Oh for goodness sake !!

[Moira]

Can anything else go wrong with Vista?

http://www.neowin.net/index.php?act=view&id=37734

Now it seems that a whole lot of people who took advantage of Microsoft’s Vista Family Discount have been issued invalid installation keys. As MS puts it:

"the keys are indeed valid, but not for Windows Vista"

[Nokia]

MS at its best!..and with a sense of humor

[4cr0nDk]

My goodness.....

I can take your name and number and call you back when there is a solution. If that is not acceptable, I can cancel your order and issue you a refund

Uhm.....what tha'...

There is no expected time period for a fix at this time

They just can't avoid to keeping me sorprised....

The more interesting thing isn't the not working key, but the careless they show for this issue, they trying to sell something, big marketting events and so on, but it seems that isn't a big problem if this new buyers aren't happy.

So...you have an invalid key? well, someday I'll give u' a solution....maybe.....

Come on.....

Bad...bad.....bad......but well, who undesrtand M$ anyway




Regards

[HTRegz]

Hey Hey,

Moira.. You said "What else can go wrong with Vista".. I'd love to hear what's gone wrong with it so far... Microsoft has released a modern OS that requires modern hardware... (Yet people cry about that)... People wanted more security, so they've beefed up their security a great deal (Yet people cry about that).. Microsoft has released a modern os with great security that incorporates everything.... They haven't had any "problems" to speak of..

So now we've got a problem where the wrong serial numbers are being issued... So they made a mistake... companies do make mistakes... They are offering refunds.. they could just say too bad.. wait until we resolve it... but they aren't.. they are offering an alternative... So someone associated it with the wrong database... they need time to assess the situation before making a decision either way... (they also have to reset attempts for those who have already obtained their keys)... I don't see a big deal about this issue.. it's people taking a shot at Microsoft again without justification.

[brokencrow]

You guys got a license to be posting this stuff???



edit -- it's pretty ironic MS doesn't even KNOW what they
issued the validation keys for. So is it reasonable to ASSume
they don't even know what they're selling? My guess it's
just a reflexive action by either the marketing dep't or the
legal dep't (MS's finest programmers!).

Lends new meaning to the old adage: create a need, then fill it.

Create a need, then license it...

[nihil]

Well, I would say that it is totally justifiable taking a shot at Microsoft over this, assuming that the problem is indeed as widespread as it sounds.

The bottom line is that no systems engineer or project manager worthy of the name rolls out software to thousands of desktops without testing the delivery method first. To do so would be totally unprofessional.

If they had tested it properly in the first instance, they would have seen the problem

[HTRegz]

Well, I would say that it is totally justifiable taking a shot at Microsoft over this, assuming that the problem is indeed as widespread as it sounds.

The bottom line is that no systems engineer or project manager worthy of the name rolls out software to thousands of desktops without testing the delivery method first. To do so would be totally unprofessional.

If they had tested it properly in the first instance, they would have seen the problem

You have to remember that this was a "last minute" addition in theory... All of a sudden after the outrage over Vista pricing, Microsoft announced that two additional licenses could be obtained "cheaply"... so there may not have been time for testing... Also they aren't rolling out software... and the technically the software was delivered... just the keys weren't..

As for how widespread it is.. anyone who purchased online and bought the additional packs... Is it a pain in the ass... yes.. but you still have 1 working copy of Vista (the primary copy purchased)... it's only the two additional copies that don't have valid keys.

[nihil]

Yes, I am aware that you just use the Ultimate Edition disk with the additional keys. That just happens to be the deployment method.

I also realise that there is nothing wrong with the software per se............ I am sure that if I went into a store and bought a retail version of Home Premium, it would work just fine.

I agree that it was also a "last minute" exercise and have been given to understand that Microsoft brought in a third party to handle the promotion. That is the bit that surprises me really, as test purchasing is a pretty common practice in internet and mail order retail, particularly when it is being done on your behalf by someone else.

After all, this is an enormous project for MS, and I would have expected them to be rather more cautious in the circumstances.

[Moira]

Erm, is this me you're talking about when it comes to 2 additional copies that don't have valid keys?

The only reason the laptop "doesn't have a valid key" yet is that moduslink haven't got their act together and sent my promised copy of Home Premium. I installed with the 30 day evaluation period expecting that by the time it expired, I'd have received my copy and key. If not, I suppose I'll just have to use XP until it comes.

And although it might be a free upgrade, there was still a considerable shipping cost involved so I'll be a bit annoyed if it doesn't arrive. However the feedback from others in this position isn't good news - moduslink don't appear to be the most efficient company out there.

[nihil]

No Moira, this is an issue that relates to MS's promotion in the USA and Canada. It is not available in the UK.

The deal was that if you bought a retail copy of Ultimate, you could have two copies of Home Premium for $50 each.

Over here the deal was that if you bought a new PC around Christmas you could have a "free" upgrade to Vista when it was released. This would invalidate your XP licence, but the intention was to boost hardware sales around the holiday period, given that there was a new OS in the offing.