
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nah i won't advise you to do that
c. Kill everything that breaths on this planet
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most likely to be impossible
 
The code is on the side of my desktop and it worked until I reformatted. that code is no longer working for some reason. Just really bummed out as a result of all the ball dropping by both MS and HP
 
I really hate giving them anymore of my money since it is essentially their fault it is no longer working. It would be like you ordering a pizza and the delivery boy hands you an empty box and tells you if you'd like the pizza you can order another one......
 
My puter came with Vista Home Premium and the code for it is on the side of my computer and it just decided to stop working out of no where for some stupid reason. Actually stupid is probably the wrong adjective to use. I should say "smart" reason since it takes someone smarter than me to deal with this technical quagmire.
 
Now why the hell would HP have some special driver to activate windows?? Why do PC makers try to shove in as much useless crap into their windows installs as they possibly can?

It almost sounds to me like someone stole your key.
 
Hey. Pay attention, here's what you did wrong: The copy of Vista you installed is an upgrade option packaged into nearly all OEM systems. It's an enticement for you to upgrade from Home Premium to Ultimate, etc. If you look at the case the disk came in, it will say it's not to be installed without first purchasing a product key from Microsoft. It was not your recovery disk - it's an ad from Microsoft.

Simply put, you installed a copy of Windows that you do not own onto your machine. Recovery disks are indeed no longer included by HP and many other distributors.

There is, however, a better option than paying up for disks or Vista or trying to beat Cho's record:

1. Format your disk. Use a secure data eraser, one that fills the disk with data and writes over it again and again. I suggest DBAN.

2. Remove your hard disk. Drop it on tile floor. Repeat.

3. Contact HP to inform them that your hard disk has failed due in no part to user error. Insist that you didn't have a chance to create recovery disks due to the failure. Apu will contact his supervisor and inform you that you may have free recovery disks and a new hard drive. I suggest the online chat support service as opposed to the phone.

4. Receive new HDD and recovery disk in the mail free of charge. Send HP back their defective hard drive with the included pre-paid postage sticker.

5. Masturbate vigorously in self satisfaction.
 
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so you install windows fine then the windows activate thing comes up and you hit activate now and it says the product code is already in use? or can you not even install it. if it is the first one, instead of activating it over the internet, click activate over phone, call ms and they will say the same thing and then connect you to a person and tell them you reinstaled it on the same computer
 
they just might do something you might not expect if you do what fortyways suggested, like ask to see the drive for tests. if they did that, you'd be royally screwed.

call micro$oft, get through to someone who speaks proper english (very important hahaha) and tell them to activate your key or give you another
 
lovely? said:
they just might do something you might not expect if you do what fortyways suggested, like ask to see the drive for tests. if they did that, you'd be royally screwed.

call micro$oft, get through to someone who speaks proper english (very important hahaha) and tell them to activate your key or give you another
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They rather chuck it in the garbage than pay osme people $20/hr to see what went wrong with it.
 
Why are people still offering vague suggestions? I've replaced three hard drives with them and I know for a 100% solid fact that the OP installed the wrong copy of Vista. 100%. HP does NOT include recovery disks.
 
I see what your talking about with the disk I have now Fortways. I never thought to check it since I couldn't figure out why a computer company would send me a disk that would screw everything up, stupid me. As for doing what you've suggested, I think they have my numerous calls logged into their computers (which are probably HP's) and I don't think they'll be very helpful after the way I ended the last phone call with them. And if I follow your steps and mess up the drive how would I use the internet to get help? WOuldn't a magnet work better than the floor anyhow? I really wish i could set this thing on fire....
 
lovely? said:
they just might do something you might not expect if you do what fortyways suggested, like ask to see the drive for tests. if they did that, you'd be royally screwed.

call micro$oft, get through to someone who speaks proper english (very important hahaha) and tell them to activate your key or give you another
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Actually, (in a hypothetical situation, because they'd never actually test a drive - they just have to receive something in return so customers can't simply get two drives), with enough research they'd discover that the drive died from absorbing shock. Laptop hard drives can die if you drop the laptop on your bed. It happens all the time. It would take a huge, huge amount of time effort and money in order to prove that he'd dropped it intentionally, if it's even possible (it's not). All that to charge him 100 bucks for a new drive? Again, this is all hypothetical.

What you suggested is paranoid.
 
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