[GTAfreak2012]

Orginal game fresh off the shelf in 2009 wont work cause i didnt revoke my key and ive used it too many times now.

I dont feel like spending another 30-40 bucks just so i can activate this game any fixes for this?

[radioman]

Are you talking about the Game activation OR the Games For Windows Live Activation? If you are talking about Games For Windows Live one, just contact Microsoft-either by Microsoft.com OR the toll free 800 number to get an activation back. If it is the game, then contact Rockstar's customer support...

If you do have to get another copy(luckily the game is less than $15 now a days), so that is not a expensive thing to do. Let this be a hard lesson learned to be more careful next time and REVOKE first BEFORE un-installing the game...

Just curious, How can you go through that many activations? Were you activating all your friends PC's and yours or what? I find it hard to believe that anyone can go through that many activations, considering the game has UNLIMITED activations according to Page 2 of the manual the game comes with? GFWL is the ONLY one that has limited activations, however, Xliveless(created by Mkey?) fixes that by bypassing GFWL...Something does not add up there-No offence. Cause common sense says that the average person will use NO more than maybe 4 activations, as no person has more than 3 PC's maximum(most just 1 desktop and 1 laptop)...?

[GTAfreak2012]

Well according to the manual it didnt say after a hidden number of activations it auto denies the serial entered and says its incorrect.

This post has been edited by GTAfreak2012 on Sunday, Jun 3 2012, 06:07

[sjaak327]

I am guessing this is GFWL complaining ? Rockstar touts unlimited activations right in the game's manual, so I doubt it is the rockstar activation that is complaining.

Thursday, after installation of Windows 8 RP, I installed the game, it activated successfully, it also activated successfully in GFWL (it does so after intial login), so I was able to play the game (including the two dlc's that I bought using GFWL).

Yesterday I did another reinstall of Windows 8 RP, and reinstalled the game, now the rockstar activation again worked, but I got the error in GFWL that the key usage was exceeded. Luckily after the failed login, the DLC's are unlocked regardless, but MP is out of the question. Now my win7 install still works, but no MP on win8.

I have contacted Microsoft, was told to reply to an email they sent to my xlive acccount. I needed to scan the game packaging, the game disc, they game key + gamertag and my signature and a scan of the purchase receipt. I did all this and I am now waiting for them to respond, hopefully with the answer that they have reset the number of activations of my key on their servers.

@radioman, as you can see from my post, there are people that are hitting the supposedly 15 GFWL activation limit, I bought my game in december 2008, 3.5 years ago, it was used on my main pc running Vista, and has gone through at least 4 or 5 installations of pre relaese Windows 7 installations, then a new pc, where it went through some number of pre release Windows 8 versions and one reinstall of the same OS.

Rest assured,there is no way I am going to be forced to buy the game again, regardless of the fact that it is cheap now, I paid for my game already, and will not be held hostage by some silly DRM issue.

Of course using xliveless isn't the solution here, not only would that deny me the ability to play the DLC's, it also denies me access to MP, for which I did pay the price already.

EDIT: I actually also have EFLC disc edition, which I bought before I bought the DLC's via GFWL, I actually got around the problem by using EFLC's key on IV



This post has been edited by sjaak327 on Sunday, Jun 3 2012, 12:46

[marmoo]

This is my main gripe about this game

If it wasn't so glitchy, and half the time stop working for some unknown reason, then we would not have to complete so many reinstall's
Obviously , many would say ' how hard is it to revoke your licence before reinstall?' but sometimes you have a problem with your PC which may not allow you to get that far into the process, you may not get a chance

If this is to be a security measure to reduce piracy or 2nd hand game lending / sharing, the least software houses and affilliated partner's can do is make sure they have a stable platform / program to use it on

Rant finished

[mkey82]

You can not revoke the GFWL activation, only from Securom. And that's what the revoke option is for.

[GTAfreak2012]

Its not the gfwl activation its the one where you first try to start up GTA 4 after install.

Ive checked over the serial 5 times so it cant possible be wrong.

