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The software maker said Thursday that the update is aimed at thwarting a technique that was letting some people use pirated versions of the operating system without going through the software's built-in product activation. Microsoft has dubbed the approach "frankenbuild" because it works by combining test versions of Vista with the final code to create a hybrid version.
"Windows Vista will use the new Windows Update client to require only the 'frankenbuild' systems to go through a genuine validation check," Microsoft said on its Windows Genuine Advantage program blog. "These systems will fail that check because we have blocked the (product) keys for systems not authorized to use them."
Although Vista was only released to businesses last month--and won't hit retail shelves until late January--it has been making the rounds on the Internet, and there have been several reported hacks to bypass its built-in security mechanisms.
A second known issue, Microsoft said, involves using virtualization technology in conjunction with the mechanism Microsoft uses to allow large businesses to activate multiple copies of Vista.
"Piracy is evolving and has made the expected jump from Windows XP to Windows Vista," David Lazar, director of Genuine Windows, told CNET News.com. "We are already starting to see some workarounds to the Vista licensing requirements."
In a statement, the software company said it hoped the actions would help discourage people from trying to bypass its security mechanisms.
"Microsoft hopes that by taking this action now, we can send a message to counterfeiters and would-be counterfeiters, and help protect our legitimate customers from being victimized by further distribution of these tampered products," the company said.
Microsoft has been more aggressively targeting pirates over the past two years, including a stepped-up program for checking to make sure software is properly licensed. With Vista, software that doesn't pass such authentication will go into severely reduced functionality after 30 days. At that point, only the Web browser will work and then only for an hour at a time.
In addition to that reduced-functionality mode, users can also still boot into Windows "safe mode." That allows full access to data and applications, but offers limited screen resolution, fewer colors and prevents the use of most third-party software drivers.
While Thursday's update addresses only the "frankenbuild," Lazar said Microsoft is also working on a method to counteract the other hack, which uses virtualization and Microsoft's Key Management Service.
"The update that we are releasing today does not specifically address that, but we are working on an update that will specifically address the KMS workaround," Lazar said.
Vista represents Microsoft's strongest technical effort yet to build antipiracy features into its software. In addition to the activation requirements, some features within the operating system require the software to be validated as genuine. Those include the Windows Defender spyware fighter, Aero user interface and ReadyBoost, a technology that uses USB flash drives as added system memory.
"Vista is the hardest system to pirate that we have yet released," Lazar said.
See more CNET content tagged:
piracy,
workaround,
Microsoft Windows Vista,
virtualization,
Microsoft Corp.
Personally I think Vista is a kludge. I really think it's time for Microsoft to focus on creating a new OS instead of trying to fix the POS that is Windows.
(Just for the record I didn't say Windows sucks I said it's a POS. I also didn't make any comments on Linux, BSD, or MacOS X.)
I, for instance, do not intend to steal, buy, or use OS X, but I hardly think that qualifies me to "review" OS X, do you? It also doesn't entitle me to say "I think OS X is a POS," because obviously if I have little to no experience with OS X even *I* know I'm unqualified to make such a statement. With your reported experience with Vista, likewise you are not qualified to have any "thoughts" about Vista, one way or the other, it seems to me.
You might want to consider that opining on one's ignorance by criticizing something you know nothing about is hardly the way to win friends or to influence associates. Good way to lose them, though...;)
The rest will be business as usual.
They have not changed in 20yrs what makes you thing this might be it.
I suggest using WGA to completely flush the hard drive of any computer that fails your WGA check ;)
/P
The frankenbuild hack is so simple that they may as well have not put any activation in at all. Now that pirates know it's tied to just two files in the OS, it's only a matter of time before they figure the whole thing out and engineer a permanent way around it.
With that in mind, the next system I purchase for myself will be another Mac to supplement my Powerbook. I'm fed up with this garbage from Microsoft.
Just the other day, my Sis-in-Law comes to me saying her new laptop is acting a "bit strange". I look and it's the WGA component that's doing it - popping up saying it's a possible fraudelant copy of Windows. Come to find out, her date was off by a year or two into the future.
Grant it, that the date was off was a problem in itself, but it didn't make her (or me since I ordered it) a thief - yet I had to jump through hoops to make the blasted thing work properly again - something I should have NEVER had to waste my time on.
