“You contacted Microsoft support, it was the first mistake”

Sep 4, 2015 09:54 GMT  ·  By

Back in 2014, when Satya Nadella took over from Steve Ballmer and became the new Microsoft CEO, he promised to revamp the software giant from the ground up, and just by having a look at the things he’s changed in the last 12 months, it’s pretty clear that the software giant has a new vision (we’re not saying that it’s good or bad, it’s just a new vision).

But there’s one small side of the business that Nadella actually forgot to look into: Microsoft support.

The service that should be there when you need help and that should actually get you in touch with professionals working for Microsoft and having much more experience than you is going from bad to worse. And it’s no secret that, every time you contact Microsoft support, you’re actually connected to an individual who’s either not trained to help you or who puts a thousand questions for the simplest possible thing.

But this time, we’ve got an example that is as funny as it is sad. Reddit user Mercarcher has revealed a conversation with a Microsoft support engineer that he had when trying to get help with Windows 10.

Here’s some context on this to make sure you read the conversation (which we provide in detail at the end of the article using the screenshots published online by Mercarcher himself).

Common problem, unexpected answer

The reddit user jumped from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10 using the standard upgrade path to benefit from the free offer, but soon after that, he decided to replace his HDD with an SSD. Everything worked smoothly, but once he performed a clean install on his new SSD, Windows 10 failed to activate.

Microsoft says that, in order to do a clean install and activate successfully, you first have to complete the upgrade from a previous Windows version to Windows 10 so that the new OS can verify your product key and activate. After that, you can reinstall as many times as you wish.

But in case you change your hardware (the license is usually tied to the motherboard, but replacing the HDD could also mess the activation), reactivation might be required, so getting in touch with Microsoft support is needed. Usually, all it takes is using an automated call system that verifies you, but this time, the Windows 10 user had to talk to a real person.

And you know what he did? He tricked Microsoft and he might get his Windows 10 license banned. Just as one commenter said, “you contacted Microsoft support, that was the first mistake.”

Good God, Microsoft, why is this still happening?

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Windows 10 can be reinstalled after the free upgrade is performed
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