Windows 10 updates can disable pirated games and unauthorized hardware


Recommended Posts

Microsoft’s new Services Terms that went in effect on the 1st of August state the technology giant can prevent you from playing counterfeit games or use unauthorized hardware. The terms are valid for everyone using Microsoft services such as Office 365, Outlook.com, Xbox Live, Skype, OneDrive, Bing and MSN. Also software using a Microsoft account is covered by the terms meaning the terms also affect most Windows 10 users. Although Microsoft’s latest OS can be used without a Microsoft account the majority of users will nevertheless use it with an account from the Redmond company.

The terms now explicitly state Microsoft can release updates that could have some serious consequences. In the terms the company states it might, “download software updates or configuration changes, including those that prevent you from accessing the Services, playing counterfeit games, or using unauthorized hardware peripheral devices.”

It’s unclear what the company means with unauthorized hardware peripheral devices, it could be that the company will disable e.g. Xbox controllers that are not certified by Microsoft. Counterfeit games is more clear, this is pirated software.

Users not on Windows 10 could potentially also become a victim of these new terms, also updates to Skype, Windows Live Mail, Maps, OneDrive app, OneNote app, Windows Movie Maker, Windows Photo Gallery and Windows Games published by Microsoft are covered by the terms.

With the release of Windows 10 there has also been a lot of buzz regarding the privacy settings of the operating system. The express settings, which are used by default when installing the operating system, contain some settings that by some users are considered as privacy concerns, such as the use of Cortana, automatic updates, the use of a Microsoft account and the gathering of telemetry and privacy by Microsoft.

Source:

http://www.apexa.co/2015/08/windows-10-updates-can-disable-pirated.html

 

This is going to be interesting, if true.

I wonder how it would goes with the hardware side of things, disable via driver? Flash firmware? If that the care then someone will figure out how to write a virus around it.

I wonder how it would goes with the hardware side of things, disable via driver? Flash firmware? If that the care then someone will figure out how to write a virus around it.

Hello,

It might also apply to devices which strip DRM such as HDCP from DVDs, Blu-ray discs, video streams and so forth.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

I don't know, what do they mean by "unauthorized hardware peripheral devices", but if I understand clearly about pirated games, they sure mean to use "Windows Defender" to block pirated games and software's ;)

I don't know, what do they mean by "unauthorized hardware peripheral devices", but if I understand clearly about pirated games, they sure mean to use "Windows Defender" to block pirated games and software's ;)

or say you mod your xb1? they have the abilty to disable it is what it think they are getting at

Until its from a more reliable source - this sounds like more anti-microsoft BS -

I remember when Vista came out there was talk about the Paradigm network, or Paragon network (something like that) and if you weren't running Vista, or had unauthorized software/hardware - then you couldnt get on the internet or something stupid like that.  And some anti-microsoft apple fanboy was telling me, in my boss's office, that we needed to switch because Microsoft could remove any software on our computer that they didnt approve of.

Thankfully, my boss asked me before making decisions - I told him to never let that person on the premises again because he was obviously an unstable idiot.

 

  • Like 4

It would be real easy for the author to actually show the verbiage in the reported ToS - but since they didn't - Im calling BS

 

11YH5.thumb.gif.52390b45dc57750ae7d7f1cd

Not to mention if you visit the site apexa.co

The article tags are "awww BUZZ LOL WTF""

 

But sure, in the sense that xbox live could check if n Launcher doesn't meet hash, it is probably pirated.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Posts

    • No idea, frankly, I'm not into minimum requirements gaming, but it would be an interesting test to find out. Also, I just have to point out that it wasn't my intention to downplay the performance of DXVK on Linux or Linux gaming in general (despite my own experience being a bit of a mixed bag). I just thought it would be good to point out that DXVK is not Linux exclusive and that you can benefit from using it even in Windows.
    • Fastfetch 2.64 released bringing new logos and other improvements by David Uzondu Fastfetch, the popular command-line system information tool that developers created as a fast alternative to the classic Neofetch utility, has updated its codebase to version 2.64, bringing experimental scripting power, streamlined compilation options, a smarter logo renderer, and Codec module support. As noted earlier, Fastfetch can now detect hardware-accelerated video codecs across Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android through this new Codec module. On Linux and BSD, the utility uses VA-API by default, with a fallback to VDPAU on Nvidia hardware if compiled with libva and libvdpau. Windows users get D3D12VA on Windows 11 or D3D11VA with Media Foundation Transforms on older systems, while macOS relies on VideoToolbox and Android utilizes AMediaCodec. You can manually toggle Vulkan Video via the config file, and the program will report both encoders and decoders unless configured otherwise. Logo support for Quasar, Origami, Origami_small, NixOS2, and BerserkArch also landed in this release. BerserkArch, if you have never heard of it, is a specialized Arch Linux derivative that targets security researchers and power users. This distro comes with an offensive security tool manager, simply called berserk, which allows users to install complex hacking toolkits with single terminal commands. Moving on, Fastfetch now has experimental scripting options for custom formats using Lua or QuickJS. The Lua integration supports versions 5.3 through 5.5, sharing a single interpreter instance across all modules so you can store variables globally. T Alternatively, if you prefer JavaScript, you can use QuickJS-ng version 0.15.0 or newer to evaluate your custom formats with the qjs: prefix. Other changes that version 2.64 brings include native CMake compilation flags to disable specific modules to shrink the final binary size. Users can delete unwanted ASCII logo files directly from the source directory before building to save additional space. The format engine now boasts ANSI-escape awareness, meaning you can center text with the new vertical bar specifier without breaking colored outputs. Haiku users receive preliminary support for boot manager, window manager theme, screen brightness, and other basic properties. Finally, the Linux edition now extracts desktop wallpaper and theme details from the modern COSMIC desktop environment.
    • That's a good number until the game you want to play is not in that list. 
    • So, the logo means No ducking AI?
    • For sure, humanity us highly unlikely to survive the helium flash. Even if we have colonized moons in the outer planets by then, that is such a monumental change in heat output, coupled with the destruction of Earth, it's unlikely we could be fully prepared for changes of that scale.
  • Recent Achievements

    • Apprentice
      fernan99 went up a rank
      Apprentice
    • One Month Later
      nothanks earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • One Month Later
      B2Proxy earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • One Year In
      MadMung0 earned a badge
      One Year In
    • Week One Done
      jefred earned a badge
      Week One Done
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      473
    2. 2
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      246
    3. 3
      Skyfrog
      79
    4. 4
      FloatingFatMan
      75
    5. 5
      Michael Scrip
      59
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!