richcreator
Banned
Can somebody confirm, without simply guessing, if Microsoft has
disabled FSX activation by online or is it only by telephone now?
disabled FSX activation by online or is it only by telephone now?
-
There seems to be an uptick in Political comments in recent months. Those of us who are long time members of the site know that Political and Religious content has been banned for years. Nothing has changed. Please leave all political and religious comments out of the forums.
If you recently joined the forums you were not presented with this restriction in the terms of service. This was due to a conversion error when we went from vBulletin to Xenforo. We have updated our terms of service to reflect these corrections.
Please note any post refering to a politician will be considered political even if it is intended to be humor. Our experience is these topics have a way of dividing the forums and causing deep resentment among members. It is a poison to the community. We appreciate compliance with the rules.
The Staff of SOH
-
Please see the most recent updates in the "Where did the .com name go?" thread. Posts number 16 and 17.
Activating FSX
- Thread starter richcreator
- Start date
- Status
richcreator
Banned
Just tried activating by phone and got an error message.
Told to contact Customer Support. Where is Customer suport?
Yeah, I uninstalled FSX earlier today and reinstalled it and still can't activate.
Anybody know a fix, a real fix?
p.s. I have no troubles running FSX but it runs about 15-20 minutes and says the trial perior is over, Please Activate!
I installed Mission Combat Force and Flight Deck 5 into FSX and these run perfectly
Told to contact Customer Support. Where is Customer suport?
Yeah, I uninstalled FSX earlier today and reinstalled it and still can't activate.
Anybody know a fix, a real fix?
p.s. I have no troubles running FSX but it runs about 15-20 minutes and says the trial perior is over, Please Activate!
I installed Mission Combat Force and Flight Deck 5 into FSX and these run perfectly
richcreator
Banned
I found a 1-800 phone number in the FSX files in the list of countries in the "Activate" folder.
The recorded voice asked me for my activation number in the activation window. After squabbling with the voice that I had no number in the window, just blank boxes to enter a series of
Product Key letters & numbers, the voice transferred me to a real live human being. She again asked me for the activation number. I again told her I only had 5 blank boxes to enter my activation product key that was inside the FSX retail box. She hung up on me.
Searching, I read the Terms and Use Agreement and it seems that FSX is only good for 1 computer. I bought this FSX about 6 years ago for my XP PC.
I guess I am SOL, since I'm trying to install it on my new Win7 machine. Thank You Microsoft.
I'd like to hear comments, please.
The recorded voice asked me for my activation number in the activation window. After squabbling with the voice that I had no number in the window, just blank boxes to enter a series of
Product Key letters & numbers, the voice transferred me to a real live human being. She again asked me for the activation number. I again told her I only had 5 blank boxes to enter my activation product key that was inside the FSX retail box. She hung up on me.
Searching, I read the Terms and Use Agreement and it seems that FSX is only good for 1 computer. I bought this FSX about 6 years ago for my XP PC.
I guess I am SOL, since I'm trying to install it on my new Win7 machine. Thank You Microsoft.
I'd like to hear comments, please.
SkippyBing
Charter Member
What happens if you enter the product key in the retail box into the blank spaces on your computer? That's what I normally do.They're actually reasonably flexible about the one computer thing, I've installed it on my desktop, then my laptop when I was out of the country, then I upgraded my desktop to be a completely new machine when I came back (i.e. XP to Win 7 all new components) and it installed fine. The only time I had any issues was when I activated it about five times in two months when I was having problems with my desktop and even then all I had to do was ring the activation phone number and it went through fine.
richcreator
Banned
Just recently I have been entering the product key into the blank boxes. I've tried this a dozen times or more
and then I'm asked to activate either online or by phone or later. Both online and phone gave me an error so I used later and played in trial.
I have been installing FSX for about 6 years and only remember entering the product key in the boxes. This always worked until now.
I'm curious as to why the real life person hung up.
Anyway, I completely removed FSX for now. I'll wait for more replies and sit on it for the time being.
I'm really not interested in hearing from people who aren't having a problem. It doesn't help at all.
I need somebody who understands the problem and/or has a fix.
I would try calling again but this time tell them your activation code when they ask for it. I think that is why they hung up on you, they asked for the code and you said the boxes were blank. they may think you have no code.
I may have read your post wrong but I think you just missunderstood each other.
I may have read your post wrong but I think you just missunderstood each other.
richcreator
Banned
Everybody at the Microsoft end wants to know what the digits (numbers) are in my acivation window
and there are NO numbers or digits there, ONLY BLANK BOXES to enter my PRODUCT KEY.
I have 2 games (2 different copies of FSX, bought years apart and both install the same and activate the same
so it is not my disk or faulty install. True, it may be an activation error with my firewall or Norton Security BUT
why does Microsoft ask me for something I know nothing about and they know nothing about the blank boxes
asking me for my Product Key. I called again, this time I talked to a real life man human being and he
disconnected me.
I removed FSX and I'm in the process of trying to install XPlane 9. Screw Microsoft, well, maybe just until next year
when Flight is released, maybe.
