[Albert Lionheart]

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Tales from the toolroom - authentication errors?
Well I suppose there had to be a first time. In all the years of dealing with windows product authentication - cannot even remember when it first started - I have never had a problem. Sometimes I have had to activate over the phone if there have been too many tries at getting an install to work but then that's reasonable.
Windows 7 seems to have a problem I think. Of the installations I have done (all fresh onto new equipment) I have now had 2 where the authentication has not worked properly.
In one case the activation failed to work automatically and had to be done twice over the phone when the activation prompt appeared a week after the machine had been commissioned. It worked but it meant a call out for which I could not charge.
The second is a little more serious - the machine is on the bench as we speak (yes I know it is Saturday and the Rugby is about to start!), and has passed all the usual hardware tests. It had been in use for about 2 weeks and connected to the 'net all the time. For no reason it popped up a message saying the product activation key was invalid. I keyed it in again and got the same message. Just in it was a non-typing day I got someone else with prettier fingers to type in the product key - again failure but after a reboot that message went away and we were presented with a request to reactivate. This produced a message that said 1) The key could not be activated because it had been used too many times already - just the once to my knowledge and 2) that the activation key might have been hijacked by new internet piracy tools. We will see about this because I am going to reinstall everything and try again. I have already reported this to Microsoft who keep sending me emails asking what is going on and can they phone me - but they never do call. Is there something we should know, I ask myself?
The third is odd because I am not sure it is an activation problem because the whole thing has now locked up. It is one of these All-in-One machines from Acer and whilst the setup was fine up to a point it refused to allow any user accounts to be created after the first reboot. It now sits and sulks and refuses to open any accounts - even the admin account in safe mode. The system restore function does not work either. I am not messing with that and will send it back as a failure - it might be a dead hard drive but I am not going to risk trashing the warranty.

The morel - always make sure the activation has been done before the thing leaves the workshops!

[Joshuashawharvey]

Interesting read. That kinda reminds me of my experiences with activating Windows 7.

When I first installed it, I tried to activate it online, but it failed. I tried a few times but no avail. After it failed online I began to worry slightly, wondering if my key had been pirated or something. I sure hoped not after spending almost £90 on it! I ended up having to use their automated telephone service, and finally my Windows was activated.

A few weeks ago I reinstalled due to having a new hard drive, and exactly the same thing happened.

It's annoying having to ring the telephone service and wasting more time for something that should just work in the first place. I can imagine the frustrations of a person who is having to do this all the time as part of their job.

[Albert Lionheart]

A brief update - the Acer has gone back with I think a suspect hard drive - but as it is warranty I have not checked it other than confirm that it was making that typical "thunk" noise.
With the corrupt Windows 7 install, MS recommended a rebuild from scratch which I did and it activated first time. Three days on the bench failed to provoke it so it went to the client. It also had all the available W7 updates so fingers crossed!

[alan2273]

I have had some hair tearing sessions with my latest build.
It ran for a month with no problems, then the beloved BSOD's started, which I eventually tracked down to the memory, so that had to be RMA'd, so I had to buy some more memory as it had to go to Holland for replacement.
With the new memory in it ran like a trooper for 3 weeks then decided it would not boot into W7, after a disk check revealed nothing, I was at a loss what to do next.
Then on rebooting it is running a disk check on the second hard drive (D), (fortunately there was only a couple of games on the D drive), it failed the disk check and could not repair it.
So within 7 weeks the memory has failed and one of the hard drives has failed, all brand new.

Still after building computers for 10 years, these are the first failures I have had that have been within warranty.

[Albert Lionheart]

Sounds like bad luck - every now and then a component fails or refuses to work first time - just one of those things a system builder has to put up with. I used to keep spares of everything but now I don't bother as I can always get another next day.

[alan2273]

Originally Posted by Albert Lionheart

Sounds like bad luck - every now and then a component fails or refuses to work first time - just one of those things a system builder has to put up with. I used to keep spares of everything but now I don't bother as I can always get another next day.

Not if you have to RMA anything to Corsair in the Netherlands, I have been waiting for three weeks now and have heard nothing, and on the Corsair forum this seems to be normal, absolutely crap customer service.

I am just about to RMA a WD hard drive but at least that is to a place in the UK, so hopefully they will be better than Corsair at informing the customer about what is happening.

[Albert Lionheart]

If you bought the memory direct then you have a right to prompt service from them. If it came from someone like Ebuyer you do not have to accept being fobbed off by their RMA arrangements.
Start yelling and threaten them with the small claims court!

[alan2273]

The saga continues, I have just received an e-mail from Corsair saying it has arrived, (23 days after posting it), so I will now wait and see how long it takes them to send out the replacement RAM.

[Albert Lionheart]

As a matter of interest so I can avoid the same carrier, how did you send it to Corsair in Holland?

[alan2273]

I used Royal Mail, and sent it first class recorded.

As the dutch postal service was involved as well, it is hard to say who was at fault.

[Albert Lionheart]

Other than a courier which would have tracked it (and at a much higher cost) you didn't have much choice. If it is replaced under warranty you have the right to reclaim the costs of returning the faulty unit. Don't let the b*st*rds get away with it!