• CameronDev@programming.dev
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      1 hour ago

      Over the phone was useful for activating stuff without internet. Like VMs that you dont want on the internet. It was basically required for XP boxes, as they would lock up after 30 days.

      Haven’t needed to use it for the more modern windows, I just left them unactivated.

      • Onomatopoeia@lemmy.cafe
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        57 minutes ago

        But XP never really needed actual activation, it used a key.

        So long as you had one valid key you’re good forever.

        In my career and private lab, I’ve built literally thousands of machines - never once had to call MS to activate.

        • CameronDev@programming.dev
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          46 minutes ago

          Maybe I’m mis-remembering, but I definitely needed to call to activate XP. I have an MSDN account, so had keys, but definitely needed to call a few times. Its a pretty unforgettable experience. Maybe it was something to do with the msdn keys not being accepted?