# Dear Microsoft, (Yes, another one, mild and misplaced) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 10, 2004, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-microsoft-yes-another-one-mild-and-misplaced/249622 "2004-06-10T12:11:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Go\_You\_Big\_Red\_Fire\_Engine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/eada6e/32.png) [@Go\_You\_Big\_Red\_Fire\_Engine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Go_You_Big_Red_Fire_Engine)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2004, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-microsoft-yes-another-one-mild-and-misplaced/249622/1 "2004-06-10T12:11:03Z")
Dear Microsoft, Now I went through your crappy activation process when I first got my computer. I didn’t have an internet connection so I had the long process of listening to a droning pre-recorded voice mumbling out numbers and letters. I understand why you do this. It’s a good way of stopping people ripping you off. But this I do not understand. Today I used msconfig to put my computer into system diagnostic mode as I have recently been having problems with certain spyware that spyBot, cleantray and Norton AntiVirus could not stop. So I restart. As Windows is logging in, I get a message similar to this, “It appears you have recently undergone major hardware changes. You have 3 days to re-activate XP” Now it may just be me… but your OS should be able to detect the difference between an actual change of hardware and a lack of enabled hardware that **one of your utilities** controlled. I also find your 3 day deadline unacceptable. What about if I actually had’ve changed my hardware, found it was incompatible and a replacement could not be made in time? This is a possible situation. What exactly is it that some hacker can do in 4 days that they can’t do in 3? Yes I re-activated your crappy XP which uses up too much memory for what it actually offers. No I did not register. You can pry my address from my cold dead hands. Yours sincerely, Fire Engine.