[Bush2000]

The "activation" process of XP is annoying...Now we have to waste time on the phone getting "activated" each time it happens again.

Uh, hold it a sec. Are you still using dial-up -- or are you saying that you need to call MS Support to activate? Because I've rebuilt a particular machine several dozen times and used the same activation key without having to call MS Support. Never had an issue getting rejected for activation.

[js1138]

Because I've rebuilt a particular machine several dozen times and used the same activation key without having to call MS Support. Never had an issue getting rejected for activation.

I haven't hit the several dozen mark yet, but I've reactivated a bunch of XP installations with no phone call.

The only time I had to phone in was when I moved a license from one machine to another. They accepted my situation without question.

[Myrddin]

Uh, hold it a sec. Are you still using dial-up -- or are you saying that you need to call MS Support to activate? Because I've rebuilt a particular machine several dozen times and used the same activation key without having to call MS Support. Never had an issue getting rejected for activation.

The machine is connected to the net with 802.11b wireless that connects to my router and DSL line. I have the original disks and keys for the install. After the 5th rebuild of the computer, the activation over the net stopped working. I had to call support and have them dictate a string to initiate the activation. Every crash/rebuild since that time has required the call to MS support. My office laptop and the other XP Home have never needed a rebuild, so it hasn't been an issue.