[sjaak327]

QUOTE (GTAfreak2012 @ Sunday, Jun 3 2012, 18:11)

Its not the gfwl activation its the one where you first try to start up GTA 4 after install. Ive checked over the serial 5 times so it cant possible be wrong.

Then simply contact Rockstar support, they will be able to handle this issue, rest assured they will probably request the same information as proof as Microsoft did for my GFWL issue.

[mkey82]

R* has nothing to do with this. If you have exceeded securom activation count, you should contact securom. With a proof of purchase, of course.

[sjaak327]

QUOTE (mkey82 @ Sunday, Jun 3 2012, 18:46)

R* has nothing to do with this. If you have exceeded securom activation count, you should contact securom. With a proof of purchase, of course.

Right, so naturally anyone who purchased a Rockstar game, would contact the manufacturer if they cannot use the product, now apparently they will refer you to yet another company that handles their ludricous DRM protection, what a sad affair this is.

And they are still surprised potential buyers might revert to pirating the game as this is clearly the easiest way to run the game !

[mkey82]

Securom provides activation services for them and any securom related problem has nothing to do with R*.
Due to R* support being a joke, you can only lose a few days being jerked around before someone there directs you toward Securom support.

[radioman]

QUOTE

...has gone through at least 4 or 5 installations of pre relaese Windows 7 installations, then a new pc, where it went through some number of pre release Windows 8 versions and one reinstall of the same OS.

Just curious, Why did you re-install the OS 6+ times to begin with? Plus, you DO NOT lose anything by upgrading from Vista to Windows 7, as ALL Documents, files, Pictures, music, games, etc. stay intact-I have confirmed that, cause I bought a PC with Vista(which came with a free upgrade to Windows 7 when it was released) and did NOT lose anything after the upgrade...So, really(no offence), if you re-install the OS that many times that you use all allowed activations, then that is your own fault and has nothing to do with Securom, Rockstar, Live, etc. as no one forced you to re-install your OS/buy a new PC-that was YOUR choice that you have to live with...let that be a hard lesson learned in the future to be more careful when dealing with software that contains Secucrom OR limited activations...sad but true...

The ONLY way you have to do a new install when upgrading, is if you are going from XP to 7, to my knowledge..?

Also, Had you called the TOLL-FREE 1-800 number for Secorcrom(spelling?) you could have had that fixed in about 10 minutes... I mean, since that is a Toll-Free number, there is NO charge, this is the common sense thing to do-lol

[sjaak327]

QUOTE (radioman @ Tuesday, Jun 5 2012, 00:47)

QUOTE ...has gone through at least 4 or 5 installations of pre relaese Windows 7 installations, then a new pc, where it went through some number of pre release Windows 8 versions and one reinstall of the same OS. Just curious, Why did you re-install the OS 6+ times to begin with? Plus, you DO NOT lose anything by upgrading from Vista to Windows 7, as ALL Documents, files, Pictures, music, games, etc. stay intact-I have confirmed that, cause I bought a PC with Vista(which came with a free upgrade to Windows 7 when it was released) and did NOT lose anything after the upgrade...So, really(no offence), if you re-install the OS that many times that you use all allowed activations, then that is your own fault and has nothing to do with Securom, Rockstar, Live, etc. as no one forced you to re-install your OS/buy a new PC-that was YOUR choice that you have to live with...let that be a hard lesson learned in the future to be more careful when dealing with software that contains Secucrom OR limited activations...sad but true... The ONLY way you have to do a new install when upgrading, is if you are going from XP to 7, to my knowledge..? Also, Had you called the TOLL-FREE 1-800 number for Secorcrom(spelling?) you could have had that fixed in about 10 minutes... I mean, since that is a Toll-Free number, there is NO charge, this is the common sense thing to do-lol

Well a normal release cycle of an OS (like Windows 7, or Windows 8) typically consist of a few Alpha releases, then bèta's and release candidates. Upgrading is something that I never do, and in a normal release cycle it isn't even supported. Currently upgrading from Win8 CP to RP isn't supported either. These are always done using a clean install. The only instance where an upgrade is supported is if you go from one RTM version (possibly with service pack) to the next version of Windows.


