Windows 7. OS X. Parallels. Hours Lost.
November 17th, 2009 | Published in Rant | 2 Comments
I need Windows for some minor BlackBerry development I’ve been doing at work.
Ok, fine, let’s go buy Windows 7 and run it under bootcamp. Well, yeah, but I wanna VM it, since I don’t want to really live in Windows 7, just visit. I mean, all my stuff is … over there.
So off I go to a dev (BlackBerry, ugh) conference and when I get back I’m tasked with modding some BB code which requires me to fire up Parallels. Groovy.
Windows7 is whining it needs to be (re)activated. Yeah, ok, I get that, all this back and forth business has the activation server confused, fine. I go through the online process only to be denied: please call our automated line.
Ugh, I hate those things. Fine, I call.
I put in all these numbers only to be told the automated system can’t help me and it needs to have me chat with a human. UGH. So, Ms Natchagonehdumauhchna asks for the numbers off the (failed) activation screen and I dutifully bark them back.
“I’m sorry, we cannot help you, call the retailer you bought your copy of windows from.”
Stunned F-ing Silence.
Are you kidding me?
I’m completely certain the dude at Staples isn’t going to be able to help ACTIVATE YOUR EMPLOYER’S PRODUCT. And I kinda get from the tone that your implying I stole this. Nooo, I bought the thing with good ole fashion plastic and intend to expense it to my company.
I just don’t have time for all this mess, so I google around to some windows fan site and hack it to reset the stinking Doomsday Timer. I suppose I deal with this later. This is a VALID COPY OF WINDOWS. I’M TRYING TO DO THE RIGHT THING HERE.
Alas, I don’t have time to jack with this nonsense. And now I’ve wasted more time with my need to dump this rant upon the universe.
∞
November 17th, 2009 at 10:26 pm (#)
I wonder.. early on in the Win 7 process they said they weren’t going to allow W7 to be installed within a VM unless you had Ultimate. Then I heard they were going back on that idea.. but perhaps they went through with it and that’s why it’s happened?
Oh well, you’re still pretty much in the right. Even if you break the activation, you clearly have a box and license for the product. A bit like buying a new car then having to hotwire it to drive it off the lot. You still have the right to drive it around, etc.
April 5th, 2010 at 11:58 am (#)
florist18…
http://zacharylang.com/member/45/ intrepid…