Genuine Windows Vista vs. Pirated Windows Vista
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Essentially there is absolutely no difference between a genuine and pirated copy of Windows Vista in terms of functionality. Sure, there is a very good chance that the counterfeit version of the operating system would contain malicious code and that the user experience would be gravely diminished because the fabric of the platform has been tampered with in the cracking process.
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12.9.2007 Does Microsoft Actually Want Windows Vista SP1 to Be Pirated?
Windows Vista Service Pack 1 is currently in its final stages of development in Redmond Utero, and heading for the first release candidate stage.
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6.12.2007 Why buy a genuine Windows Vista when pirated is easier and better?
Recently Microsoft had a 50% price cut for Home Basic and Home Premium Editions of Windows Vista. The price cut is mainly targeted at China which has the 2nd highest software piracy rate in the world after Vietnam. Thanks to thepodest for this post on the blog.
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8.8.2007 Pirated Vista may be useless, Microsoft says
Microsoft said supposedly pirated copies of its new Vista computer operating system "will be of limited value" to those who use them.
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15.11.2006 Half of pirated Vista is malware
Alleged "cracked" versions of Vista appearing on peer-to-peer networks often turn out to be Trojan horses. About half of the downloads claiming to be free versions of Microsoft's Vista operating system are actually malicious Trojan horse software, security vendor DriveSentry warned Thursday.
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26.1.2007 Why pirated Vista has Microsoft champing at the BitTorrent
As Microsoft Corp. gets ready to launch Windows Vista and Office 2007 to consumers, it claims a formidable new foe it lacked at its last major consumer software launch five years ago: the popular filesharing network known as BitTorrent. This third-generation peer-to-peer (P2P) service, already used by tens of millions of Internet users to swap digital music and movies for free, is becoming a popular mechanism for those looking to obtain pirated software.
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26.1.2007 Windows 7 Already Pirated, Not Even Out
Just came back from our usual family weekend outing when I chanced upon a stall in one of the supermarkets here in the Philippines.
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2.3.2009 Pirated Windows 7 Just $3
Windows 7 might officially be just two days away from becoming available for purchase to customers worldwide, but fact is that the operating system is already available for free, almost free, or at a reduced price compared to what Microsoft is charging for the product.
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20.10.2009 22% of Windows Installs Pirated, 2.6Million of that Genuine?
Microsoft's anti-piracy tool, aka Windows Genuine Advantage, launched in 30 months ago in 2005. Since then, 512 million have tried to validate their copy of Windows and 114 million users, or 22.3%, were labeled by Microsoft as pirates.
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24.1.2007 Microsoft to Kill Pirated Windows XP Professional
Having dealt with the SoftMod Windows Vista activation crack, Microsoft will start hunting down and “killing” pirated copies of Windows XP Professional, the flavor of the operating system labeled by the company as most popular with pirates.
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25.3.2009 Genuine Windows Vista vs. Pirated Windows Vista
Enlarge picture
Essentially there is absolutely no difference between a genuine and pirated copy of Windows Vista in terms of functionality. Sure, there is a very good chance that the counterfeit version of the operating system would contain malicious code and that the user experience would be gravely diminished because the fabric of the platform has been tampered with in the cracking process.
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12.9.2007 Microsoft: Turn Pirated Windows Copies into Genuine Products!
Microsoft is providing users with the means to turn their pirated copies of Windows into genuine products. However, the offer is only available for Windows XP, and not for Windows Vista.
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2.10.2007 2 Year Old Pirated Keys Defeats WGA
On July 18, Microsoft's WGA team promised to send me a disk with a product key from their blocked list. It was supposed to arrive via overnight service, but it was never sent.
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9.8.2006 Microsoft files 52 suits over pirated software
Microsoft is ramping up its fight against counterfeit software, this time targeting people alleged to have sold pirated versions of its programs on online marketplaces.
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14.12.2007 Windows XP SP3 Twice as Fast as Windows Vista – Leaves Vista SP1 in the Dust
Forget about Windows Vista. And forget about Windows Vista SP1. Microsoft's latest Windows client has been quite sluggish to begin with. This in both consumer adoption and in terms of the performance it delivers.
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27.11.2007 Windows Vista Wow! Forget about Vista SP1, XP SP3 and Windows 7!
