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Black Screens For Unauthorized Copies of Windows
arcticstoat writes "In a bid to deter people from using pirate versions of Windows XP, Microsoft is now updating its Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) tool to introduce a few uncomfortable niggles for users of pirated versions of Windows. These include replacing the desktop wallpaper with a black screen every 60 minutes, although you can still replace it with your wallpaper of choice in the intervening period. As well as this, copies of Windows deemed to not be genuine will also have a translucent watermark above the system tray, which Microsoft calls a 'persistent desktop notification.'"
At least there's not some odd hidden process that the users have no visibility to running in the background using resources.
Oh wait...
"It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education." -Albert Einstein
"Some sites have also suggested that this is a sneaky scheme to get more people to buy Windows Vista after disappointing sales of the new OS"
It's going to be very funny if this does more for Linux than Vista.
If you could reason with religious people, there would be no religious people
Windows is shareware now?
AEIOU: open-source anonymous internet currency
I know several people who've bought new machines in the last 6 months
and been forced to have Vista pre-installed
they didn't want it
so pirated XP
are they trying to push people away?
cause it won't take much to annoy your userbase onto trying alternative OS's
And I'll tell you what,
once your average "mere mortal" Windows user, for whatever reason, tries Linux, and likes it
his testimonial goes a long way with other mere mortals in the same boat
> Most people I know who run 'stolen' software don't have the funds, are not otherwise law-breakers,
> and are not aware of alternatives.
Oh bull, if they can afford the computer they could have afforded to get the OEM preload instead of the pirate version from the neighborhood screwdriver shop. Or if they built it themselves then they damned sure could have sprung for an OEM copy when they bought the other bits. Most custom built machines are gaming rigs these days and if you can afford the video card for gaming you can afford a copy of XP. IF you can afford the GAMES you can afford XP... oh, they bootleg the games too.
And yes, they are probably lawbreakers in other areas too... anything THEY decide they should be able to do they probbaly do.
The only sensible thing is your attempts to get em on a legal alternative.
Stopping bootleg software should be the #1 priority of the Free Software movement as it is our primary competition. The main argument one hears when pitching Free (talking about individuals here, large installs do pay) is that they argue back that what they have is also free, in that it either came preloaded and thus they have no idea how much of the purchase price was the OEM licenses or they are using bootleg software that is 'free.' If people actually had to PAY for software like Office, OO.o would be installed a lot more often.
Democrat delenda est
My theory: This isn't actually an effort to get more people buying windows directly, but to maintain market dominance. M$ are squeezing the illegal XP 'market', trying to get them to use illegal Vista instead.
This is merely the first step, they'll eventually add checks for the most common cracks, followed by kill switches. This comes after service pack 1 removed the kill switch from Vista, making it less risky to pirate.
Whilst this might see a few people jumping ship to Linux or something, I'm guessing M$ decided the risks of losing a few freeloaers outweighed the importance of removing the XP-shaped-thorn from their side.
Get everyone doin' the downgrade, that way people will be used to it for when windows 7 comes out. M$ have learnt their lesson, and won't be creating any more good operating systems any time soon. It's less profitable!
mysql> SELECT * FROM `places` WHERE `place` LIKE 'home`; Empty set (0.00 sec)
From the very beginning of WGA the aim was to discourage those who don't know how to avoid it to buy a proper copy. MS has conflicting interests, which both aim at profit: Market share* and a low number of illegal copies. If they make it too hard to install a pirate copy they might encourage people to switch to free alternatives. Plus they have to sell Vista now, which gives a perfect opportunity to make it a little more annoying to run a pirate copy of XP.
I'd hate to give them just a cent for all the MS-related problems I had during the last years, but the good news is that many people switching to Vista can now sell their OEM licenses for XP (depending on what country they live in) and there is also a very huge chance to obtain a volume-license-key in my area. I'll legalize my copy in the near future, but not because I have to, but it has become so cheap. So the one time in a month I really want to play a decent computer game I don't have to worry about such things anymore.
*Market share usually means turnover, but in this case I'd argue that % of people using it is a far better number. Major competitors offer their OS for free or sell it along their hardware for a price which is rather abritrary. Software is a very special industry. It's not like the car industry, where fixed and variable costs have a relation...
I don't read replies by ACs.
Same here. I've got probably 3-4 proper, honest Windows XP licenses, but I keep on having to find new ones because the key either gets lost or decides it doesn't want to work anymore because Microsoft thinks I'm a thief.
XP is the end of the line for me, because of these shenanegans. I've got an ubuntu CD ready for the day I just give up on Microsoft and their customer hating practices.
Seriously, consider this. When I pirate, I've never been kept out of a product I steal. Never. Not once. However, I've lost thousands of dollars in software to stupid copy protection schemes as a legitimate customer. They are disincentivizing ownership. I'm acually better off stealing than paying for it.
These idiots need a clue, and fast.
