Worst. Thing. Ever.

Ok my school gets windows 7 free through msdnaa ( computer science students anyway) so I've been running that for a month or so now. Anyways earlier today microsoft gave me an update and the next time I logged on my computer ran like death constantly freeZing and such and in the bottom left it said "this copy of windows is not genuine" I'm reinstalling it now but how could I avoid it next time?

 

I wonder if you accidentally failed to activate it?

 

By selling your copy if 7 and installing xp.

 

Na I activated it right when I got it.

 

do you remember which update it was?

 

i honestly have no idea. i just update whenever the stupid little shutdown button has the update notification for me.

btw, i just reinstalled 7 and activated it online, it said genuine copy of windows 7. so im annoyed. i have to spend another 3 or so hours configuring my computer so its all good. if it happens again im going down to microsoft to b - slap bill gates.

 

easy solution turn off auto updates. xD

honestly imo i find updates rather annoying, you have no idea what they are going to mess up. i just update every clean install when my computer needs it.

 

lol learned my lesson. did that right away this time.

 

yep. a failed update, and now we all have to turn them off, because the world is much better without them..

dude, you know about backups? about restoring your system back to fully working in some minutes? or about reactivating the os when it says it's non genuine, maybe with the need to call microsoft and scream to them YES ITS LEGAL BLABLA if you're in the mood.

this could have been easily fixed.

 

psh. yes, yes, yes, and yes. but 1: didnt back it up recently 2: the os wouldnt let me reactivate, it wouldnt let me re-enter my key even through cmd and 3: i am too lazy to call microsoft. its 11:30 here.

 

I agree with Dave's gist here.

Updates are important - keep them - because they fix security vulnerabilities.
And on the same note, you could have actuall called Micrsoft.

BackUp - yes, you have your home server, how do you do it without it?
Once tried the Vista Business one and nevergot anywhere???... there is Nero BackItUp...

Anyway:
Updates have become much better in Vista compared to XP - and I assume WIn7 at least continues where Vista started.
In XP updates slowed down your computer - in Vista they even increased performance.

 

I agree with Dave's gist here.

Updates are important - keep them - because they fix security vulnerabilities.
And on the same note, you could have actuall called Micrsoft.

BackUp - yes, you have your home server, how do you do it without it?
Once tried the Vista Business one and nevergot anywhere???... there is Nero BackItUp...

Anyway:
Updates have become much better in Vista compared to XP - and I assume WIn7 at least continues where Vista started.
In XP updates slowed down your computer - in Vista they even increased performance.

 

Umm, what? You mean, /b/?

 

win7 has integrated backup now, not? at least the student version (pro) should.

too lazy to call microsoft, but not lazy enough to post your angryness in the forum, and reinstall your whole system. talk about wrong invested time. the call would be a minute max, and it would have been fixed. (been there, done that)

 

you happen to know that bill gates doesn't work for that company since quite some time now? .. just target your hatres to the right one, please..

 

wow dave is mean. anywho it isnt too big of a deal for me this time. if it happens again i will call. and i realize bill gates doesnt work for microsoft anymore.

 

yep. i'm always mean about blindly hatred bashing against non-touchable targets just for the sake of not being able to say "it was my own fault for reacting wrong"

 

Anger goes towards Steve Balmer.

Cheers...

 

i bet he would just laugh

 

It only takes one bad experience to sour a person's opinion of a product or technology. Many people use Automatic Updates (including myself) with no issue, but just as many have had something happen that bricks their machine due to it and are rightfully so wary of it.

The best decision for people in Joshthor's position would be to set AU to "Notify me when new updates are available, but don't install them." This achieves a middle ground of sorts as your not just blithely going on running your machine unpatched (consider it friendly internet citizen policy-you wouldn't want your computer attacked by your neighbor's spambot infestation...) but you'd get to review each update and chuck the one's you feel might cause a issue.

For everyone else though, choosing Automatic Updates is the best way to go.

 

I'm sure he would. I certainly would if I was the CEO of a multi billion dollar company.

 

yeah, then again, bill wouldn't. not his character. but ballmer, oh yes he would (he's cool, though.. seen him live at the engadget show, a nice guy.. never thought that of him before..)

 

Really? What was he like? How does he talk, act, etc? I suppose if he is "cool", then he can't be your typical CEO of a computer and software company.

 

Well from what I've read he isn't

And he likes to promote his products (i.e. MS products)

But this is getting off topic, no?

So an Update messed up and Windows thought it isn't genuine... OP reinstalled the OS - problem possibly could have solved otherwise... why do we still argue?

 

Yeah, I turn off automatic updates also.

I'm sure it works just fine for other folks. then again other folks also run Anti-virus.

 

engadget show with steve ballmer

just be aware that he will blow your speakers.

my favourite quote:

we love apple. we love to beat them. so do they love to beat us.

 

Hehe, he is surprisingly loud.

You know who the host reminds me of? Gordon Freeman from Half-Life...

Anyways, we should probably stay on topic.

 

yes we should stay on topic..








i like how the host is quite feared of asking him questions about stuff that doesn't go too well in microsoft land

 

I noticed that. He seemed to be trying to formulate the questions in way that wouldn't annoy SB...

 

well, to be fair. it's his second show, and he got ballmer in.. that's quite impressive. i would be, kinda, scared, too.. but ballmer is very funny, doesn't take himself serious. he even put in a joke about his old windows 1 advertisings (check them on youtube, awesome ).

 

Wow, that is impressive. Wonder how long it is until Steve Jobs appears on a show like this?

 

i guess never. i don't thing he would come over as cool in such a situation (getting asked about the stuff you don't like to get asked). he normally tries to never have to get to such questions.

when actually was his last interview he gave in public? live? so far he prefers own presentations where he can say what he want, not have to answer stuff.

 

Just go to control panel --> system and at the bottom click activate. If it asks for the Key enter your key. If you fail activation call MS (the phone number should be displayed once you fail.)

 

And getting back to the subjects of Updates for a moment, it's also pretty prudent to only do one Update at a time, and to wait at least a day or more before you do the next one. That way, if something bad DOES happen as a result of the Update, at least you know which one caused the problem, and can take steps to remedy it. In many cases you can even undo the Update download. I don't know about Windows 7, but Vista has an 'Uninstall Update' link, and Windows 7 probably does too.