Amiga.org
The "Not Quite Amiga but still computer related category" => Alternative Operating Systems => Topic started by: Cyberus on July 03, 2005, 08:17:24 PM
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I've just acquired a P4, and I want to make it bloated and slow ;-) I just thought I'd do a quick search on ebay for XP, and I've seen some for sale that purport to be a full OEM version (as well as a few that come bundled with HPs or Compaqs), but they seem far too cheap.
I always live by the old adage, 'If it seems too good to be true, it probably is'. Any ideas? Or can anyone direct to me to a supplier (in UK or EU) that sells it cheaply?
edit: Are there any downsides to using the Dell/Compaq/etc bundled versions?
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When my work buy new computers, from HP/Compaq they never use the XP Pro that comes with the machine, but instead install a preprepared 2000 Image on the HD.
I have a couple of Genuine XP pro cd's here...
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@Cyberus
The deal with OEM copies of Windows is that in order to be sold legally they need to be sold with a piece of hardware. The licence doesn't specify that the computer hardware needs to be a full-fledged computer so some companies will happily sell an OEM copy of Windows with a floppy drive power connector splitter or some similar cheap item to make the sale legal and voila: a cheap release of Windows!
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Try Novatech (http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/products/a731x1y0z1p0s0n0m0) - they're based in the UK and sell XP Home (£65) and Pro (£103) but, as SamuraiCrow said, you need to buy non-peripheral hardware with it. You could always get some really cheap n nasty simms or sound card :-)
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Hi,
I can also vouch for Novatech - used to use them lots when I used to live in the UK - always good service, etc.
Alternatively, why not install Linux (Fedora Core 4 is a good recommendation) and save yourself the money and your PC from a life of Microsoftness!
After all, UAE is also available for Linux, and that's surely the only reason for needing a PC!! :-D
- Ali
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As far as eBay is concernd, if you buy a copy of XP then mostly it will be "copied" any way. Thats why alot are so cheap.
I know some one who won an auction, a CD that was "Microsoft Office 2003 Pro" and on it was Front Page, and Visio the full version with Serial number.
for £4.45 this was a By it now offer (BIN)
I thought the same as you to good to be true.
When he got it, yes for sure it was a copy (naturaly)
So yes they are mostly copies, you do of course get legal stuff, but I would not count to much on that.
And eBay have a rule that you CANNOT sell "copied" Items.
And yet sellers are getting away with loads of stuff like that. MIcrosoft would have a great time with this lot.
BUT having said that who the hell wants to pay for Microsoft software at the prices they are now?
I can understand why so many people copy stuff.
And YES I do copy software, a backup copy for my own use in case the original ever gets damaged.
As a matter of interest I wander how many people have got legal stuff on the computer these days compared to those who have got copies?
Mike.
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I would most assuredly spent the $150 on Windows XP Pro OEM (full version), than to buy XP Home. As long as you have a real certificate of authority and the disk is a nice shiney hologram these days you are good to go..
I really believe that XP is really worth the price and the people working on it deserve the money and time for their work. I hope the Amiga community believes in paying for their products (even as much as the PC community does). I know people who used to spend $70 for a really terrible Amiga word processor just to support the community. I hope that same thought pattern is still there..
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One thing to be aware of is Windows XP's activation feature. If you get a non-valid license key you will not be able to use the software. Even if you get a hacked version that works with the current service pack, it's not likely to work with future updates.
It's not a lot to spend. But, if you just want to run Windows software you can always use WINE on Linux, BSD, etc.
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If you are planning on a machine that requires updating from the internet every day, not only on your O/S but on virus detectors, Antispam, firewall and worst of all service packs go for XPhome. The problem is that once you start the machine gets slower. I have just setup a machine for my daughter with a newly installed Windows XP Home OEM from OCUK. The SP2 version installed correctly and I found it work faster and more efficiently than my own installed SP1 install of XP PRO updated with Sp2 seperately. My P4 3.2ghz machine takes 6 minutes 14 seconds to boot fully into windows device drivers and background applications and firewalls in place. I like to call it WINDOZE.
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@ webman...
What are you running on there?
