Yes I think this post goes to the heart of the matter. I was considering getting a third fast hard drive for an FSX installation on my current 3700+ system to run alongside my FS9 installation pending a major upgrade in 12-18 months time. But now there is no way I am going to do this until MS comes to its senses with this activation nonsense. So that is one FSX sale lost at least in the medium term and possibly forever.Bruceb

I already got (finally) with the MS online chat and am returning my copy of FSX. I could probably go back to the store where I bought it (Best Buy) but just to make a point, I am sending it back with a clear message of disappoitnment mainly due to their activation scheme. Also mentioning the whole autogen debacle, but more due to the activation.It is quite disappointing to say the least.

>(4) AGAIN THIS IS NOT A CORPORATE APPLICATION. It's a game>made for the consumer market. Wouldn't it be great if you>played a music CD or DVD movie in more than two DVD/CD players>and then had to buy a new DVD/CD because it was played in more>than two devices? It's the same #### thing.NO! Why is this so difficult to understand: everyone who buys FSX has TWO Activations, but then must call and get their Product ID re-activated to get ANOTHER set of two Activations...NO ONE - REPEAT NO ONE - should ever have to "repurchase" FSX... EVER!

Forget that article, read your eula...And I outlined some info in it here:http://forums.avsim.net/dcboard.php?az=sho...id=364622&page=

You may have to pay for DX10 added functionality though, according to the eula....Go read it... It's all there in black and white....Oh and they can shut down Multiplayer anytime they want....Yep, just like SOME add-on developers are sheepishly charging for updates to planes, MSFT may do the same...Yippee, boy are we gullible...Oh yeah, and guess what folks, when Vista and DX10 cards come out, you can bet SOME developers will invent another excuse and charge for updates yet again....Heck now MSFT even gives them the language to put in their license schemes....It's all about the dollars folks..... How long until FS will be subscription time limited software, say a year for $70.....And don't think it's not coming either... It's the model all the greedy people salivate over, recurring revenues vs customer satisfacion...It's all too clear which companies fall into which category here....

>From the referenced MS KB:>>"If you install certain Microsoft Windows updates, change or>upgrade hardware components and then reinstall the game, the>Installation ID will change. This change creates an error>message that states that you have exceeded the number of>activations.">>Any idea what these "certain Microsoft Windows updates" are?>scott s. Oh, that's GREAT! You might have to call MS to reactivate FSX or Visa even if you just do a microsoft update of the OS.

Well at the end of the day, if you obtain the game in less than legit ways you dont have to worry about activation.I much prefer to use legit copies but if people like ms make them a pain to use, you can only take so much.The answer i suppose is to buy a legit copy but use a dodgy one.

>>(4) AGAIN THIS IS NOT A CORPORATE APPLICATION. It's a game>>made for the consumer market. Wouldn't it be great if you>>played a music CD or DVD movie in more than two DVD/CD>players>>and then had to buy a new DVD/CD because it was played in>more>>than two devices? It's the same #### thing.>>NO! Why is this so difficult to understand: everyone who buys>FSX has TWO Activations, but then must call and get their>Product ID re-activated to get ANOTHER set of two>Activations...>>NO ONE - REPEAT NO ONE - should ever have to "repurchase">FSX... EVER!Huh? Not difficult to understand? Why are there so many questions from users here and elsewhre? It in no way indicates that you can call and get two more activations, which, as far as I know, is complete bunk. Quote me from the EULA where it says that. Have you used your two activations and called and got two more?If you have a legit copy how can calling make any difference either way? I don't get it. They put a two activition limit just because they're lonely and want to chit chat? If I activated once, I obviously own the legal version.This whole thing is more of nuisance than antyhing else. I am returning my copy back to Microsoft with a letter letting them know how insulting this is to a paying customer. And to explain to me in two sentences (not two thousands words of legal speak) how their activation works.If/when this whole thing gets sorted out, then I may repurchase later. By that time, maybe it will be tuned and purring along much better, and I will probably have better hardware as well.Microsoft gets both my middle fingers. This fiasco just shows how much of a headache Vista will be when it finally comes around. I used to have some respect for MS (yes really). But BS like this just makes me irritated and not want to part with my money for their products. Unfortunately they are the only decent flight simulator out there (well, X-Plane, but that's for the more hard-core).

It's not us thats confused. It's MS. The Insider website incorrectly quotes the EULA, confusing it with Vista's. When even MS don't understand their own protection policies, or deliberately misquote them to strike fear into the hearts of decent customers, how can we be expected to understand? As said. Buy a legit copy, don't install it. You are not subject to the EULA if you don't agree to it, but have complied with all legal purchase terms if you've bought it. Use a different copy. Problem solved. That's us fixed.Now, how does that benefit MS when they drive law-abiding customers into the arms of the pirates? And if you think things are confused now, you just wait until you have the two contradictory EULA's of FSX and VISTA to contend with. This is all going to end in a sticky, horrible mess. But on the positive side, at least I won't have Vista on the computer. Or FSX. Because I will never, ever purchase a replacement license for either product, nor will I ever reactivate a copy of FSX if my day-to-day activities on my computer - including hardware changes - tell me my copy is no longer active. At that point forget it, the legit copy's off the drive, permanently gathering dust in a drawer. Free of this MS BS. Allcott