I'm a conspiracist, believing in conspiracies and I'm getting to think Microsoft is deliberately conspiring to phase out
FSX users in preparation for the release of Flight. Shoot, if FSX is playing well, especially with all the add ons, not enough people will shell out the
bucks for a new game in this economy.
I don't recall there ever being numbers in an activation window after putting in the required serial code. Of course, I never had the trouble of not being able to connect to the servers online.
Not to sound derogatory, but to me, if you choose to activate it by telephone, you must first input the serial code that came within the DVD case where required. Then click 'next'? (not sure) to get the activation code to pop up. That's what they are asking you for on the phone.
Out of curiosity, and a suggestion. Are you installing the software, and letting the autorun.exe handle things (as per normal on XP) if you are, once you install the FSX DVD and the install starts, close the screen and then goto the DVD drive. Open the folder to view the contents of the DVD, and then find the .exe. Right click that, and choose "Run as administrator" It might help.
Not to sound derogatory, but to me, if you choose to activate it by telephone, you must first input the serial code that came within the DVD case where required. Then click 'next'? (not sure) to get the activation code to pop up. That's what they are asking you for on the phone.
Out of curiosity, and a suggestion. Are you installing the software, and letting the autorun.exe handle things (as per normal on XP) if you are, once you install the FSX DVD and the install starts, close the screen and then goto the DVD drive. Open the folder to view the contents of the DVD, and then find the .exe. Right click that, and choose "Run as administrator" It might help.
Naismith
Charter Member
I have only once in 5 years of ownership had to resort to a call to MS to activate FSX. I must have reinstalled it at least 12 times in those years and on 2 differnet machines, online activation has always worked bar that one occasion. This very year I have installed it 3 times no less. First time because the program was so bloated with addons it gorund to a standstill, second time because the machine would not boot because of that darned STARFORCE program for another game and third time because I elected to go RAID. I found MS call handlers helpful and accommodating if spoken to in a likewise manner.
If I recall correctly, you read them the assigned code which comes with the packaging and they give an authorising (different) code which you then type in the input boxes. Otherwise though I understand that MS reset their code checking software periodically, which if memory serves me correctly was 3 monthly, which was another way around this very problem, ie sit and wait.
But as for conspiracy theories, do you really think it good business practice to resort to a tactic such as this. Lets not be silly here.
If I recall correctly, you read them the assigned code which comes with the packaging and they give an authorising (different) code which you then type in the input boxes. Otherwise though I understand that MS reset their code checking software periodically, which if memory serves me correctly was 3 monthly, which was another way around this very problem, ie sit and wait.
But as for conspiracy theories, do you really think it good business practice to resort to a tactic such as this. Lets not be silly here.
richcreator, you're confusing the product key with the activation code.
The product key is on a sticker in the FSX package, you enter that in the blank boxes that you keep referring to.
When you opt to activate on-line it will give a number and this is what the Microsoft support person wants to know. They then give you another number that you enter on the same screen (or possibly the next one) and then it's activated.
It's pretty simple and normally once you've done it once they re-set your online activation counter and you won't have to call them again for that product.
The product key is on a sticker in the FSX package, you enter that in the blank boxes that you keep referring to.
When you opt to activate on-line it will give a number and this is what the Microsoft support person wants to know. They then give you another number that you enter on the same screen (or possibly the next one) and then it's activated.
It's pretty simple and normally once you've done it once they re-set your online activation counter and you won't have to call them again for that product.
If all else fails, create a new user profile with administrator privliages, then install and activate FSX under that profile. Once that is done, you can safely delete said user profile and FSX will stay activated just fine. I was having the same problem installing FSX myself two months ago, but doing that worked to fix the problem.
richcreator
Banned
Yeah, pretty simple when it works!
AGAIN, after I enter the Product key and click next, the next page asks me if I want to activate online or by phone or Activate Later.
THAT'S ALL!
I haven't ever had this problem before but, AGAIN, now I'm running Windows 7. This must be the problem.
SkippyBing
Charter Member
Could you post a screenshot of the window you get after entering the code from the box and then maybe we'll have an idea what's going on?
From memory the number MS' phones line are after is on that screen but as it's not something I do more than once a year it's hard to be sure.
After years of trying to guess what my mother is talking about on the phone I've learnt it's best to get an actual image of the problem otherwise you can spend days going round in circles.
From memory the number MS' phones line are after is on that screen but as it's not something I do more than once a year it's hard to be sure.
After years of trying to guess what my mother is talking about on the phone I've learnt it's best to get an actual image of the problem otherwise you can spend days going round in circles.
richcreator
Banned
You would have no trouble at all understanding if you would read everything I already said but you read bits and pieces so will always be going around in circles. - case in point: I said I uninstalled FSX. Now how can I post a screenshot?
Naismith
Charter Member
SkippyBing
Charter Member
Well as I was asking for a screenshot of something that happens during the install process I'd hazard a guess you could get one by trying to install it again.
- Status