I have all of what you have but without a firewall as i have a Router with NAT firewall... and i have an Athlon 1800+ with 512 MB ram.
Cold boot into windows complete takes no more than 1 min.
Id check MSconfig if i was you :D
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Oh, and back on topic, if you check out www.ebuyer.com sometimes they pull good deals on WinXP. Not sure of the exact price at the moment, but worth a look.
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@Cyberus
Aria (http://www.aria.co.uk) have it (XP Home OEM (http://www.aria.co.uk/productinfocomm.asp?ID=2048&SpecialStatus=1)) on "super special" at the moment - only 50 quid!!
As Vincent says, the Windows OEM license states that it must only be sold with "non-trivial" hardware which is essential to the running of the computer - a keyboard, mouse, RAM, Hard-disk, etc. Obviously the cheaper, the better, from the consumer point of view! :-)
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Hi all
if its of any use i paid £259.99 for windows xp pro with sp2 in PC WORLD acouple of month`s ago. boot time 30sec--1min.
mike
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I have my machine setup for digital artwork and use Photoshop CS but my workspace is preloaded. I have tried numerous ways to speed up load time but unfortunately with no good results. I am running an ASUS P4C800 with 2gb Dual channel ram 400 gb of HD space and nowhere to run. My graphics is an Nvidia 6800 ULtra. I suspect that because I run things like Printer, Sound Plus several external USB2 HD's that these could cause some slow down. But if it is available touse why should all this slow down loading time? The Amiga is much more proficient.
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Dunno.
But a 6min boot time is loooonngg for that machine spec.
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Hum,
Sounds like he need to turn off a `service` that is causing the system to wait...
Try CodeStuff Starter to prune those start-up programs as well...
I’ve been testing `Advanced system optimiser` for about a year now; and would recommend that to anyone without the skill to delve into regedit.
Optimises the registry safely and does all the usual system tidying (like get rid of cookies and zero length files) as well as giving you the option to tweak your system with just one click of the mouse.)
Another more advanced (prefetch) option is to set up (use `bootvis`) to preload only the most needed files...
But my xp pro sp2 is still slow at 20 - 30 seconds with all the programs running...
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I thought mine was reasonably fast at 50something seconds...
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@Vincent
Hum,
Well if you add all of those seconds over the course of a year, then I may have saved enough to have a life…
;)
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blobrana wrote:
@Vincent
Hum,
Well if you add all of those seconds over the course of a year, then I may have saved enough to have a life…
;)
:lol:
not likely ;-):-P
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I agree, ~6 minutes to boot means the system is broken. My Pentium 4 550 boots in 55 seconds (from the time I hit the power button, to the time the hour glass leaves and the system is fully usable.). And ~17 seconds of that is POST and BIOS loading. (This system isn't modified for fast booting, or even optimized in any way.)
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Don't be a wuss. Just pirate XP like the rest of us. Not like it's worth paying for or anything.
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Um no.
Remember Piracy is illigal (even if you hate the OS)...
I'll take Boings comment with a pinch of salt but, remember all the hard work that goes into something like windows / Amiga OS, etc.
Windows XP is cheap enough now, so there isnt even the old "its too expensive" lark.
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Hum,
i noticed that M$ had `updated` their automatic updater to version 6...
(i also noticed that `Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer 2` is out)
`Updater V6` tweaks a few system files dealing with explorer on my `test machine`; (always a nasty moment)...
But it worked without problem...
But it’s aimed at those pirated windoze out there i think...
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I so hate to say this but I've even considered buying Win XP myself (spit)...
I've had so many problems with viruses and spyware that buying the full program and having access to the MS anti-spyware suite doesn't sound like a bad idea.
In the meantime, I'm back to using AmigaOS to browse the web with instead as my PC has died.
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@ SamuraiCrow
A friend of mine bought an OEM copy of XP on eBay and they sent it with a 1Mb SIMM stick.
Legal all the way!
Sean.
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blobrana wrote:
Hum,
Well if you add all of those seconds over the course of a year, then I may have saved enough to have a life…
;)
Why not just set the power management to go into suspended mode after an hour of inactivity, and just switch off the monitor at the end of the day?
Now all you have to do is figure out what to do with an extra 50s each day..
