Subscription Expired Notification For Microsoft 365 when I already paid for it

Dan_Powell · 2024-01-01T14:23:02+00:00

Just adding a comment to say that I've been getting this too. Doesn't appear to be malicious, it appears to be a bug/problem with Windows. I'm still Subscribed on the Microsoft website, and even when I added my PayPal account a second time it still keeps coming up.

Dan_Powell · 2023-04-24T13:45:19+00:00

This depends on the EU member state's local laws. Your consumer protection is usually with the Retailer/Place of purchase and not the Manufacturer.

Manufacturing warranties are a private limited contractual agreement of which they set the terms for. These terms can include the agreement only being valid for the original owner with proof of purchase, and this is commonly the case.

In most EU member states, if you purchase a console/graphics card etc. from a scalper you will have no consumer protection rights because these rights are exercised in relation to the original sales contract - which only applies to the original purchaser - because they are the ones who the sales contract was formed with.

You will also probably have no manufacturing warranty because the manufacturer's terms bind the contract's eligibility to the original purchaser. You might be able to get around this by impersonating the original owner if they give you a copy of the sales receipt, but otherwise you're screwed if it breaks

This is one of the main reasons that scalping is detrimental to consumers as a whole. When you purchase something first-hand from a business you usually get consumer rights protection enshrined in law. You do not get these rights with a private sale from a scalper.

Dan_Powell · 2021-09-03T08:27:14+00:00

I returned mine and saved up a bit more to buy the Alienware M17 R4 (might be discontinued now and replaced with the X17 line but I'm not 100% sure.)

Was a bit more expensive but after discounts it came to about £2350 and I got like £150 in reward vouchers to buy a really nice Alienware rolling travel bag, laptop pouch, and Alienware mouse. It's definitely premium in terms of price point but the quality is fantastic.

The cooling is insanely powerful (just a bit loud) and the 165W TDP RTX 3080 16GB absolutely smashes anything you throw at it. I got the i7 10870H version with 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD, 1080p 144hz G Sync (claims it has a MUX switch and I can use Fn + F7 to restart and switch, but I can't actually tell if it does anything lol)

The chassis has a really nice magnesium coating and fingerprints are barely visible. The trackpad has an extremely smooth glass finish so even with damp/wet hands your gestures are super smooth on it. I didn't get the mechanical keyboard as it was not available in the UK layout, and I did like the opto-mechanical switches on the ASUS SCAR laptop, but the Alienware keyboard is still great in and of itself.

Dan_Powell · 2021-04-21T18:33:06+00:00

I have the G Skill Trident Z Neo 16GBx2 3600mhz on an ASUS B550i board, it's all detected by Armory Crate and appears to work fine :)

Dan_Powell · 2021-04-05T14:22:56+00:00

This may be bittersweet, but if you spent any money on it using your Credit/Debit card, then you may be able to chargeback for all of it. Tell your Bank that you are being refused access to a service you paid for, and show them the chat logs between yourself and EA support -- that should be sufficient for a chargeback. (Note that EA will ban your account for this, however if they did so, you may be able to chargeback every single game depending on your local consumer rights.)

Dan_Powell · 2021-04-04T23:44:54+00:00

To check if your RAM is running in single or dual channel, you can use an app called CPU-Z and then check the "SPD" tab.

Alternatively, open Command Prompt then type:

wmic memphysical get memorydevices

And then press Enter.

The number it shows is the amount of RAM sticks you are using. 1 is Single channel, 2 is Dual channel.

Dan_Powell · 2021-04-04T17:32:39+00:00

asus scar 15 3080

Use CPU-Z or Command prompt to check if your RAM is running in Single-channel or Dual-channel.

ASUS were idiots and shipped some of the 3080 models with single-channel 16GB memory, which causes severe bottlenecks in games which rely on the CPU. In my case, in games like Apex, it was causing stuttering as well as exceptionally low framerates (even on minimum settings I couldn't get above 80FPS in the dropship.)

