The Microsoft Experience

I have long been a defender of Microsoft. Antitrust? Who cares. Monopoly? Good for them. Squashing the competition like bugs? You bet. Security holes? Ummm...well, that's life. Get over it. I even overlooked the confusing licensing agreements and inability to talk to a real person if you attempt to call them. All part of the game. But today, things changed...and changed for the worse.

It started simple enough...I need two copies of Microsoft Server 2003. No big deal. I had our purchasing agent at work place the order through CDW, as we have done many times in the past. Gus Richter, brother of Andy Richter (seriously, I'm not joking) e-mailed me the license agreement along with instructions to get our Product Key. I filled out the information and was provided two Product Keys. I was cooking now folks.

So, I popped in a Microsoft Server 2003 CD and put in my code...to receive the following: Invalid CD Key. Over and over...it kept coming up. I tried the other code...same results. I called in my boss to make sure I was typing it in right...I'm not stupid...it was right. Invalid CD Code. I called my buddy Gus...he gave me the number to Microsoft Activation Support. I talked to some Indian woman for, I swear, 17 1/2 seconds. She told me I need new media.

New media? What? You mean I can't use an old Server 2003 CD and plug in the Product Key and it work? That's what she said. I don't believe it. Gus didn't believe it. I still don't believe it. But, I ordered two media kits from CDW to see if that will fix the problem. I don't think it will...I think there's something wrong with my Product Key. But not according to the Indian...I had to buy media.

So, Microsoft, in my view, is in a lose-lose situation with me now. If the Indian was right and I had to buy media, it is an asinine policy to have to purchase media every time you purchase a license. If she was wrong, then I wasted time and money because Microsoft tech support is bad. I'll let you know which way Microsoft loses when I find out.