About a year ago I bought a second-hand laptop at a computer fair. It was already loaded with Windows XP. With help from Mudcat, I successfully copied all my programmes, e-mails etc to my new machine and everything went swimmingly - Until Yesterday! When I turned on, it went throught its usual procedures until I was welcomed and asked to click on my name. I then got a message to the effect that I might be "A Victim" of counterfeit software. The only real effect this seems to have had is that my desktop is now black! All my programmes are functioning as normal. I can restore my usual desktop colour scheme but after about 10 minutes it reverts to black with the warning in the bottom left corner. On continuing through the Help procedure, I'm told that the code for my copy of Windows is for another area. Microsoft are prepared to help me out as a "Victim" by letting me have a new code for Windows at a cost of £98! Very considerate of them! There is a procedure allowing those who have been genuinely deceived, to get the code for free but you need to send the original disks. The procedure does not allow me to tell them I didn't get any! What should I do now? Continue with a black desktop and warning? Buy the new code? Become a convert to Linux?
I have been considering a new laptop but I don't want to even think about Vista!
I look forward to the help I have come to expect from Mudcat.