This has been a frustrating day, and it's because of Microsoft. Here's the situation:

We ordered about 100 Dell computers, and we are moving from 2K to XP. I have set up one of these new machines the way we want it, and I will create an image from it that will go onto all the other computers. Our problem: that damn Windows activation mechanism. Naturally, we don't want the same product key on all our machines, or things like Windows Update probably won't work (right?). So we purchased a volume license key. The problem is that the computer I'm working on has it's own key and is already activated anyway. So I tried following these instructions, and everything worked fine until I got to step 10, when I was told that the key I was entering was not valid.

So I called the number supplied by the activation program. That led me to three people who had no idea what I was talking about, and finally I was connected to someone who wanted $250 to help me. So I hung up after this 45 minute run-around, and called Dell, since we have gold level tech support with them. They were as helpful as they could be, considering this problem has nothing to do with them. The tech connected me to MS, and we were forwarded to the "Volume Licensing Team." After 15 minutes of listening to the exact same 20 second hold tune (shoot me, please!), an automated message said something along the lines of "we can't help you at this time. please hang up." So the thing hung up on me, and the Dell rep was gone. Now I'm back to square one.

What the heck do I do? I'm not getting much help from the other people in my company, or even the guy who ordered the volume license. You'd think that for something so expensive, they would give us a little more support.