Microsoft will change the user experience of its automatic anti-piracy checks in Windows Vista and also make it harder for hackers to bypass the system in the first service pack for the OS due out early next year. Once Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) is installed on a PC, that computer will no longer go into limited functionality mode if a user or administrator fails to activate Vista on that system in 30 days, or if the system fails Microsoft's Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) validation, which checks to see if a version of Vista is pirated or counterfeit. In Vista, WGA is called the Software Protection Program feature.
In limited functionality mode, a computer will shut down after 60 minutes and then allow only browser use. Now, instead of going into that mode, a version of Vista that has not been activated in 30 days will start up with a black screen and a dialogue box that gives users the choice of activating Vista now or later, said Alex Kochis, a group product manager at Microsoft.
In limited functionality mode, a computer will shut down after 60 minutes and then allow only browser use. Now, instead of going into that mode, a version of Vista that has not been activated in 30 days will start up with a black screen and a dialogue box that gives users the choice of activating Vista now or later, said Alex Kochis, a group product manager at Microsoft.
If users choose to activate now, the screen prompts will lead them through the proper activation system. If users choose to activate later, all the usual functions of Windows will start up, but with a black screen in the background instead of whatever customized background screen a user had set for the system. Then, after 60 minutes of use, a balloon dialogue box will appear on the screen reminding the user to activate Vista. It also will reset the background to black even if a user had replaced the black screen with a customized view.
View: Full Article @ Computer World
How is this beefing up security?
How is this beefing up security?
RTFA before you bitch about something you don't need to worry about if you are LEGIT
How about when it constantly deactivates your legal copy just because you updated a driver instead? Then I think it would happen quite a bit.
Give it up Microsoft, your only annoying the legit customers.
Last edited by Angry_Badger on 04 Dec 2007 - 11:48
How is this beefing up security?
RTFA before you bitch about something you don't need to worry about if you are LEGIT
Read my reply before you post utter **** of no relevence.
When will people start to read the very articles they are complain about? It just displays ignorance.
It may have caused all sorts of problems and been a bane on a lot of users lives, but it DID work and forced a lot of people to go legit.
It may have caused all sorts of problems and been a bane on a lot of users lives, but it DID work and forced a lot of people to go legit.
Wrong, it forced a lot of people to go to Linux and OS X. OS X is achieving unprecedented increases in marketshare (when MS has has 98%+ for 20 years, that's a big deal).
Consider that there are about 1 billion licenses of Windows in one form or another in the world. Microsoft has lost 2% market share in the past year. That's 20 million people who've had it with MS and switched. Vista has less marketshare than Linux or OS X. It's the beginning of the end for MS.
Hardly since it really only ever affected legit users to begin with.... Pirates just laugh at this joke.
Consider that there are about 1 billion licenses of Windows in one form or another in the world. Microsoft has lost 2% market share in the past year. That's 20 million people who've had it with MS and switched. Vista has less marketshare than Linux or OS X. It's the beginning of the end for MS.
I'm one of those who has switched to Linux and I'm quite pleased with its stability and reliability as well.
At this rate, I'll probably use XP for 5 more years.
Pretty simple, actually. Pirated copy of Dell's Vista uses BIOS emulation to let Vista "know" you're using a Dell machine. Detecting something like this is not that hard.
Pretty simple, actually. Pirated copy of Dell's Vista uses BIOS emulation to let Vista "know" you're using a Dell machine. Detecting something like this is not that hard.
Unless of course your using an actuall DELL machine in which case you don't need to emulate the Dell bios becuase you have a real one.
Anyway, it will be cracked in a matter of days.
Wait, hasn't that already been done?
I'm reading this article and I see....
If you run an illegal copy of vista, the following will happen:
1) you can't have wallpapers
2) you get nagged a bit
and absolutely nothing else?
again I ask... how is this beefing up security? It seems less annoying that the limited functionality mode which has been removed?
Besides, for most people on Neowin they probably reformat before 30 days is up anyway!
I'm reading this article and I see....
If you run an illegal copy of vista, the following will happen:
1) you can't have wallpapers
2) you get nagged a bit
and absolutely nothing else?
again I ask... how is this beefing up security? It seems less annoying that the limited functionality mode which has been removed?
Besides, for most people on Neowin they probably reformat before 30 days is up anyway!
Nagging != security. They'll be less annoying, but more users will get caught out with it.
2) you get nagged a bit
and absolutely nothing else?
again I ask... how is this beefing up security?
Read on at page 2.
Change 1:
Change 2:
It's the second one that has me a bit concerned... I hope it's not about some sort of heuristic at work there, or it could maybe risk catching "suspicious but legal" things like Daemon Tools, which we use for legal reasons here at work.
Hmm, I wonder if the adoption rate is half too?
Last edited by Jugalator on 04 Dec 2007 - 12:32
Yes.
You think all these added checks and balances don't slow the system down at all? You are mistaken.
Agreed, and I agree with what most poeple here are saying, this will not prevent piracy or slow it down, what it will do is prevent people from buying an OS that may or may not work after 30 days even if it is legit. I purchased a copy of Vista Ultimate Upgrade from the Digital Locker, activated it, then when I Formatted later in the year it said my copy couldnt be re-activated... needless to say I forced them to give me my money back because I didnt want to deal with useless troubleshooting on a system that is flawed to begin with. Maybe if they didnt charge insane prices for their OS piracy wouldnt be a problem (not to mention 60 versions of the same software) I mean seriously. if 1 1 billion people use windows and MS only charged $100 a copy (which I would gladly pay for ultimate) thats 100 Billion dollars. Thats a lot of damn money for 1 piece of software. I just dont see why this crap was so expensive.
Although people do pirate the $10 softwares too, I would consider purchasing Vista Ultimate "Full" if it were $100, but I will NEVER buy it at $450. Sadly I love vista, I think it has some really awsome features. But I pay for headache mediicne, not headaches. I will be likely switching back to XP as soon as I decide to waste an entire day reinstalling software and games.
I've NEVER had a problem with Vista in this sense, though I do remember once after installing XP Pro for like the 50th time it said that I had re-activated it too many times and I would need to purchase a new licence - BOLLOCKS. I phoned India and they gave me an activation code, and I have been doing this ever since!!
Thats the way it should be!
They should be more conserned with making sure that people are using Windows and not some other OS. Then worry about craking down on the providers not the users. Eliminate the source, thats the route combating piracy should take not crack down on it so hard that no one wants to deal with the hastle of using the app if something goes wrong.
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