Next desktop will be a Mac Mini - no question in my mind. Microsoft has some reasonably good products, but I'm done putting up with the anti-piracy garbage when I've done nothing wrong.
Charles R. Whealton
Charles Whealton @ pleasedontspam.com
Also, if the best programmers are working on reverse engineering Vista copy protection, they supposedly are not working on improving Linux either.
Software piracy is a big business and apparently growing. Hence the scale of efforts and level of applied brain power.
We agree so much so that Microsoft should lobby for an amendment to the DMCA to tattoo barcodes on everybody and if if Microsoft doesn't have your personal information tied to the barcode and payment for licenses then the software won't work and will notify Homeland Security.
Now for the real opinion, M$ is already making more money than God even while a small portion of their product is pirated. Are consumers getting rewarded for having to put up with all this BS SPP activation phone home DRM by lower prices, NO! Why won't they lower the cost since they are going to have presumably less pirated versions, pure unadulterated greed.
MS is getting fat and greedy and is going to drop dead chasing the ice cream truck.
Well then they should go OpenSource and then they wouldn't have this issue.
Also what about the versions before WinXP that had no anti piracy that were crap.
By what standards do you say Microsoft makes good software?
Have you tried other options?
If not why not?
Pardon my misuse of the Word 'hacker', 'Cracker' is the actual word that needs to be used, however we know why I used the former.
M$ is digging its own grave and i laugh at that....make OS X accessible to x86 and apple will lead the os war.
However, since I know that I will eventually be given a reason to want a Vista system, I was planning on building a whole new computer in the later half of next year. I just hope that Microsoft doesn't go to far in trying to make Vista "pirate proof" that it becomes unusable. Or that they use this as an excuse to violate my right to privacy.
I guess I just view this whole issue allot differently from Microsoft. I have legit versions of XP currently installed, but I know allot of people who don't. And the catch is... They can't afford XP. I find it specious that Microsoft should claim these people are reducing their profits. Why? It's simple. In a world, where there was "no piracy", many of these people simply wouldn't be able to afford Microsoft's software at all. This would result in these same people being forced to find some "non-Microsoft" alternative - NOT in being "forced" to pay Microsoft for said software. Part of me really wishes that would happen, just because it would promote those alternatives. Choice is always a good thing for consumers, even though many don't appreciate that fact.
Are they really more interested in saving a few dollars in Pirate money than having a stable OS?
Take my advice everyone, and either upgrade to XP pro or go with Linux.
Take my advice everyone: don't listen to ignorant biased advices based on spite, upgrade to a *legal* final version of Vista and avoid sticking with much less secure XP (whichever version) or switching to an OS that will render half your software totally useless.
- Microsoft Anti-Piracy What a waste
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by jammer699669
February 1, 2007 12:42 PM PST
- It seems to me that Microsoft who has reaped billions of dollars without ever having a real idea has sent greed over the edge.
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Reply to this comment
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See all 55 Comments >>I have been around since DOS 1.0 ( which never worked at all LOL) to the new VISTA.
All I have ever seen is the crap they put out that is broken and security defective. All of there efforts have been put to trying to get everyone to pay and pay up big time.
I own 14 computers and run XP on only two of them. The only reason for that is some software that I require will only run on Windows. As soon as I can find suitable replacements for that software it will be none.
I own 5 copies of XP ( legal copies) and I have had my share of problems with microsoft claiming that they are pirated.
So screw them I am not going down that road with VISTA , they can keep it
Now I don't want to endorse any OS but Linux is free or damn close to it
Xandros is the closest to windows , it installs really slick and can find and use almost all of your weird hardware , something XP can't.Costs about 70 bucks with some support.This is for newbies no experience with UNIX needed. Based on the Debian backbone flavour
SUN 10 works great a complete UNIX solutions but has some hardware issues, you may want to buy a SUN box for complete compatibility and the price FREE FREE FREE period no catch. By the way when it comes to hardware here is a quick fact. INTEL is just releasing the QUAD processor chip ( that is 4 processor cores in one) SUN just released an 8 core chip LOL ( a little ahead in the game.
So it seems that Microsoft loses another customer so sad isn't it
a new site is putting up the ***** about everything and anything www.trueliars.com. It is new and not much there yet but wait for it
James