Of course this isn't my fault. I purchased the product, and if and why I am reinstalling my OS is of no concern whatsoever, nor should it be when activation is concerned, especially not if the hardware on which I run the product doesn't change.

Maybe I like to reinstall my OS each month, that is my choice, and as a paying customer I have every right to do so. Rest assured legally they haven't got any leg to stand on. The manual clearly advertises unlimited activations, which Rockstar indeed still entertains. Therefore calling securom will not do me any good, as they are not blocking my product key, and it activates without any problems. My problem as stated is that I hit the Microsoft enforced activation limit of GFWL, of which no evidence is apparent when I purchased the product, which in trun could pose a problem to Rockstar, as I would fully be entitled to return the product and receive a full refund, as I cannot use the product to it's full potential due to some hidden activation limit, which I as a customer was not in any way made aware off.

Now I have of course since fixed the issue with a key from EFLC, which I used on my GTAIV install, and have a ticket open with Microsoft to see if they will re-set the number of activations of my GTAIV key, if they decline, I will demand a full refund.

[radioman]

QUOTE

as I would fully be entitled to return the product and receive a full refund, as I cannot use the product to it's full potential due to some hidden activation limit, which I as a customer was not in any way made aware off.

Actually, You were made aware of the Terms and Conditions(whether you actually read them before installing the game or not)..Even the box the game comes in states, and I quote"Opening this package constitutes acceptance of ALL box terms, including the license agreement and required software installations." Pretty self explanatory, huh-lol

If it is the Live thing that is causing problems, that too can be solved with ONE Phone call to Microsoft's TOLL-FREE 1-800 number, and again only takes like 10 minutes at most...Pretty common sense, huh? lol

QUOTE

Maybe I like to reinstall my OS each month, that is my choice

Yet, that right there goes back to the latin term "Caveat Emptor"(which means, Let the Buyer Beware)..IF you choose to install/re-install OS's a lot, then you can't blame no one but yourself, as that is not how the game/software was designed to be used...Also, that is why there is a built in "License Revoke" feature on the game, which allows you to regain an activation(as long as you revoke it BEFORE you un-install the game/re-install the OS)...

[GTAfreak2012]

Would using a EFLC key on GTA 4 work? Cause my EFLC key still works fine.

[sjaak327]

QUOTE (radioman @ Tuesday, Jun 5 2012, 01:38)

QUOTE as I would fully be entitled to return the product and receive a full refund, as I cannot use the product to it's full potential due to some hidden activation limit, which I as a customer was not in any way made aware off. Actually, You were made aware of the Terms and Conditions(whether you actually read them before installing the game or not)..Even the box the game comes in states, and I quote"Opening this package constitutes acceptance of ALL box terms, including the license agreement and required software installations." Pretty self explanatory, huh-lol If it is the Live thing that is causing problems, that too can be solved with ONE Phone call to Microsoft's TOLL-FREE 1-800 number, and again only takes like 10 minutes at most...Pretty common sense, huh? lol QUOTE Maybe I like to reinstall my OS each month, that is my choice Yet, that right there goes back to the latin term "Caveat Emptor"(which means, Let the Buyer Beware)..IF you choose to install/re-install OS's a lot, then you can't blame no one but yourself, as that is not how the game/software was designed to be used...Also, that is why there is a built in "License Revoke" feature on the game, which allows you to regain an activation(as long as you revoke it BEFORE you un-install the game/re-install the OS)...

Please quote the relevant section where it explicitely is stated that there is a xlive activation limit. As you could have read, I did contact Microsoft about his (mind you, no toll free number in my country) on saturday morning, as of now the issue isn't resolved, so don't blame me for taking the 10 minutes at the most with a grain of salt.