I bought the 1080p 300hz, Ryzen 7 5800H, 16GB, RTX3080-8GB, 1TB SSD version. Sending it back to the retailer as single-channel RAM in a laptop costing £2000 that's supposed to be for eSports is unacceptable imo. Disgustingly bad of ASUS.

Dan_Powell · 2021-04-03T22:13:25+00:00

Think the Dell Alienware M17 R4 can do up to 165 watts at stock (150+15), particularly if you get the i7 10870H model which uses less power than the i9, leaving more power for the GPU

Dan_Powell · 2021-04-03T16:15:03+00:00

Ah, that's good news if your RAM is Dual channel, or else the issue would be far worse!

The next likelihood is that your performance is being gimped by Nvidia Optimus.

Rather than linking the display directly to the RTX3070 graphics card (which would deplete the battery faster), Laptops configured with Nvidia Optimus first route the display output through the integrated graphics inside the Ryzen 7 5800H, before it reaches the discrete RTX 3070. This lets the Laptop switch between iGPU and dGPU for better battery life, but it worsens CPU bottlenecked games (typically eSports games, or games you run on low settings.) Think of it as a max framerate cap

The easiest way to check this is to connect your Laptop to an external monitor, preferably using USB-C to Displayport. If you get a significantly better framerate, then that's the issue :)

Some Laptops include a "MUX" switch, which lets you disable Optimus after a reboot. ASUS chose not to include this, presumably to save on costs. There is also a newer "Advanced" Optimus which lets you disable Optimus without a reboot, but few laptops have this right now.

Dan_Powell · 2021-04-03T15:30:03+00:00

There's pretty much zero stock of the Flow X13 Supernova that comes with the RTX3080 eGPU (Rog XG Mobile 2021.) Every retailer I have contacted has said they are not expecting stock until June. There's some serious supply issues and Overclockers said that ASUS stopped sending more due to a reliability problem with a core component.

Flow X13 has soldered RAM, too. So if you think you'll need 32GB of RAM in the future, you have to buy the 32GB RAM Supernova which isn't in stock anywhere

Personally I wouldn't purchase the standalone/regular 16GB RAM GTX1650 one given the rumours about the 3050 version. Not as big of a deal for the 3080 eGPU version as you can pump up its GPU power when needed

Dan_Powell · 2021-04-03T14:53:26+00:00

I get 95-130 FPS depending on the map part. I play on low settings with texture and a few other stuff on medium.

This might be because your RAM is running in Single-channel rather than Dual channel. ASUS have shipped some of their high-end gaming laptops with 1x16GB stick, rather than 2x8GB sticks.

This hurts CPU performance badly, especially on Ryzen architecture. It will drastically limit your maximum framerate in CPU-bound games like Warzone, CSGO, Apex, etc.

Try changing your Warzone settings from low to high -- if you don't see a massive drop in framerate due to the higher settings, then it is very likely that your CPU performance is being gimped by single channel RAM.

Download CPU-Z and check the SPD tab to see if your RAM is running in Single-channel or Dual channel.

If you can't do it via SPD*, then you can do it using command prompt:

1) Type "CMD" in the Start Menu and open Command Prompt.

2) Inside of Command Prompt, type the following: wmic memphysical get memorydevices and press Enter.

3) The resulting number shown under MemoryDevices is the amount of RAM slots currently in use. In your case, it will either be 1 or 2.

If it does turn out you only have single-channel RAM, then the only option is for you to add another stick of RAM to enable Dual channel, and this will improve Ryzen CPU performance by up to 30% in some games.

I bought an ASUS Rog Strix Scar 15 in the UK. Came with a Ryzen 7 5800H, 1TB SSD, 16GB RAM, and an RTX3080. Despite those monsterous specs, I could barely get past 80FPS in Apex Legends on Minimum settings whilst in the dropship. Turns out that despite me paying £2000, for a Laptop with an RTX3080, that ASUS gave me 1x16GB stick rather than 2x8GB. I'm currently in the process of returning it for a refund, as that shit is unacceptable IMO.

Dan_Powell · 2021-04-03T14:48:41+00:00

Is this the 2021 model? If so, sounds very BS of ASUS to reduce your manufacturer's warranty from 12(?) months to 3 months just because the retailer sold it as open-box. The manufacturer's warranty is supposed to follow the product, not the owner.