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Doobrey wrote:
Why not just set the power management to go into suspended mode after an hour of inactivity, and just switch off the monitor at the end of the day?
Now all you have to do is figure out what to do with an extra 50s each day..
:lol:
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if you buy or somewhat get winXP, consider *tuning* it to your specific needs. with nlite
http://www.nliteos.com/
you can remove unnecessary stuff like ie, media player, some services, unnecessary drives, codecs ... I made myself a XP light with firefox+thunderbird, VLC, removed windows internal cd burning and some stuff ... it works like magic !
it is totally legal as far as I know. I guess they get some help from MSDN as well.
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free online tool here...
http://www.ccleaner.com/ (http://www.ccleaner.com/)
I haven`t used it but it has rave reviews from other ppl.
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I've used CCleaner. Never had a problem with it :-)
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"I've had so many problems with viruses and spyware that buying the full program and having access to the MS anti-spyware suite doesn't sound like a bad idea."
I know /. isn't the most reliable source of information, but...
M$ downgrades Claria adware detections (http://yro.slashdot.org/yro/05/07/07/1234217.shtml?tid=158&tid=172&tid=201)
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>Remember Piracy is illigal (even if you hate the OS)...
Windows is crap. It's runing the planet. It you must have it, for gawd's sake, don't pay Bill Gates for it!
If you use XP, stealing it is a moral obligation. You must not aid and abett the dark forces of Microsoft.
Death to Gates & Ballmer!
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boing wrote:
>Remember Piracy is illigal (even if you hate the OS)...
Windows is crap. It's runing the planet. It you must have it, for gawd's sake, don't pay Bill Gates for it!
If you use XP, stealing it is a moral obligation. You must not aid and abett the dark forces of Microsoft.
Death to Gates & Ballmer!
But we cannot condone piracy of any kind!
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Windows is crap.
Dont use it then. End of.
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Oh, just buy a Mac Mini.
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Don't be a wuss. Just pirate XP like the rest of us. Not like it's worth paying for or anything.
Telling people to pirate software was supposed to be against this sites rules. Well if thats now ok then i can happily inform people the following files will be uploaded to alt.binaries.warez.amiga over the weekend.
Edit by admin : Direct "apparent" link to copywrited materials.
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Drat,
i bought them all a long tme ago...
Oh well...
[color=ff00ff]< your post will be deleted you know... >[/color]
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Paul is just making a point... I hope :-)
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Alternatively, why not install Linux (Fedora Core 4 is a good recommendation) and save yourself the money and your PC from a life of Microsoftness! After all, UAE is also available for Linux, and that's surely the only reason for needing a PC!!
Unfortunably, that's not true ...
I work with Matlab at my work and is there an AMIGA version?
And I really doubt MathWorks will ever consider a port of it...
Sorry, but i'm just being realistic.
And I realy don't like Linux. It's too bloated also, full of package dependencies really badly managed. The learning curve is steep even for an experienced computer user (and life is short) and a nightmare for people who don't know too much about computers... (and their not obliged of course).
It's really a shame that the AMIGA didn't make it... The OS is great (although the famous guru meditation errors).
Good luck, Pegasus and AmigaOne ... you really need it.
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@ Paul_Gadd
He didnt actually post any refrence to any copywrited material. You did (not that I checked, being in work and not having access to newsgroups. So i edited your post "just to be sure").
With reguard to what Boing has posted, well if he wants to openly admit he uses a pirate copy of windows on a public forum, more fool him than anyone else. He didnt post a link, or any idea to whereas the material can be obtained. (if he did and I have missed something, i apologise).
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LinchpiN wrote:
@ Paul_Gadd
He didnt actually post any refrence to any copywrited material. You did (not that I checked, being in work and not having access to newsgroups. So i edited your post "just to be sure").
With reguard to what Boing has posted, well if he wants to openly admit he uses a pirate copy of windows on a public forum, more fool him than anyone else. He didnt post a link, or any idea to whereas the material can be obtained. (if he did and I have missed something, i apologise).
You might want to spell "Copyright" correctly :-)
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bloodline wrote:
You might want to spell "Copyright" correctly :-)
You just can't get the staff nowadays :-P