GASP -- I'm about to say something NICE about Microsoft!
Last edited Mon May 7, 2012, 01:34 PM - Edit history (1)
Heaven knows that I do enough complaining when they screw up, so...
Two years ago, I installed Parallels 5 and Windows 7 on a Mac mini. I had tried to buy the Windows 7 in a store, but all they had was a 32-bit and 64-bit bundle for which I was supposed to pay $200. Furious, I downloaded a 32-bit OEM version for $70 when I got home. Since the software didn't have a product key, I had to jump through a few extra hoops to activate it. But since the download was from a "white hat" Microsoft re-seller, I succeeded.
Fast forward to 60 days ago when I did a major reinstall. I started getting messages that my Windows 7 had to be "reactivated." No problem, I thought, since I knew what I had was proven to be legit. I had to do a bit of research to find the correct Microsoft support page, but it wouldn't accept my product ID number. That meant I would have reactivate my Windows 7 via live chat...at a cost of $49.00.
Before logging on to the live chat, I submitted copies of my receipt and original activation instructions along with a writeup of my problems. My closing sentence: "If it turns out that I have to buy a product key, I hope I can be credited for the cost of this call."
Happily, the support person didn't freak out about my being "bi." When she couldn't activate the product key embedded in my software, she issued me a new one along with a new product ID number. And then I got the really good news: since my old product ID number should have worked, they WEREN'T going to charge me the $49.00!
Ironically, I may have to do another major reinstall when my new and improved Mac mini arrives this week. It's supposed to be as easy as copying a backup of my old Mac's hard drive to the new one, so this happy ending might prove to be short-lived...
rocktivity
= new reply since forum marked as read
so all I had to do was copy a backup of my hard drive to an external drive, then download it to the hard drive of my new Mac. I had to install the newest version of Parallels anyway, but my new OEM Windows 7 product key worked fine -- both for installing and RE-re-activating!
rocktivity