That's it, forget about Windows XP Service Pack 3, about Windows 7, the next iteration of Windows and even about Windows Vista Service Pack 1.
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1.2.2008 Windows Vista SP1 vs. Windows Vista RTM vs. Windows XP SP2
Feb 26th, 2008. Principled Technologies has released two Microsoft commissioned reports on Windows Vista SP1 performance. In these tests, Principled Technologies measured responsiveness of Windows Vista SP1 vs. Windows Vista RTM vs. Windows XP SP2 when performing a set of common business and home tasks.
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28.2.2008 Vista SP1 RC1 Flies Past Vista RTM and Windows XP SP2
Despite the fact that Microsoft has expressed its official position regarding testing Windows Vista Service Pack 1 ahead of its finalization, there is simply too much of a hunger for the service pack.
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27.12.2007 Vista SP1 Won't Resolve the 4 GB RAM Limitation of 32-bit Windows Vista
32-bit Windows operating systems, and Windows Vista makes no exception whatsoever to this rule, are limited in terms of the amount of system memory that can be addressed to no more than 4 GB.
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4.1.2008 Vista Loader 2.1.3 - Windows Vista Activator 2008 Support SP1 with No Boot String
Vista Loader is one of the most successful Vista activation crack available to date, second only to physical modify (hardmod) the BIOS to include SLIC table to make BIOS Vista activation-compliant.
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15.5.2008 Microsoft to Kill the Grace Timer and OEM BIOS Windows Vista Cracks with Vista SP1
With the advent of Windows Vista, cracks also became available being designed to bypass the activation process of the operating system.
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4.12.2007 Windows Vista on Super Nintendo, As Real As Vista on PSP
We're puzzled and confused... How can a console that's at least ten times less powerful than the acclaimed PSP cope with Windows Vista's requirements?
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15.8.2007 Vista SP1 Features the Same Sins as Windows Vista
Windows Vista Service Pack 1 comes with the same sins as Windows Vista. The service pack is not even out the door, and is already putting users at risk.
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16.1.2008 Will Vista SP1 Go Where Vista Never Went? Even with XP SP3 and Windows 7?
Throughout 2007, it became painfully clear to Microsoft that the main competitor for Windows Vista was not Apple's Mac OS X or even the open source Linux operating system but Windows XP, and, in fact, specifically XP SP2.
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1.3.2008 Microsoft Makes Its Own: 32-bit Windows Vista vs. 64-bit Windows Vista
With Windows Vista, Microsoft delivered both the 32-bit and 64-bit flavors concomitantly, a first for the company, whose Windows XP x64 Professional (April, 2005) was launched one year after Windows XP SP2 (August 2005) and four after the initial 32-bit Windows XP (2001).
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8.1.2008 Microsoft: Windows Vista vs. Windows XP – Definitely Vista!
As far as Microsoft is concerned there is only one choice possible in terms of desktop clients. But Windows Vista is also the clear option over Windows XP when it comes down to the Redmond company's preferred operating system for mobile PCs.
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6.9.2007 How to Install Vista Language Packs MUI on all versions of Vista + video tutorial
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic, Vista Home Premium, and Vista Business versions of the Microsoft licensing restrictions can only preserve a language!
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23.9.2008 The Vista Built-in Super Administrator Account Has Survived in Vista SP1
Windows Vista Service Pack 1 is designed to evolve the RTM version of the latest Windows client from Microsoft, made available in November 2006 to business customers, and in January 2007 to the general consumers.
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15.2.2008 Vista SP1 Is Out, XP SP3 Old News, the Pink Edition of Vista Is In
Windows Vista Service Pack 1 is now nothing more than water under the bridge, now that the service pack was released to manufacturing on February 4, 2008, shipping to general users on March 18.
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27.3.2008 Tell Hasta la Vista to XP - Time to Upgrade to Vista SP1
Like it or not, this is the right time not only to upgrade to Windows Vista Service Pack 1 but also to tell hasta la vista to Windows XP.
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30.6.2008Black screen of darkness to haunt Vista pirates
Microsoft Windows' infamous "Blue Screen of Death" has become synonymous with an operating system crash or freeze, but that's nothing compared
with what users of pirated copies of Vista worldwide can expect from now - a black screen of darkness.
In an e-mail to a large
Windows Vista OEM distributor titled "Pirated Vista - A darkness descends!", a local Microsoft representative made it quite clear what Vista pirates
can expect to happen to their unlicenced installations.
