# german translation help? german techs preferably **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 2, 2007, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-translation-help-german-techs-preferably/421294 "2007-10-02T19:15:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pope\_hentai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@pope\_hentai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pope_hentai)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2007, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-translation-help-german-techs-preferably/421294/1 "2007-10-02T19:15:45Z")
was working on a windows 2k box this morning and was having a problem getting into windows. i could get in but everything locked up, no prgrams would open etc… when i ran msconfig i found the following listed under the services tag: “dienst fur serienummern der tragbaren medien” from a bit of poking around on the internet it seems to be something about avoiding a serial number… but i’m not %100 on that… once i shut it off my problems seemed to dissappear. any clues on what this actually is, what it does/did or how he might have gotten it? ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2007, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-translation-help-german-techs-preferably/421294/2 "2007-10-02T19:30:43Z")
My German speaking tech says the message doesn’t really make sense, but seems to be related to “serial numbers and portable medium” if that helps. Do you have a portable disk drive attached to your PC? ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2007, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-translation-help-german-techs-preferably/421294/3 "2007-10-02T19:31:48Z")
He also thinks it may be related to an MP3 player connecting to Windows Media Player… Does that make sense? ---
**Author:** ![pope\_hentai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@pope\_hentai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pope_hentai)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2007, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-translation-help-german-techs-preferably/421294/4 "2007-10-02T19:34:28Z")
nope. no portable drives that i know of. the service just kind of stuck out as its on a pc in tennessee usa. not exactly alot of german speakers here. the mere fact its there doesnt make much sense… ---
**Author:** ![ForumBot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ee59a6/32.png) [@ForumBot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ForumBot)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2007, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-translation-help-german-techs-preferably/421294/5 "2007-10-02T19:47:00Z")
Are you positive that’s correctly spelled, capitalization and everything? My German, although not perfect, is telling me “office for acceptable media-related serial numbers”–what is the entire message, in full? I’m assuming there is a verb in there telling you what to do with said office, but we really need the whole message to know what to tell you. I used to repair computers, so I’m guessing your CD-key is invalid–have you installed any recent updates? Is the copy of Windows legit? Sometimes cd-keys get leaked to the internet and work for one version of windows, but subsequent updates (i.e. service packs) de-authorize computers using that key. Pope Hentai: I think I met you at an anime con in North Carolina when I was in high school. If so, then _COOL._ ---
**Author:** ![kellner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c2a13f/32.png) [@kellner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kellner)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2007, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-translation-help-german-techs-preferably/421294/6 "2007-10-02T19:53:58Z")
It’s the German name of the [Portable Media Serial Number Service](http://www.blackviper.com/WinXP/Services/Portable_Media_Serial_Number_Service.htm). (literally “service for serial numbers of the portable media”) I assume that you are talking about an English-language Windows version (on my machine all MS services are named in German.) It seems a bit strange that it is named in wrong language. In addition to that I only found references to an XP service, nothing about 2k. ---
**Author:** ![pope\_hentai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@pope\_hentai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pope_hentai)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2007, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-translation-help-german-techs-preferably/421294/7 "2007-10-03T06:03:10Z")
thanks for the help. glad to finally get an answer… it had been messing with my head all day… now if only i knew how it got there… and Forumbot, yeah thats me, the one and only, good to see i’m still known on those parts.