Blog

IT NEWS     Energy      iTWire Technology Feature - Virtualisation
Technology news and Jobs arrow Our Blogs arrow The BeerFiles arrow Vista piracy the least of Microsoft's problems
Vista piracy the least of Microsoft's problems PDF E-mail
User Rating: / 6
PoorBest 
by Stan Beer   
Thursday, 06 December 2007
Like thousands of other media commentators around the world, in January this year I attended the offical Microsoft launch of Windows Vista. In my show bag of goodies, among the press releases, I found shiny new boxed copies of the Ultimate versions of Vista and Office 2007. Since I didn't have a computer at the time that could run Vista, I loaned my copy to iTWire blogger Sam Varghese for a review. What happened next is most interesting.

Like all dutiful reviewers, Sam did the right thing when he installed this brand new boxed copy of Vista. He registered and activated the copy. After he finished his review, he uninstalled his copy and returned it to me.

A couple of months ago, I decided to upgrade my hardware and I bought a very high spec box that was capable of running just about anything. I installed Vista and Ubuntu in a dual boot configuration.

Shortly after installing Vista, I received messages about having 30 days and counting down left to activate my copy of Vista. I was directed to an activation page on Microsoft's website and proceeded to follow the instructions to enter the ridiculously long activation key. When I finished and pressed the activate button, I was informed that my activation key was invalid so I would have to call Microsoft support.

I called Microsoft support and the help desk operator on the other end of the line told me that my activation code was invalid because my copy of Vista had already been installed. I informed her that, yes, it had been installed for testing purposes but it had subsequently been uninstalled and now I was reinstalling it.

The operator then asked if I was sure that I had a genuine copy of Vista. I told her that I was fairly certain my copy was genuine, since I had personally received it from Microsoft at the official launch of Vista in Australia.

On hearing this, the operator seemed surprised. "Oh, you got the copy from Microsoft?" she asked. "And you're sure it's not installed on any other computer?"

 
< Next story in category   Previous story in the category >
iTWire Technology feature

Virtualisation

dollsmaximise your infrastructure, maximise your business

Read more...



Search the web
Search iTWire

 
You don't need to login to post a comment





Lost Password?
No account yet? Register
Subscribe to our free daily newsletter.
Business Innovation Forum
July 24 (8:00 am) - July 25 (1:30 pm), 2008
Business Innovation Forum: a morning of innovative thinking that will help you gain business resu...

Broadband 2008
July 24 (8:45 am) - July 25 (11:59 pm), 2008
Broadband Australia 2008 The original forum for debating the future of Australia’s broadband i...

The Rapidly Emerging Mobile Media Market
July 24, 2008 (All Day)
Mobile media is the way of the future, and by 2015, it is expected that it will be the major reve...

Start Mid Year Technical Communication at Swinburne University
July 25 (9:00 am) - July 30 (11:59 pm), 2008
Last week to apply for Swinburne University’s online postgraduate Technical Communication courses...

Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Certification Workshop
July 25 (9:00 am) - July 27 (11:59 pm), 2008
eXample Consulting Group is conducting an immensely practical LEAN SIX SIGMA BLACK BELT TRAINING ...

Usability Fundamentals Training Course [Sydney]
July 28 (9:00 am) - July 29 (11:59 pm), 2008
The success of your website is inextricably linked to how well-versed those involved in the devel...

SAUG Summit 2008
July 29 (8:30 am) - July 31 (11:59 pm), 2008
The SAP Australian User Group (SAUG) "The Next Step..." Where do we go from here?...

ISEB ISTQB Foundation Certificate in Software Testing - Melbourne
July 29 (9:00 am) - July 31 (11:59 pm), 2008
This is the first internationallly accepted industry accreditation for software testing. It has b...

Open Publish Conference
July 30 (9:00 am) - July 31 (11:59 pm), 2008
Open Publish 2008 will be focusing on management and implementation issues relating to publishing...

Web 3.0: Mobile & the Semantic Web
July 30, 2008 (9:30 am - 12:00 pm)
part 2 of the 4 part semantic web forum series Speakers: - Jennifer Wilson, Principal, Lean F...
New event listings
SolidWorks Innovation Day (Melbourne and Adelaide)
October 17, 2008 (All Day)
Hosted by Intercad, SolidWorks’ Innovation Days will give designers, engineers and manufacturers ...

SolidWorks Innovation Day (Sydney)
October 16, 2008 (All Day)
Hosted by Intercad, SolidWorks’ Innovation Days will give designers, engineers and manufacturers ...

SolidWorks Innovation Day (Brisbane and Perth)
October 15, 2008 (All Day)
Hosted by Intercad, SolidWorks’ Innovation Days will give designers, engineers and manufacturers ...

LIXI Industry Forum 2008
September 10, 2008 (All Day)
Wednesday, 10 September 2008 The Westin Sydney The second annual major industry event for the...

Mobile Feast!
August 22, 2008 (All Day)
Join us as we discuss all things mobile! The history of technology tells us that the true inno...

The Business of Digital Content - Melbourne
August 5, 2008 (All Day)
The Business of Digital Content Melbourne – August 5, 2008 Extract maximum value from your...

View Full Calendar
Subscribe to our free daily e-newsletter
Contact , Register , Advertise with iTWire , Links , About iTWire , Feedback , Post your jobs , Events , iTWire site map , Start Blogging , MyBlogLog page
Industry Releases , Submit your release now