After I came home from Rite-Aid, consumed some Sudafed, soda and chocolate, I called Microsoft technical assistance. Why? Because when I turned my keyboard upside down and whacked it to get all the crumbs out of it, I immediately started getting messages that my copy of Windows was counterfeit.
I emailed the C&L tech guy. He said the hardware has parts in it that work to validate Windows, and I probably knocked something loose. He told me to call Microsoft.
So I did. I talked to Jose, in Microsoft’s Phillipines service center. (You’ll be happy to know it’s a real job, with benefits.) He did everything but ask me to slaughter a chicken and lay the steaming entrails across my keyboard, but nothing worked. (During this 90-minute ordeal, I discovered that my copy of Windows 7 is still in my old computer, the one my former tech guy was trying to fix. He’s refused to answer phone calls or emails for months now, so that’s that.)
Anyway, I think the fifth validation key worked and now the thing is working today. (head slap) Oh, Mercury fucking retrograde! Duh.
I’m using Ubuntu because a virus caused Microsoft to decide i did not have a valid copy of their precious operating system.
I couldn’t even figure out where to call, but my nephew wiped the laptop and, with some effort, got me up and running on Ubuntu.
Works for me, mostly, so far. Just seems that it’s very easy to hit a random key or set of keys that get some strange changes going. But, I’ve been able to get back to normal so far. Knock on wood.
I’m Microsoft free, but I bet they’ve got some agreement with the NSA to put their tentacles into everything using the Web…. I’m getting very cynical.
Altho’…I do get this message, usually with the first comment I post for the day or when coming back after a longish absence from you blog:
Hhmmm–second comment took pretty long to post, too.
(ahem) LINUX
I’m thinking about it. But right now, I’m not that ambitious.