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Media Center Key Accidentally Gives Pirates Free Windows 8 Pro License

Posted by Unknown on from the side-effects-include dept.

MrSeb writes "In an amusing twist that undoubtedly spells the end of some hapless manager's career, Microsoft has accidentally gifted pirates with a free, fully-functioning Windows 8 license key. As you have probably surmised, this isn't intentional — Microsoft hasn't suddenly decided to give pirates an early Christmas present (though the $40 upgrade deal from Windows 8 Release Preview is something of a pirate amnesty). ... The bug involves the Key Management Service, which is part of Microsoft's Volume Licensing system. Pirates have already hacked the KMS to activate Windows 8 for 180 days — but this is just a partial activation. Now it turns out that the free Media Center Pack license keys that Microsoft is giving out until January 31 2013 can be used on a KMS-activated copy of Windows 8 to turn it into a fully licensed copy of Windows 8 Pro. "

12 of 255 comments (clear)

  1. the 'activation' component by alphatel · · Score: 5, Insightful

    In order to get to the point where you can request the Media Center license, you first have to activate using a command line and kms server (internal or external)

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    1. Re:the 'activation' component by RMingin · · Score: 5, Funny

      Not true, there are many 'cracked' KMS servers out there, which are a VM with the most minimal services, running Windows Server in Core mode, and all ports but the KMS ones closed and blocked. Those same servers are patched to keep 25 fake activations renewed at all times, so any and all requests to the "cracked" KMS server result in activations. As far as MS can tell, they are legitimate, since KMS activations are not verified online, except with the original server.

      I don't see this getting patched or fixed easily. It will be a lot of work. or it'll require doing things that annoy large volume customers.

      --
      The preceding comment is my own, and in no way construes an opinon of the Emperor of Mankind.
  2. Meanwhile at Canonical by crazyjj · · Score: 5, Funny

    Hey, we're giving our OS away for free, no license or hack needed!

    Anyone?

    Hello?

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    What political party do you join when you don't like Bible-thumpers *or* hippies?
    1. Re:Meanwhile at Canonical by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Hey, we're giving our OS away for free, no license or hack needed!

      That which is given has no value?

      You're right. We should shut down all charities immediately. After all humanitarian charities didn't charge the recipients for all that food and medical aid they give to the poor and needy around the world. So obviously the food provided no nutrition and the medical aid didn't help treat any diseases. All because the recipients weren't charged money for them. </sarcasm>

      Really though I'd rather use Free Software than pirate an OS that's not worth paying for. That is valuable to me. Long-time Linux user here. I appreciate that some people want or need Windows. Good for them, they found something that fits their needs. But the fact I can legally download Linux for free absolutely does not mean it didn't meet my needs just as well as Windows meets the needs of others. In fact I have a non-tangible benefit that comes with it: the gratitude that people around the world would actually donate their time and hard-won expertise to provide people like me with such a good experience.

      Money is simply a tool to facilitate trade. That's all it is. Don't let it completely dominate your entire view of everything. As anyone who has ever truly loved someone knows, some of the very finest things in life are monetarily free.

    2. Re:Meanwhile at Canonical by ameen.ross · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Emphasis mine:

      some of the very finest things in life are monetarily free.

      Mod parent way up

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  3. huh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    What's this license key and activation nonsense?

    Sincerely,
    Confused Linux User.

  4. Re:Too expensive. by Sez+Zero · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Apple sells hardware. Microsoft sells software.

    Telling MS to sell Windows cheaper is like saying that Apple should be giving away iPhones.

  5. I disagree with the premise. by Hans+Adler · · Score: 5, Insightful

    As far as I know Microsoft *does* have a strong interested in being pirated in those jurisdictions in which they are not going to sell much anything. It's a question of market share and staying the monopolist.

    1. Re:I disagree with the premise. by Vanderhoth · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I was about to say the same thing. It's kind of like how Adobe "allows" their photo shop suite to be pirated. They don't formally allow it and will adamantly deny it, but the truth is you get high school and collage students using the product for free, then when they get to the corporate world, where the money for Adobe really is, the corporations by the product that considered the norm for the field.

      Right now MS is having a hard time pushing Windows 8 few individuals want to use it and there's no way any major corporate entity is going to switch because they don't want to spend money to buy a product that's probably going to need weeks or months to for people learn to use properly when the existing product works just fine. By having Win8 pirated a wider population of individuals will be willing to use and get use to using it, which will be beneficial and essential to having Win8 adopted by the larger corporate community.

  6. Re:Too expensive. by Xest · · Score: 5, Insightful

    £15 - £40 for an upgrade is too expensive for a piece of software you probably use day in day out every single day?

    If that's too expensive then what the fuck do you call every other peice of software on the planet that you probably get far less usage out of such as computer games that last for about 6 hrs play time and cost the same price?

    Of all the criticisms of Windows 8, price isn't one of them. It's the first Windows OS that actually has sane pricing options.

  7. Just a key, not a license. by leuk_he · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This is not a valid license. It is just a key that happens to work arround the current version of their anti-piracy control. But if you use this, and get an audit, you will have to shell out the full amount of a retail key ( 4 to six times the the price of a basic oem version). It might stop working at any time if you apply updates supplied by MS. They know what keys are published, and can block them if they want.

    This is very disappointing coming from a site that is very rigorous when it comes to the free GPL license. The MS license has at least to be paid.

  8. Re:one way to increase windows 8 adoption by SEE · · Score: 5, Funny

    What was Microsoft thinking? Thinking had nothing to do with it; they had no choice.

    See, Windows 98 SE was followed by Windows Me, which sucked more.
    Windows Me was followed by Windows XP, which sucked less.
    Windows XP was followed by Windows Vista, which sucked more.
    Windows Vista was followed by Windows 7, which sucked less.

    Windows 7 accordingly had to be followed by a "sucked more" release.