Please also point me to a working way to revoke the activation on GFWL, as far as I know there is NO way to revoke the activation on GFWL. Yes there is a way to revoke the securerom license, but as stated before, that one isn't the problem here.

You are playing devil's advocate here, and doing a pretty lousy job.

@GTAfreak2012, you could Always try It did work on GFWL, where it accepted the EFLC key even though I was clearly running it in IV. I doubt it will work to get around the securerom activation though.

This post has been edited by sjaak327 on Tuesday, Jun 5 2012, 00:13

[mkey82]

QUOTE (sjaak327 @ Tuesday, Jun 5 2012, 00:58)

My problem as stated is that I hit the Microsoft enforced activation limit of GFWL, of which no evidence is apparent when I purchased the product, which in trun could pose a problem to Rockstar, as I would fully be entitled to return the product and receive a full refund, as I cannot use the product to it's full potential due to some hidden activation limit, which I as a customer was not in any way made aware off.

This is 100% correct. This is something MS likes to do and the sad thing is, they won't suffer from it on a larger scale as vast majority of users will use up maybe 2-3 activations.

However, it should be possible to get the counter reset with a phone call if you manage to get the proper department at XBOX support. From what I read, you usually need to ask for the xbox department even though you need support for the PC version. From there someone should be able to direct you toward the PC support section.

[radioman]

QUOTE

on a larger scale as vast majority of users will use up maybe 2-3 activations.

Yes, for the average person, that is all you need, as more than 3-4 activations would mean:(1) You are sharing the game with friends(which is illegal), OR (2) Have something major wrong with your PC, OR (3) You mess up modding too much...No offence, but it's true?...

Also, there IS a way to actually use NO Live activations, and that is to use the Xliveless program(created by Mkey-I think, as he has it linked in his sig.?), as it bypasses Live...

QUOTE

mind you, no toll free number

Come again? That is an obvious lie, as a quick search of Microsoft.com, gave a Toll-Free 1-800 number to call for support...lol No Offence. Here it is:

QUOTE

1-800-Microsoft (642-7676) Weekdays 5 A.M. - 9 P.M. (Pacific Time) Weekends 6 A.M. - 3 P.M. (Pacific Time)

You can also contact them by e-mail as well...

[sjaak327]

QUOTE (mkey82 @ Tuesday, Jun 5 2012, 07:25)

QUOTE (sjaak327 @ Tuesday, Jun 5 2012, 00:58) My problem as stated is that I hit the Microsoft enforced activation limit of GFWL, of which no evidence is apparent when I purchased the product, which in trun could pose a problem to Rockstar, as I would fully be entitled to return the product and receive a full refund, as I cannot use the product to it's full potential due to some hidden activation limit, which I as a customer was not in any way made aware off. This is 100% correct. This is something MS likes to do and the sad thing is, they won't suffer from it on a larger scale as vast majority of users will use up maybe 2-3 activations. However, it should be possible to get the counter reset with a phone call if you manage to get the proper department at XBOX support. From what I read, you usually need to ask for the xbox department even though you need support for the PC version. From there someone should be able to direct you toward the PC support section.

I did contact the "xbox guys", and they asked for a bunch of proof (which I talked about earlier). As of now they haven't replied back to me, but will call them again this afternoon to see how far they are along.

I was able to fix the issue by entering my EFLC key (wich I'm not really using, as I purchased it as DLC to be run under IV) but of course if I keep doing that enough, that key will be useless again. Now in about two to three months, when Windows 8 will be published at MSDN, I will have to go through the same procedure again, and would like to be able to use my Original IV key again.

Let's wait and see how MS is going to handle this.

[mkey82]

Stop your bullsh*t.

1. it doesn't matter how many activations one random user needs, they HAVE to state clearly how many activations you have and under which conditions are they required. They also have to provide a way to redeem code.
2. assuming a random user is a pirate make you look like an ever bigger asshole
3. xliveless doesn't allow online play and that's the only thing you need the GFWL activation for
4. I don't know, but I'm assuming those toll free numbers are not worldwide
5. good luck getting anywhere via e-mail