here's my example I put over in the freeware list, explaining how huge an amount of data gets shuffled in activatation, and this game is 146 megs bigger at each step, so the numbers are 391, 782, and someplace way past 1.2 gigabytes.

from: http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/684/page/2?replies=53#post-16628

"An example, using the default location for temp:

If you try to install, say, I love kittens! (253 MB) which you downloaded to someplace on the c: drive and start the install, the ggaotd wrapper unpacks it to the temp dir (now there's 506 MB used on c:), starts the game's installer, and if you choose to install it to c:, then you'll need at least another 253 megs (probably lots more) to get it done, or something over 760 megs."

if your hard drive stops thrashing and it doesn't pick back up, then consider other things- like windows expanding virtual memory, or not enough space on the partition.

if the drive light's still on, it's not there yet.

Virgoth, the activation of such a big package can take a long time, especially on an old PC.

I’ve tried activating Space Interceptor numerous times. I’ve even downloaded it 3 times now, thinking something may have gone wrong in the download. It will not activate or install.

I've shut down my firewall so that it cannot possibly be a problem.

I have been waiting for hours with the "Activating" window showing but nothing happening. I've "End Task"ed the Activating window twice, and started all over from the beginning to no avail. Another person #49 had commented that his had taken 15 minutes of sitting around, before it finally actually worked. So I was hopeful. But at this point I'm simply disappointed. I guess that the time will run out for me to activate the game without the problem being resolved.