Got out the Optiplex 780 a couple days ago,
intending doing a little experiment.

And realized I hadn't done the "clean" install
yet, as opposed to the install the downtown store
had done.

While I was at the store, picking up the item, I'd
asked for the Holograph DVD that goes with it. And the
store owner still had maybe thirty or so discs left in
a display case (this is back when Microsoft Refurbisher
kit came with physical media as well as the COA sticker).

So I plug in the DVD and do the install, into a blank
partition, no problem so far.

Didn't enter the key yet.

Check Device Manager, and pretty happy to see the
Refurbisher has more drivers in it, than the other
Win7 DVD I've got. Network works. Only the serial
port was missing a driver.

The Dell likes to come up in "RAID ON" mode, which suits
Dells "RAID Ready" deployment strategy during build to order.
A tech at the factory can simply whap in a second disk and
mirror can be enabled automatically or so. I'm not too
interested in the details of that, except to mention it
as the reason they select "RAID ON" as the BIOS default.
I have to select BIOS options that make all the OSes
in the box work, so that can't be changed.

I check Device Manager, and "iastorv" is driving the disk.
Great, or so I think. (That's the Microsoft "in-box" Intel
RAID driver for Vista.)

Now it comes time for activation. I plug in the key off
the COA. It tells me "this will require phone activation".
Well, OK then. Dunno why, but if it's torture you want
to deliver, I'm ready.

I go all through the phone routine, the 56 digit challenge,
and the voice comes back and says "this key is invalid,
and oh by the way, thanks for *trying to activate Windows XP* ".

At this point, I've seen a variety of error codes and shit.

I use MGADiag, and it's a wasteland in there. Lots of
0x80070002 errors.

I grab the Wsusoffline stick, and do the updates to bring
it (almost) up to date. KB971033 (WGA) is not installed
by default with that, and a trip to Windows Update shows
the item is still outstanding. I'll be damned if I'm
going to install that.

OK, so long ago (maybe three days ago), I'm reading some
thread and it says "you need to install the RAID driver
or it *won't activate*". And I'm tossing that around in
the back of my mind. Is it possible ? Could the fucking
thing actually care about the RAID driver ? Why ?
Where is the logic to that ?

Well, we were about to find out.

First you have to find the RAID driver. I go to the
Dell 780 site, search on "Intel" and in the 100 items
that come back, are two RAID drivers. One is a broken
driver, the other the patch for it. I select the patch one.

Now, remember, there was *zero* feedback from "slui" or
from "slui 4" as to what was amiss. I was given no hints
at all as to why the box would not activate. The OS has
drivers. It boots.

I install the Intel RAID driver, I type "slui" into
the Command Prompt window, the dialog comes up, I
selected some item that says in effect "use the
key you previously typed in". I said yes to that.

And almost instantly (no foot dragging like before),
it activates.

The Device Manager is now showing "iastor" as the driver,
in place of the OS installer choice of "iastorv" (Vista version
of iastor driver).

And that's what it takes to activate a refurb Dell in
the year 2021.

My hair loss is on the floor by the way, if
anyone needs surplus hair.

Who wants to play 20 questions ? Is it bigger
than a bread box ? Does it suck ? Oh, that
must be Activation.

Paul

On 6/14/2021 12:46 PM, Paul wrote:
> Is it bigger
> than a bread box ?

Haha, you dated yourself there... none other than Mr. Steve Allen, one
of my favorite guest panelists on What's My Line!

Michael Trew <mt999999@ymail.com> wrote in news:sa9439$qu0$1@dont-email.me:

> On 6/14/2021 12:46 PM, Paul wrote:
>> Is it bigger
>> than a bread box ?
>
> Haha, you dated yourself there... none other than Mr. Steve Allen, one
> of my favorite guest panelists on What's My Line!