It's been a long time.
Seriously, consider this. When I pirate, I've never been kept out of a product I steal. Never. Not once. However, I've lost thousands of dollars in software to stupid copy protection schemes as a legitimate customer. They are disincentivizing ownership. I'm acually better off stealing than paying for it.
I'm honestly do not mean to troll or flamebait, but it seems there's some Ayn Randian lesson there about the trouble with ruling honest people.
Some regimes require criminals. If there aren't enough, they keep making laws until there are.
As I recall, Microsoft has the ability to force updates (which are downloaded in the background without telling the user). So, not downloading the WGA notifications will only work until MS realizes that users are able to do so.
Everything is subjective.
That's a good thing. Treat the noobs respectfully. Ultimately it's lack of respect from MS that's driving them away. If they get that same attitude from Ubuntu they'll just label you as asses and go back to MS.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
The reason I never used the XP theme (I stuck with the Win2k look while I still used Windows enough to care) is that the window chrome is huge. I don't give a stuff about looks, but I do give a stuff about my screen real-estate being eaten up by "cute" windows. It's not as bad as huge transparent chrome, but it's bad enough.
Chernobyl 'not a wildlife haven' - BBC News
The point is, the net effect of this crap is to treat paying customers WORSE than pirates.
Me: A.) It's not Linux, so it won't "just work" no matter what you do...
Linux. It Just Works.
(Your experience may vary.)
Me: No, that's not how Microsoft works. You pay them, and you get to use the software on that computer. They still own it - you don't...
That's not an artefact of proprietary software, it's basic copyright. I can download Ubuntu, but I do not own Ubuntu. I have a single copy, or as many duplicates as I want. I can't just do what I like with it though (eg change the branding and sell it as my own work sans source code) - there are rules for redistribution and all that. Nearly all software has some rules you must follow. F/OSS is not above this.
And you can move Windows to other PCs. I've done it. It might require a call to the Windows Activation team, but it's not hard. You can't have it on two at the same time though, but you can shift it.
I'm not a Windows user, except in the office. I'm a fan of Linux, even though I've never managed to really get it working right. I don't think you should misinform people about what proprietary software is or isn't though - only honest, accurate information is worth using to change people's minds about F/OSS.
If you've already joined those sailing under the Jolly Roger, why would you care?
If the company goes out of business because it annoyed legitimate customers so much that they became pirates, then I'll count that as the market working (albeit in a perverse sense).
"by that I mean people who don't sit on slashdot all day wondering why everyone else isn't building robots" DECS
Before I begin, let us not forget that WGA has found many computers with 'invalid licences' when indeed the computers were licensed fine. Beyond that, people can have multiple computers with the same OEM key activated, which causes problems with Microsoft's WGA servers, and can potentially cause invalidations. Otherwise legitimate people do not know the EULA and/or care for it. As for pirates, just find another solution or move to Linux; you will not regret it. I used to be an all-Windows person, pirating software, and everything. I thought Keygens were amazing; I thought the warez scene was amazing. Truth be told, the 'scene' is simply the result of things like said in this article, but if anything, the 'scene' should be promoting free alternatives instead of just cracking software all day. All that effort spent cracking some copy protection could be spent making a program that does the same thing.
The more a volume licence key gets used (it ALWAYS gets passed during Windows Update) the more chance that Microsoft will blacklist it. That is what happened to FCKGW and a number of others.
As for me, I am a technician on the side and I get volume licence keys from places I visit but I NEVER share them with anyone. So I have like 2 computers (one is mine, however I'm on Linux most of the time anyway; also it's a laptop and has a COA on the bottom anyway) in the house running on volume licence that always pass WGA, but I never allow the daemon to be installed, just the ActiveX control now required to go onto the Windows Update site. Technically, I am OEM licensed, but I would rather not be bothered by WGA so I just use VL keys that I never share with anyone.
The key posted above is definitely going to be blacklisted soon enough. I would stop while ahead.
Here's a method to be somewhat legit: Find an OEM key (just look at the side of someone's computer or bottom of someone's laptop for the COA), reinstall OEM Windows with that key, and activate online (which works a lot) or use the phone call method which is now all automated, no representative. Use a pay phone if you are paranoid. You just say 'This is the only computer this copy is installed to', etc. It works!
Why does this work online? Because Windows activation right now is as so: If the time since the original OEM hardware was activated exceeds 120 days (might be 60), then you may activate an OEM key on ANY new hardware. Violates licence? Yes. Care? No. Microsoft knows? Actually, yes.
As for businesses, I URGE you to find other solutions than deploying Windows installations plus whatever software. Microsoft is only getting more draconian as time goes along. 3D developers, Maya does run on Linux and Mac. Finance people, Quicken has an online version accessible with any browser. Proprietary software yes, but you can use it without worrying that your OS is just going to randomly shut off because it found (and many times has been wrong) that your OS is 'pirated'.