# Open the flood Gates of rumors... **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 10, 2001, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-the-flood-gates-of-rumors/80630 "2001-09-10T05:29:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![CnoteChris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/278dde/32.png) [@CnoteChris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CnoteChris)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2001, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-the-flood-gates-of-rumors/80630/41 "2001-09-16T03:14:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SPOOFE \* > **…as others have pointed out, XP does _not_ give Microsoft unfettered access to your system.** I never said it did say, **SPOOFE**. As a matter of fact, I believe I’m one of the people you’re referencing to up there- I linked to and quoted a cite that said the information is relatively harmless. You’re insinuating that said WPA gives unfettered access to your HD- I didn’t. I’ll be, and was, the first to say that MS doesn’t probe or ping a person for anything more than a small code revealing your systems specs. Take a look at what I’ve written, **SPOOFE** , it’s there for all to see. Saying I stated things when I didn’t, only makes you look bad. > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by SPOOFE_ > **Usage of software is not a “liberty”. It is a “privilege”.** No fucking shit, **SPOOFE**. What do you think I’m saying? All software if free for me to us, _for_ free, because I’m a citizen? Get real. I’m saying, and _all_ I’m saying here- over and over again it seems- is that I think Microsoft XP goes too far. Yes, _ **if** _ I fucking agree to use it, than I agree to those Draconian rules. But I never said I _wanted_ to use it, did I? I said, NO! I won’t use it because of those rules. And, I’m sorry, but that “privilege” thing is odd. You don’t mind your privileges being violated? And while your ignoring the questions I’m asking in my current post, would you at least mind looking at one of the first questions I asked up there? To wit: **"What I’d like to know is what you’re getting at- Do you find that level of intrusiveness beneficial? Why?"** ---
**Author:** ![Monster104](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Monster104](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monster104)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2001, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-the-flood-gates-of-rumors/80630/42 "2001-09-16T19:59:32Z")
> [@](#): > > What, exactly, does the line, “time to time” reference then, if it doesn’t phone home on it’s own? Only that it does that during the initial registration? That doesn’t even make sense. Are you daft? What part of “XP simply checks the configuration file to make sure that it and the current hardware configuration do indeed match” do you not understand? This file is on your LOCAL hardware. It is not on MS servers, and MS does not dial into YOUR computer to check it, and XP does not phone home to MS to verify anything. The OS verifies this file on your machine by itself, which is why people have been able to make cracks for the WPA. > [@](#): > > Upon further reflection, and actual reading, there’s a contradiction there. You state that it only does once, during activation, but earlier above, you state that XP locked you out after major reconfigurations to your system. > > What, exactly, was MS checking that against… and how did they know you reconfigured your system? MS itself does NOT check anything. XP does all the checking according to an algorith embedded into the OS. Part of this algorithm is to prompt the reactivation if when the OS polls the hardware currently in your system and it doesn’t match the hardware profile initially generated on your first activation. THIS FILE IS LOCATED ON YOUR LOCAL MACHINE. MICROSOFT IN NO WAY ACCESSES THIS FILE, NOR DOES XP PHONE HOME TO CHECK IF THE ACTIVATION IS VALID. ---
**Author:** ![CnoteChris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/278dde/32.png) [@CnoteChris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CnoteChris)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-the-flood-gates-of-rumors/80630/43 "2001-09-17T03:53:21Z")
Fine **Monster104**. I’m not convinced that it doesn’t check back with MS, but I’m willing to be less resolute in my belief that it does. I’ve only looked at two other articles on this topic since reading your last post, and while it’s not really clear what the writers are getting at, the insinuation seems clear (To me at least). I wouldn’t argue that I got the facts about it phoning home wrong. Why the dance with fucking words from Microsoft on this topic is beyond me. But there it is, as painful as it is to think I was that wrong, and I’ll end up doing that dammed search after all, until I find anything that says in fucking concrete that it phones home, I’ll back away from my position. Since I’ve backed myself into the proverbial corner with saying that was my main problem with XP, it’s disingenuous of me to start bitching about other aspects of it. So, instead, let me reiterate what I said earlier. I don’t like Windows XP and I _wish_ I could avoid it all together. Alas, I doubt I’ll get be able to avoid it down the road. Anyrate, would you mind answering why you think this is a good thing? Or -maybe this is a more correct way of putting it- why doesn’t this tactic on MS’s behalf seem to bother you? ---
**Author:** ![psychogumby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c0e974/32.png) [@psychogumby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychogumby)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-the-flood-gates-of-rumors/80630/44 "2001-09-17T04:16:43Z")
If you’re that freakin’ concerned about Big Brother Billy Boy rooting around on your PC, then just run Linux! And contrary to previous (grossly erroneous) postings on this thread, Linux _DOES_ work, and very nicely too. Anyway, this old story has been going around for YEARS. Remember when they used to say that Windows 95 used to ‘phone home’ to Microsoft so that MS could check out what software you had on your system? Sheesh. If it’s that much of a pain, just run a fucking anti-spyware program. Or change to Linux. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-the-flood-gates-of-rumors/80630/45 "2001-09-17T04:17:24Z")
CnoteC, please post if you dig up the smoking pistol. I admire you sticking with this thread. It doesn’t bother me because deep down I know I should be paying for the intellectual property rights. Certainly, in the past, I have benefited from the _shareware_ that has been floating around most of Asia. Places such as Hong Kong have to a very great extent eliminated the illegal copies you could buy for a few dollars. It is more difficult than it used to be, but still relatively easy in China to get pirated copies of just about everything. Do you have problems buying computer games that you have to insert the CD or it won’t run? I mean, you can install the full files onto your PC, but you still have to put in the CD for verification. I am also a published author, have been plagarized and not seen the full amount of royalties that I _should_ have. ---
**Author:** ![CnoteChris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/278dde/32.png) [@CnoteChris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CnoteChris)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-the-flood-gates-of-rumors/80630/46 "2001-09-17T04:50:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by psychogumby \* > **And contrary to previous (grossly erroneous) postings on this thread, Linux _DOES_ work, and very nicely too.** Yeah, I was lying out my ass there, **psychogumby**. I almost got away with it too! I was so close to fooling you all… so close. I run only one OS on my system. While I understand that many others out there dual boot, or run secondary OS’s on their system, it wasn’t so common a practice that it immediately jumped to my mind to limit my statements to XP when talking about ‘systems’. I was coming from the perspective of running only XP, and nothing more. In that case, you’ be as locked out as I said you would. On retrospect, I should have immediately thought, “Hold up there Chris, remember every aspect and every possible configuration people out their have. Yours may be the norm, Chris, but it’s not the _only_ setup.” ---
**Author:** ![CnoteChris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/278dde/32.png) [@CnoteChris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CnoteChris)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-the-flood-gates-of-rumors/80630/47 "2001-09-17T04:55:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by China Guy \* > **It doesn’t bother me because deep down I know I should be paying for the intellectual property rights.** I in no way, meant, nor implied, that I disagreed with paying for the software. That was not then, or now, the issue with me. My only, and let me repeat, _only_ problem with XP, is the level to which they take the verification process. That’s it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-the-flood-gates-of-rumors/80630.md?page=2)