Omatek Counsels on Microsoft OS Activation

Omatek Computers Limited has advised buyers of locally
assembled systems to activate their original Microsoft
Operating System (OS) within the expiry date to
prevent the systems from crashing.

For local assembly factories, the Microsoft OS used to
test-run the systems in the factories before they are
unloaded into the market now comes with expiry dates
as a way of encouraging end-users to acquire their own
OS licences.

“We have observed that Microsoft operating system now
come with expiry dates to encourage the customers to
activate their own licences,” said Omatek General
Manager Yomi Soyinka in Lagos at the weekend.

“Usually, we load the OS by way of ‘ghosting’ on all
our hard disks from the master hard disk to allow us
test the activities of the various parts with the OS
on board,” added Soyinka.

 

Omatek CEO, Seriki.

Once tested and certified as fit for market, the
Microsoft OS licences that are sold with the systems
are expected to be activated by the customers
themselves. There are two ways to do this as designed
by Microsoft; they are through the Internet or by
simply dialing the local Helpdesk of the software
giant.

But most customers hardly activate their OS licences
leaving the pre-installed OS to crash after the expiry
dates on them have elapsed. Because most customers are
largely ignorant of these conditions, they usually
pass the buck on the hardware manufacturers in the
belief that their hardware is faulty.

“It is a software issue and has nothing to do with
hardware. Once the expiry dates come, the
pre-installed OS crashes. We are advising our
customers to open up their licensed CDs for online
activation,” said Soyinka while announcing that Omatek
factory had officially clocked a year last March.

To assist customers and avoid future occurrences,
Omatek said it has created a new section in its
factory called ‘Activation Unit’. The new section is a
sub-unit under the Quality Control Unit and would help
in activating all computers leaving the factory once
out of the ‘Burning Room.’

The Burning Room is where completed units of computer
hardware are test run with pre-installed OS before
they are certified fit for the sales shelves. “To
ensure that such problems do not re-occur in future,
our activation manager has been mandated to call on
every customer and ensure that every new purchase has
its OS licence activated,” added Soyinka.

Meanwhile, the company has asked that Microsoft
upgrade Nigerian factories to another Original
Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) level in order to
eliminate the burden of activation from the end-users
who are buying computer hardware from OEM licence
owners.

This would require more volume purchase as the level
of an OEM licence is determined by the number of
hardware systems a computer factory manufactures and
sells in the market. To get an OEM licence that would
remove the burden of activation directly from
end-users to hardware manufacturers would be depended
on the volume sales in the local market.

Omatek which got the endorsement of the International
Telecommunications Union (ITU) at the last Telecom
Africa 2004 held in Egypt also enjoyed the official
nod of the Federal Government of Nigeria during a
recent public unveiling of the company’s product at
the Aso Villa by President Obasanjo.

The company has recorded tremendous sales in 12 months
of opening its factory, “but we still need to grow the
sales up to a level where we can begin to enjoy what
the older foreign players enjoy from software makers
like Microsoft,” said Soyinka.

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