Wow! I watch the old game shows, and I saw Dorothy Kilgallen, Bennet Surf,
and Arlene Francis on that show just last night. I don't remember Steve
Allen on the show, but I do remember the Steve Allen show, when my dad
would let me stay up to watch. It was on a table top CRT by Muntz TV. We
later had a B/W Curtis Mathis 21" floor model, and finally an RCA console
combo (record player and AM/FM radio) that had a color TV. That was 1964.

On 6/15/2021 10:32 PM, Boris wrote:
> Michael Trew<mt999999@ymail.com> wrote in news:sa9439$qu0$1@dont-email.me:
>
>> On 6/14/2021 12:46 PM, Paul wrote:
>>> Is it bigger
>>> than a bread box ?
>>
>> Haha, you dated yourself there... none other than Mr. Steve Allen, one
>> of my favorite guest panelists on What's My Line!
>
> Wow! I watch the old game shows, and I saw Dorothy Kilgallen, Bennet Surf,
> and Arlene Francis on that show just last night. I don't remember Steve
> Allen on the show, but I do remember the Steve Allen show, when my dad
> would let me stay up to watch. It was on a table top CRT by Muntz TV. We
> later had a B/W Curtis Mathis 21" floor model, and finally an RCA console
> combo (record player and AM/FM radio) that had a color TV. That was 1964.

I'm far too young to have ever caught it in person, but I've seen all of
the re-runs... they are all on YouTube now; someone has very kindly
digitized the kinescopes. Steven Allen was on as a mystery panelist
from time to time.

If you want to look further, it's amazing how many of the episodes have
survived (758): https://www.youtube.com/user/WhatsMyLineCBS

On 6/15/2021 8:32 PM, Boris wrote:
> Michael Trew <mt999999@ymail.com> wrote in news:sa9439$qu0$1@dont-email.me:
>
>> On 6/14/2021 12:46 PM, Paul wrote:
>>> Is it bigger
>>> than a bread box ?
>>
>> Haha, you dated yourself there... none other than Mr. Steve Allen, one
>> of my favorite guest panelists on What's My Line!
>
> Wow! I watch the old game shows, and I saw Dorothy Kilgallen, Bennet Surf,
> and Arlene Francis on that show just last night. I don't remember Steve
> Allen on the show, but I do remember the Steve Allen show, when my dad
> would let me stay up to watch. It was on a table top CRT by Muntz TV. We
> later had a B/W Curtis Mathis 21" floor model, and finally an RCA console
> combo (record player and AM/FM radio) that had a color TV. That was 1964.

If you are all interested in Steve Allen, I recommend "Meeting of Minds"
to you. It was a "discussion panel group" hosted and written by Allen
with famous historical guest guests. Guests were such as Attila, Madam
Woo, several past American presidents, Greek Philosophers, and so on. A
show lasted an hour an the same panel of four would return for another
hour. This was a series on PBS a long time ago.

What was amazing was Allen's ability to capture the thought process of
those portrayed and pick topics on which they could debate. (I can only
say that he was spot on for those character's work that I had studied
and am just assuming that the others were done as well.) Allen was a
true genius who starred in music, comedy, acting, and knowledge.

I don't know whether there is a DVD available but do know that there are
cassette tapes and books available at Amazon.
--
Jeff Barnett

Jeff Barnett <jbb@notatt.com> wrote:

>If you are all interested in Steve Allen, I recommend "Meeting of Minds"
>to you. It was a "discussion panel group" hosted and written by Allen
>with famous historical guest guests. Guests were such as Attila, Madam
>Woo, several past American presidents, Greek Philosophers, and so on. A
>show lasted an hour an the same panel of four would return for another
>hour. This was a series on PBS a long time ago.

Yes,I remember that well. On one show Jayne Meadows (Allen's wife)
came out as Marie Antoinette. The band played "Le Marseillaise". Her
Majesty was *not* favorably impressed. A nice touch, I thought.

--
Tim Slattery
tim <at> risingdove <dot> com