Purchased several computers at Best Buy after being assured that the XP Media Center OS would allow us to hook them to the domain at work. Took one computer home, set it up, installed required programs, and transported to the office the following day.
Upon trying to log on to the network discovered that the option to join a domain no longer existed (by Microsoft design). Returned to store. Talked Best Buy into taking the unopened ones back. Best Buy personnel shook their collective heads and said I didn't know Media Center would do that! Isn't that interesting? Learn something new every day. But we cannot take the computer back because it has been used and told me that I needed to purchase an XP Pro upgrade version for $200, which I did.
Attempted to upgrade the Media Center edition to Pro. Received Invalid CD Key messages. Best Buy says Not our problem call Microsoft, which I did. After speaking with tech support, it turns out that Media Center is considered to be an upgrade from Pro and not the other way around!
Called Best Buy again and explained the situation. The solution? 1) Pay us $500 for an XP Pro full version, format the drive, and reinstall everything and no you cannot return the upgrade version because the Digital Millennium Copyright Act makes it illegal for us to accept returns of opened software. Honestly! I was told that on two separate occasions!
Or 2) We know how to hack the original Media Center OS to get it to do what you need... But it will cost you $130. We'll be glad to send a guy to your office. But you still can't return the software we mistakenly thought you needed.
I've seen the hack (and it's anything but straightforward -talked to MS tech support about it. They indicated that future security (and other) updates may not work if this hack is instituted.
Bait & Switch? Maybe not from a legal perspective but it sure feels so to me.
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