A copy of this e-mail was obtained by Computerworld:
Good Afternoon, As of this week, Microsoft have
activated a function in Vista called 'Reduced Functionality'. This is a specific
function in Vista which effectively disables non genuine copies of Windows. Therefore, anyone who has a pirated copy of Vista will
experience...
winbeta.org - 11.09.2007
Pirated Vista may be useless, Microsoft says
Microsoft said supposedly
pirated copies of its new
Vista computer operating
system "will be of limited
value" to those who use them.
Microsoft responded Tuesday to
reports that some Web sites
have been circulating pirated
copies of Vista and the Office
2007 applications suite.
The pirated Vista
comes with a product key that
users can enter to activate a
version of the products on
their computers without paying
for them, according to a
report on the Web site of The
Sydney (Australia) Morning
Herald newspaper. A product
key is a unique serial number
tied to each package of a
software product.
A second download, called an
"activation crack," can then
be applied that bypasses the
activation process intended to
guarantee that the Vista OS
being downloaded is
legitimate, the Herald
reported. Pirated copies of
Office 2007 can be downloaded
just with the product key with
no second activation code
required. But Microsoft said
in a prepared statement that
those pirated copies of the OS
won't work for long.
neowin.net - 16.11.2006
Pirated Windows 7 Builds a Botnet With Trojan
Attackers pushing pirated, malware-laced copies of Windows 7 have been actively trying to build a botnet.
According to
researchers at Damballa, attackers hid a Trojan inside of pirated copies of the operating system and began circulating them on BitTorrent sites. The
company reported they shut down the botnet's command and control server May 10, however by that time infection rates had risen as high as 552 users
per hour.
winbeta.org - 13.05.2009
US Gov't Cracks Down On Pirated Games
The US Goverment said
Wednesday that it had executed
32 search warrants in 16
states as part of a crackdown
on devices and chips which
allow pirated games to be
played on gaming consoles...
betanews.com - 02.08.2007
Half of Pirated Vista is Malware
According to security vendor
DriveSentry, about half of
downloads claiming to be free
versions of Microsoft Windows
Vista are in fact malicious
Trojan horses. With Vista's
consumer launch just days
away, discussion boards and
peer-to-peer networks are full
of offers of "cracked"
versions of Windows Vista. The
downloaded programs claim to
skip Vista's activation
process but are in fact
malicious key-logging software
and spyware. This isn't
anything new though, the same
deal occurred with Windows XP.
Pirated versions of Vista have
been in circulation for
several months now, and one
called "Windows Vista All
Versions Activation 21.11.06"
has already been identified as
a Trojan. It's an effective
technique, said John Lynch,
vice president of sales and
marketing for DriveSentry.
" Someone that's stealing
the software to begin with is
not going to raise a fuss if
the software turns out to be
malicious ."
neowin.net - 26.01.2007
aXXo's Pirated Movies Used to Promote the iMac
The DVD ripper aXXo is without a doubt one of the most popular DVD-rippers. Even though he hasn’t been active since November 2007, his rips are
still widely used, even by commercial outlets such as the John Lewis store. They must have thought, “Why use a real DVD if we can use a pirated
movie for free?”
Read full
story.....
neowin.net - 24.01.2008
Even with Vista SP1, Hackers Still Crack WGA
The fact that Microsoft has relaxed its antipiracy mechanism built into Windows Vista concomitantly with the release of Service Pack 1 failed
to stop hackers from providing a crack for the latest version of Windows Genuine Advantage Validation. Various reports point out that Genuine
Advantage Validation and Notifications versions 1.7.69.1 (1.7.0069.1) and 1.7.69.2 released in March 2008, following the March 18 availability of
Windows Vista SP1 through Windows Update and the Microsoft Download Center, have been cracked.