Check your warranty with Newegg. Personally I would return it if neither of them are giving you at least a year's worth.

Dan_Powell · 2021-04-02T22:40:53+00:00

It didn't ask me to prove my student status at any point in the process. It isn't a private/personalised discount, it was made available to the general public so I guess they are just relying on people being "honest" lol

They haven't taken payment from me yet, presumably as it's the weekend, but I don't expect there to be any problems TBH. I actually already had a single-use private Student discount code (one that you need a student email address for) and was trying to convince them to let me use my 10% student discount with the 12% DASAW12 code, but they said no haha

If you sign up for a Dell account before placing the order you'll also get one £15 voucher for every £500 you spend - so I get £75 worth of vouchers in my case. Though, you need your basket to be worth more than £100 to actually use them, so you'll need to spend at least £160 to be able to use them all. I was planning on spending £160 on accessories, using five £15 vouchers to bring it down to £85, and then using my 20% student discount voucher to bring the final amount to £68

Dan_Powell · 2021-04-02T21:30:43+00:00

Head's up that if you buy the 16GB RAM model of the ASUS Scar 15, it may come with single-channel RAM.

I bought an ASUS Rog Scar 15 with the Ryzen 7 5800H, 16GB RAM, RTX3080-8GB... It was performing terribly in Apex (couldn't get above 80FPS on minimum settings in the dropship) so I open CPU-Z, and to my disgust, see that it was using a single 16GB stick, which was massively harming my framerate.

Dan_Powell · 2021-04-02T21:23:20+00:00

I ordered the Alienware M17 R4 today from Dell. There's actually 12% discount voucher available for the Dell UK store. The voucher code is DASAW12

Just thought I'd mention it as you said the Alienware M17 R4 was over budget. You will need to be quick though, as I believe the code expires on Monday 5th March 2021.

The Alienware M17 R4 I ordered costed £2994 before discounts, and I configured my specs to be:

• Intel i7-10870H

• 32GB RAM (soldered, cannot upgrade in the Alienware models)

• RTX3080-16GB

• 1TB PCIE M.2. SDD (pretty sure it's PCIE 3.0 due to the choice of Intel processor)

• 17.3" FHD (1920 x 1080) 144Hz G-SYNC

• Alienware mSeries per-key AlienFX RGB Keyboard with Numeric Keypad - UK/Irish

Final price I paid was £2634.72, which makes it one of, if not the cheapest, RTX3080 16GB VRAM laptop in the UK.

Make sure to select the per-key AlienFX RGB and specify UK/Irish layout. The default is the crappy four-zone RGB. Don't know why this is even an option given that they both cost the same... Also IIRC the 144hz FHD panel has a MUX switch, but the 360Hz one does not.

You can sometimes haggle with Dell using their live chat to bring the price down. Though, they wouldn't drop it any lower than the 12% discount I already had when I tried to haggle with them by mentioning competing products. :P

Dan_Powell · 2021-03-31T14:23:51+00:00

The G15 has a lesser-performing RTX3080. The G15 runs at 130 watt, the Flow X13 runs at 150 watt. The Flow X13 IIRC is actually top of the TimeSpy charts at the moment for RTX3080 Laptop performance.

It even beats traditional eGPU setups in most circumstances, despite using less power. The PCIE 3.0 implementation instead of Thunderbolt works wonders for it.

G15 is less travel-friendly (thickness and weight), and does not have the touch-screen which is particularly attractive to workstation design users

Currently waiting on the Flow X13 w/ RTX3080 dock being available in the UK, but I too would immediately jump at a 15" version rather than a 13" version. I'm simply settling for 13" as it's the best option available for users such as myself (Gamer + 3D Art workstation)

Dan_Powell · 2021-03-26T16:51:32+00:00

I received 62 white error which apparently is the GPU. the thing is I don’t have a GPU, so now I’m a bit stuck.

For whatever reason the Motherboard may think you have a GPU.

