Windows Xp x64 trial

[thecremeegg]

Im a bit stuck with what to do here.....i downloaded the trial two weeks ago to last me til i got back to uni and could reinstall my original copy of windows (32 bit). On the microsoft website it says that the trial lasts 120 days, so I thought that'd be perfect, keep me going for a while.
Everything's gone fine until tonight, where i get to the login screen, type in my password, and it says my trials expired, and shuts down the PC!!!!
Fortunately I have another copy of windows on another drive as a backup, which im using now, but all the programs etc ive installed are on the other drive, and its a real nuisance.
Im going to phone up microsoft tomorrow and have a moan. Whats the best thing to say and the best number to call? I'm not happy because i need my pc for uni work etc and have a lot of pc based revision to do!!!
Grrrr very annoyed at micro$oft!!!!

Tom

 

[Mike_182]

Because it will have been until a given date at a guess, and if it's not then fark knows. They won't be able to fix it though, sounds like you're up shite creek. You'll just get told you shouldn't put it on anything other than a test machine! Bit of a b**ch though.

 

[GordonD]

I suspect that Microsoft programmed a drop-dead date into the XP 64-bit trial version based on when it expected to have the next version of Windows on the market with its own 64-bit version. After all the point of letting you trial their product is to get you to buy it. There's no commercial benefit to them for you to be trialing a version that isn't available any longer. But Vista is running late, isn't quite out yet, and the drop-dead date for XP trial versions has been reached.

Microsoft has had the same problem with ongoing support for all its older products too. They have a rule that they give good support for the current version of the product, but that drops to less support when the next version is released, and to no support when the one after is released. They set dates for when XP support would reduce and Windows 2K support would finish based on when they expected to have Vista on the market - which was for before the 2006 Christmas present-buying season when lots of PCs are sold - then Vista wasn't ready.

 

[thecremeegg]

Hmm ok, I just think its out of order that they clearly say when you download that you get 120 days. Fair enough if they stop support for it, but stopping it from working is just stupid

 

[sn00p]

Fair enough if they stop support for it, but stopping it from working is just stupid

Erm, then nobody would buy windows would they? They'd just use the trial version....

 

[thecremeegg]

No, before the 120 days is what i meant!! fair enough after that peroid cos i'll have installed something else by then, but to say you have 4 months trial, and then stop it after 2 weeks with no prior warning is stupid and unfair!
I may not have been quite so annoyed if they'd have at least given me warning!!!!

Tom

 

[Rich1.2]

best solution do what i did. buy a mac

 

[sn00p]

best solution do what i did. buy a mac

Amen to that brother. None of this windows w**k!

 

[thecremeegg]

Lol true, but i play games and stuff, things that macs struggle with!

 

[sn00p]

Lol true, but i play games and stuff, things that macs struggle with!

You can run windows on the intel macs.....sacrilidge, but possible.

 

[Rich1.2]

shhhh dont swear like that! get an xbox to play games on if you love microsoft