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Vista Can Run Without Activation for a Year

An anonymous reader gave us a heads up on this article for people who like putting things off. It begins: "Windows Vista can be run for at least a year without being activated, a serious end-run around one of Microsoft's key anti-piracy measures, Windows expert Brian Livingston said today. Livingston, who publishes the Windows Secrets newsletter, said that a single change to Vista's registry lets users put off the operating system's product activation requirement an additional eight times beyond the three disclosed last month. With more research, said Livingston, it may even be possible to find a way to postpone activation indefinitely."

19 of 357 comments (clear)

  1. And how long.... by Tanuki64 · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...does it run with activation key? SCNR :-)

    1. Re:And how long.... by jkrise · · Score: 3, Funny

      Until Service Pack 1 comes out.
      Or until you insert an Ubuntu CD.
      Or until you stop the messy Windows Update service.
      Or you keep posting negative comments about Microsoft on Slashdot.

      whichever is earlier.

      --
      If you keep throwing chairs, one day you'll break windows....
  2. Again I say! by arpy · · Score: 3, Funny

    Tag it: "defectivebyaccident"!

  3. Can't wait by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    for some twit to tag this either 'haha' or 'defectivebydesign'

  4. Should be good enough for the home user by smchris · · Score: 2, Funny

    Win9X seems to have conditioned a lot of users to think that reinstalling every 6 months or so is normal anyway.

  5. Very Exciting, but already done by ehaggis · · Score: 5, Funny

    My Linux box runs for at least a year without activation also.

    --
    One ring to bind them - should probably have more fiber and less rings in their diet.
    1. Re:Very Exciting, but already done by daranz · · Score: 3, Funny
      --
      This is a sig. It is appended to the end of comments I post.
  6. Re:Edit the SkipRearm Key by SkipRearm · · Score: 5, Funny

    Hi ! I'm Skip, Skip Rearm.

  7. Re:Edit the SkipRearm Key by Dekortage · · Score: 2, Funny

    ...and the answer is: six minutes! :-)

    --
    $nice = $webHosting + $domainNames + $sslCerts
  8. Re:How long before Microsoft patches Vista by jkrise · · Score: 2, Funny

    Seriously, they do have this little windows update thing that sends out updates, I'm sure it's mostly trivial for them to fix the flaw...

    It is not a flaw... it is a feature. Will corporates or home users willingly shell out big bucks for 8-times more hardware resources just to find the new OS cannot be pirated easily like the old one?

    Every OS from MS-DOS onwards has been piratable by design, for a reason.

    In DOS, you run format b:/s to get a pirated boot floppy with io.sys, msdos.sys and command.com.
    With Vista, you hack a few registry settings, and MS will pretend not to notice.

    --
    If you keep throwing chairs, one day you'll break windows....
  9. Security Update for Windows Vista (KB666666) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Download size: 773 KB , less than 1 minute
    A security issue has been identified that could allow you to compromise your Windows-based system using regedit and gain control of your licensing destiny. You can help protect our destiny by installing this update from Microsoft. After you install this item, you wil be required to restart your computer.

  10. Re:Just extends the captive marketshare... by value_added · · Score: 4, Funny

    the so-called sysadmins in Corporate settings who will not learn ipconfig, iptables and basic Unix commands..

    $ ipconfig
    bash: ipconfig: command not found

    $ echo "alias ipconfig=ifconfig" >> ~/.bashrc

    It's never ceased to amaze me the sheer number of workarounds one collects when using or administering Windows systems. To say nothing of endless variations of regkeys and values that must be memorised, but change frequently enough to remind you that the sum total of your knowledge is mostly a collection of useless trivia.

  11. Re:Why bother? by bigdavex · · Score: 4, Funny

    Put Gentoo CD in drive, install, no need for license key bullshit. When I get bored I play the piano, or if music isn't my fancy I turn on the xbox and play something.

    Right, you have to do something while it compiles.
    --
    -Dave
  12. Re:Edit the SkipRearm Key by beset · · Score: 2, Funny

    You must be new here...

    --
    1) Clever Sig 2) ????? 3) Profit!
  13. Re:Why bother? by rucs_hack · · Score: 5, Funny

    1: Put gentoo cd in drive
    2: wade through the initial setup in the voluminous manual
    3: try to work out how the hell textmode web browsers work
    4: discover gnome won't emerge and compile because you don't have -tk set as a USE flag
    5: Try to figure out what the fuck a USE flag is anyway
    6: Spend a day trying to set up X.org
    7: mistakenly try to compile Openoffice from source
    8: wait...
    9: wait....
    10: wait....
    11: Find that your config files need updating.
    11: Realise Gnome is screwed because you updated the config files wrong
    12: Give up on Gnome, try to install KDE
    13: wait..
    14: wait....
    15: wait.....
    16: find that something you want is masked, unmask it. Smiling happily as it compiles
    17: slowly realise that you've done something very very bad...
    18: Give the fuck up and try Fedora instead

  14. Re:Why bother? by tomstdenis · · Score: 1, Funny

    My bad.

    Piano: "You seem to be playing a nice Minuet, please insert your RIAA approved USB dongle to continue."
    Me: "I don't have a dongle, it's sheet music I bought, I'm playing it myself!!!"
    Piano: "Pirate!!! You're stealing the artists hard music, this piano will now self destruct." ... uh oh ...

    Tom

    --
    Someday, I'll have a real sig.
  15. Re:Why bother? by Red+Flayer · · Score: 5, Funny

    Dear Sir,

    We have asked your piano tuner to forward this letter to you in advance of our filing lawsuit against you in federal court for copyright infringement under the auspices of the recently passed Copyright Act for Analog Playback (CrAAP). We represent a number of large record companies, including SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT, Universal Music Group, and Warner Music Group, as well as all of their subsidiaries ("Record Companies,") in perusing claims of copyright infringement against individuals who have illegally played copyrighted works on their pianos to an audience.

    We have gathered evidence that you have been infringing copyrights owned by the Record Companies. We are attaching to this letter a sample of the sheet music found in your stool drawer. In total, you were found to be potentially playing to an audience 321 songs, a substantial number of which are songs controlled by the Record Companies.

    The reason we are sending you this letter to you in advance of filing suit is to give you the opportunity to settle these claims are early as possible. If you contact us within the next twenty (20) calendar days with proof that you have destroyed any mecxhanism for the analog playback of potentially copyrighted music, we will offer to settle the claims for a significantly reduced amount compared to the judgment amount a court may enter against you...

    IF WE DO NOT HEAR FROM YOU IN TWENTY (20) DAYS WE WILL FILE SUIT AGAINST YOU IN FEDERAL COURT.

    Sincerely, Douchebag McNumbnuts

    --
    "Trolls they were, but filled with the evil will of their master: a fell race..." -- J.R.R. Tolkien on Olog-hai
  16. Re:Edit the SkipRearm Key by SkipRearm · · Score: 4, Funny

    I'm not new, I'm just reactivated every once in a while...

  17. Re:Why bother? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    *shhh*, watch yourself, he might funroll your loops!