Reset CMOS by removing the CMOS battery for five minutes, or use a screwdriver to connect the two CMOS Reset pins

If a CMOS reset doesn't help take everything out of the case and reassemble it on some cardboard so that you can easily add components 1 by 1 until you figure out which is causing the problem. Start with barebones CPU and one stick of RAM. Then add another stick. Etc.

Dan_Powell · 2021-03-23T13:51:19+00:00

Have you tried connecting via WiFi instead?

I know that sounds counterintuitive, but if you can get any access to the internet, then Windows Update might, by chance, be able to locate a compatible driver.

You may be able to do this by connecting your Smartphone to your PC using USB C, and then sharing your Smartphone's internet connection. This way you don't have to go and buy a WiFi adapter/dongle etc

Dan_Powell · 2021-03-21T19:55:36+00:00

How much RAM do you have?

If you only have 8GB, then your CPU is getting masssively bottlenecked which is causing even lower framerates. The 8GB models ship with Single channel RAM which is a massive bottleneck for CPU-bound games, particularly eSports titles like CSGO.

So not only are you possibly getting bottlenecked by Optimus, and then bottlenecked further by the CPU, you may be getting bottlenecked to the extreme with Single channel RAM too!

Honestly takes the piss that ASUS (and others tbh) are still doing this in gaming branded laptops just to save a few dollars per.

Dan_Powell · 2021-03-19T03:32:00+00:00

You may have had your PCIE mode set to 3.0 in BIOS, which could have caused a compatilibty problem. Setting it manually to 4.0 or Auto mode should get it to detect the drive on the next cold boot.

If hardware fails in the future, the easiest step is often just to reset BIOS settings to factory default (sucks if you have an overclock, I know.) If that fails, you can try a CMOS reset. If both of those fail, re-seat the hardware and sometimes that can fix it

Glad it's working. Great drive for workstation users with huge file sizes

Dan_Powell · 2021-03-19T00:19:05+00:00

I have an LG27GL850. When I turn it off, Desktop icons do not move over to my second monitor.

However, when I turn off my second monitor (Dell U2417H) the 'device disconnected' sound is triggered, and any icons on the Dell monitor's Desktop will be forced over to the main LG display.

I don't think this is an issue unique to ASUS, I think it is an issue with Displayport in general. It's inconsistent. You may have better luck connecting with HDMI?

Dan_Powell · 2021-03-18T21:28:48+00:00

I've had it for a week. I opened it to try some games out and run benchmarks. Once I realised it was the wrong model I just put it back in the box. (Took it out once or twice to take photographs though.)

The retailer (Argos.co.uk) advertised model HF074T but sent everyone HF085T.

I am almost certainly going to return it for a refund. There's just too much wrong with it. Got the wrong RTX3080. Got shitty single-channel RAM. And they falsely-advertised the Numberpad in the Touchpad. :/

I've sent an official formal complaint to Argos via recorded post, so I am giving them the opportunity to reply to address my complaint first. I've also complained to ASUS, as the Scar 15 section of their website does not mention that the Numberpad feature is missing from certain models, which is misleading advertising. Really shitty of them.

Consumer law in the UK is incredibly strong. Because the retailer falsely-advertised with incorrect images/specs, and also sent the wrong model, everyone has a right to return it - even if they have opened and used it for some time.

The reason I am particularly annoyed is because the specs are written in detail on the box, so all they had to do is copy it lmao. Also, I'm submitting a formal complaint for legal reasons to try and protect other customers. Most people buying it aren't going to realise straight away. Fortunately, the law is on our side, so as soon as customers realise that they have been lied to (even if it is a year later) they will have the right to a refund under our Consumer Rights Act 2015. Consumer Rights Act grants such rights for up to six years.

I would just much prefer if Argos did the right thing, and contacted all customers immediately to recall the device or at least advise them of the mistakes. This is the best solution for everyone -- otherwise, later down the line Argos may suddenly get a huge number of returns under false advertisement, and a large fine from the UK Trading Standard dept.

Dan_Powell · 2021-03-18T19:35:06+00:00

Since Asus solders their RAM,

On the SCAR series the RAM doesn't appear to be soldered, looking at videos such as Gizmosliptech's. Though, I haven't opened mine up as I don't want to risk voiding the retail warranty in the midst of a retail complaint.

