Microsoft says not to use pirated Vista, will be ‘useless’

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Thursday, 16 November 2006 01:07

Your IT - Entertainment

In a statement of the bleeding obvious given Microsoft’s foray into the world of Windows Genuine Activation, making the act of pirating Windows XP or Vista almost pointless, Microsoft has advised customers wanting Vista not to use a pirated copy but to wait for the real thing.

While nothing will ever stop the pirates from getting whatever content they want and making it available for download from the Internet, including Microsoft’s latest Windows Vista, Microsoft has come out with a statement telling users they’re flattered by all the attention, but that pirated copies of Vista aren’t worth it and won’t last very long even if you can install it.

Naturally, iTWire supports anti-piracy efforts of all concerned, and supports Microsoft’s recent statement that: “Microsoft is happy that customers are eager to begin using Windows Vista; however, the copies available for download are not final code and users should avoid unauthorised copies which could be incomplete or tampered”.

They continue by saying that “This unauthorised download relies on the use of pre-RTM activation keys that will be blocked using Microsoft’s Software Protection Platform.  Consequently, these downloads will be of limited value.”

Now, some pirates would readily argue that they do indeed have the final code and are using it with some kind of crack to get around Microsoft’s protections, we can hardly be surprised that Microsoft is saying that the copies floating on the Internet aren’t the real deal.

The possibility of other malware, keyloggers or another net nasties waiting to pounce on you in an act of almost instant karma is real, and along with all the checks Microsoft do on a regular basis, it’s just not worth it if you’re a regular everyday computer user.

This is also going to continue the war between the pirates and hackers trying to break Microsoft’s protections, with Microsoft no doubt analysing all of the latest discoveries as they are posted onto the Internet, basically so they’d be able to block the new Vista activation work-arounds very quickly.

Anyone that’s ever needing to re-install an operating system, then load their other software and trasfer all of their data, knows that it’s a right royal pain the backside to have to go through this procedure time after time.

So... it will definitely be fun to watch the war unfold, but in the meantime, don’t risk any production computers – the one or ones you use to earn money and perform your important work with until you can get your hands on the final code.

Until then, it’s timely to remember that bad pirates often ended up walking the plank!