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Windows Meets New Motherboard - Scott Adams' Experience

posted by LaminatorX on Sunday December 21 2014, @05:06AM   
from the genuine-advantage dept.

Nuke writes:

In his blog, Scott Adams describes his exasperating experience following a change of motherboards. Central to the story is the fact that he has two phone numbers for Windows re-activation, both of which claim they are an official Microsoft call center and that the other is a scam. Neither are any help anyway. Seems to be a topical issue right now.

• The advice in TFA had the following bullet points. (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 21 2014, @06:57AM

  by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 21 2014, @06:57AM (#127944)

    *   Do not purchase any software or services from someone claiming to be from Microsoft.
    *   Ask if there is a fee or subscription associated with the “service.” If there is, hang up.
    *   Never give control of your computer to a third party unless you can confirm that it is a legitimate representative of a computer support team with whom you are already a customer.
     *  Take the caller’s information down and immediately report it to your local authorities.
     *  Never provide your credit card or financial information to someone claiming to be from Microsoft tech support.

  I have for years followed that advice, and not only from Microsoft.

  However, Microsoft is on to the very thing which I feel is the greatest promoter of piracy on the internet.... an absolute lack of trust.

  I hate paying for *anything* unless its with a trusted vendor.

  Its NOT the money!!!

  Its having to reveal funds transfer credentials that concern me so... those can be used to my extreme disadvantage.

  The risks of using "pirated" content, in my estimation, are far less than the risks of revealing financial transaction codes on the internet.

  Microsoft has earned my ire by things like having software that can infect my computer by as much as trying to read a .doc file, and businesses that feel they have to send me .doc files.

  By finding ways around dealing with a business, I can eliminate the risks of revealing financial codes when I live in a world where banks will transfer money on electronic say-sos ( ACH transactions ) and leave me to detect and try to protest the unauthorized charges.

  Once I have done business with a business, they are apt to send me .doc files. And I know anyone can spoof a email address. All one has to do is snoop my machine's contact list or the business's customer list, spoof the business I am doing business with, and send me an infection.doc . I feel helpless to educate business on digital hygiene when I am up against the Microsoft representative in the Executive office shaking hands with the CEO. Most businesses seem to consider an Executive Handshake with a Microsoft Representative far more meaningful than the respect of a customer.

  I got my first infection from a business ( from my own employer, no less! ) in an infected .doc file. The "concept" virus. That was 15 years ago! Back in the WIN95 days!

  Fifteen years later and Microsoft still has not fixed these infection vectors in their file formats. Businesses still send these damned files to their customers, even though the word on the street is never open attachments unless you know what's in them. Why businesses still do this to their customer is beyond me. I would just as soon mail a soiled condom to a customer than send him a .doc file.

  I learned my lesson thirty years ago. On a BBS, no less. ANSI bombs. The lesson? NEVER mix code and data!

  Embedded scripts are bad news.

  Business will spend millions of dollars promoting an "image", yet many show such poor hygiene in their business communication.