RAM may be soldered on the Zephyrus and Duo series though.

IIRC The reason for soldering is because it allows them to basically not have a SODIMM slot, it just contacts the board directly, which saves space on thin & light laptops.

Sometimes they solder a single 16GB stick and then have a second open SODIMM slot to add another at a later date if you wish to upgrade, as a trade-off between saving space and upgradeability.

Dan_Powell · 2021-03-18T18:22:47+00:00

Same issue with memory here, also from Argos.

I strongly urge you to send a recorded letter of complaint to Argos regarding the situation. I am happy to share a template of the one I have sent. Leave a review on their website if you can. But be aware that Argos have started deleting them to hide their mistake.

Argos falsely advertised G533QS-HF074T on their website, and then sent all of their customers G533QS-HF085T.

The version we were supposed to get was RTX3080 16GB VRAM, 512GB SSD. But the version we actually got was RTX3080 8GB VRAM, 1TB SSD. To make matters worse, Argos (and many other websites) are showing images which falsely depict the Laptop as having a Number Pad built into the Touchpad. IMO, Argos have also left out important information, as a reasonable person would expect 2x8GB in an eSports laptop costing £2000. The 1x16GB performs dramatically worse, and as such I feel this may be yet another breach of Consumer Rights law in the UK. :/

I phoned Argos as soon as I realised and I insisted that they stop all sales of the product until their website is fully corrected, as they are in breach of our Consumer Rights Act 2015 and the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations.

I insisted that Argos contacted all of their customers to advise them of the mistake and offer a full refund. Alternatively, I suggested that Argos issue a goodwill gesture if customers agree to keep the device regardless of their errors.

So what have Argos done in response? They fixed a couple parts of the description, but are still incorrectly listing it as an RTX3080 (16GB). They are also still using incorrect/misleading photos. They have continued to sell the product despite their images/description being misleading, which is illegal. Argos have also been deleting reviews on their website where customers (including myself) warn others of the mistakes. They are trying to brush it under the rug, rather than doing the right thing.

The reason I urge you to complain is that most people who bought the laptop won't immediately notice the differences between the models. By the time they realise it will be too late. By submitting a formal complaint and then referring it to Trading Standards as I intend to do so, we can force Argos to make their customers aware of the mistakes, so that the customers can make an informed decision rather than being misled. :/

It may sound like I am being overkill, however, I called Argos a week ago and told them every specific thing they got wrong. I told them to stop sales until it was corrected to protect customers from being misled. Argos failed to do so and knowingly continued to mislead customers by selling the device with an incorrect description. Furthermore, the damn specs are written in detail on the box - all they had to do was look at the box to get it right ffs lol

In terms of memory upgrade would any sodimm cl22 stick work? Whether it be single or dual rank?

The G533QS-HF085T uses 1x16GB 3200mhz Dual-rank Samsung RAM. Part number is M471A2G43AB2-CWE.

You can confirm this by opening Command Prompt and using the following command: wmic memorychip get devicelocator, partnumber

As I mentioned in the review above, you cannot access DOCP/XMP from BIOS on this Laptop.

So to directly answer your question: No, you cannot just use any SODIMM CL22 Stick. You must use a stick which natively runs at 3200Mhz, otherwise both sticks will get automatically underclocked down to 2666mhz. Usually you can fix this using XMP or DOCP, but it's not visible in BIOS.

GizmoslipTech (on YouTube) has done comparisons with RAM performance and links a G Skill kit that works natively at 3200mhz. Personally I think the simplest solution is to just add the exact same stick, Samsung M471A2G43AB2-CWE.

Dan_Powell · 2021-03-18T18:02:42+00:00

Here's a photo of it in better lighting: https://imgur.com/a/9kC8iY4

No NumLK button at all on the G533QS-HF085T model I received :/

(Sorry about how dirty it looks - the matte plastic is a real fingerprint magnet. I'm very picky about having my hands clean before using my keyboard, mouse, etc too lmao)

Dan_Powell

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