The workaround is designed to be integrated
with pirated copies of Windows XP and Windows Vista in order to render useless the WGA Validation mechanism. According to the reports, applying the
WGA crack will permit users of counterfeit versions of Windows to access and download items from Windows Update, Microsoft Download Center and
Microsoft Update. The pirated operating systems with the cracked WGA will pass all validations on Microsoft's websites and offer anything from
updates to applications that are restricted to users of genuine operating systems only.
neowin.net - 02.04.2008
Report: 1 in 3 Software
Installs Pirated
Software piracy worldwide
increased five percent last
year, costing the industry
some $34 billion during 2005,
research firm IDC reported on
Tuesday. According to the
study, one out of every three
copies of software in 2005 was
pirated...
betanews.com - 24.05.2006
Microsoft Sues 26 Software
Pirates
Microsoft said late Monday
that it had filed 26 lawsuits
against dealers of pirated
software in seven states. The
companies are accused of
either offering pirated
material or installing it on
computers the defendants sold...
betanews.com - 18.07.2006
Potential pirates, not Vista, get cracked
35 days before Windows XP was
officially released, a pirated
key, called the "devils0wn",
began circulating around the
web which allowed users to run
a pirated copy of the
operating system. Since then,
the key has been used
thousands of times and is now
a part of Windows XP history.
Trying to follow in
devils0wn's footsteps, a new
crack for Windows Vista is
rumored to have become
available. Called "Windows
Vista All Versions Activation
21.11.06", the key reportedly
unlocks any version of Vista.
Sounds great for pirates,
right? Maybe it is, depending
where you stand on software
piracy.
Those who
download "Windows Vista All
Versions Activation 21.11.06"
will end up with anything but
a cracked version of Vista.
The file is neither a crack
nor key generator, but it is a
trojan installer that installs
the malware known as
"Trojan-PSW.Win32.LdPinch.aze
." According to APC Magazine,
most antivirus scanners will
recognize the trojan, but
NOD32 and Norton's latest
signatures do not.
While most of us dread the
thought of a new piece of
malware in the wild, it's
hard not to like the motive
behind this trojan.
Nevertheless, any propagation
of malware is a bad thing so
I'm happy to hear that most
scanners can stop this one.
neowin.net - 06.12.2006
Sony BMG accused of using pirated software
Small French software developer PointDev is suing Sony BMG saying it uses pirated copies of PointDev's Ideal Migration software...
betanews.com - 01.04.2008
Microsoft to beef up anti-piracy checks in Vista SP1
Microsoft will change the user experience of its automatic anti-piracy checks in Windows Vista and also make it harder for hackers to bypass the
system in the first service pack for the OS due out early next year. Once Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) is installed on a PC, that computer will
no longer go into limited functionality mode if a user or administrator fails to activate Vista on that system in 30 days, or if the system fails
Microsoft's Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) validation, which checks to see if a version of Vista is pirated or counterfeit. In Vista, WGA is
called the Software Protection Program feature.
In limited functionality mode, a computer will shut down after 60 minutes and then allow
only browser use. Now, instead of going into that mode, a version of Vista that has not been activated in 30 days will start up with a black screen
and a dialogue box that gives users the choice of activating Vista now or later, said Alex Kochis, a group product manager at Microsoft.
Read full story.....
neowin.net - 04.12.2007
Pirated Vista May Be Useless
It looks like Microsoft was
prepared for a leak of their
upcoming OS, and has
officially stated that they
can easily render the pirated
copies useless.
"The copies available for
download are not final code
and users should avoid
unauthorized copies which
could be incomplete or
tampered. This unauthorized
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,"
the statement said.
jcxp.net - 20.11.2006
Trade group lists top 10 pirated software
The Software & Information Industry Association released its annual Anti-Piracy year in review this week, noting that it reached its largest piracy
settlement yet in a case against Florida Benchmark – which was found using unlicensed software and ended up paying $150,000 – and its
first settlement through its Corporate Content Anti-Piracy Program.
Among other things, the SIIA also made a list of the titles most
pirated by companies and titles most pirated via the internet, much of which consisted of security tools from Symantec and productivity and design
tools from Adobe – makes you wonder if Adobe’s high price points have anything to do with them being a prime piracy target. Check out the
lists in full after the jump.
Read full
story.....
neowin.net - 27.02.2008
Boost to anti-piracy check in Vista SP1
Microsoft will change the user experience of its automatic anti-piracy checks in Windows Vista and also make it harder for hackers to bypass the
system in the first service pack for the OS due out early next year.
Once Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) is installed on a
PC, that computer will no longer go into limited functionality mode if a user or administrator fails to activate Vista on that system in 30 days or if
the system fails Microsoft's Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) validation, which checks to see if a version of Vista is pirated or counterfeit. In
Vista, WGA is called the Software Protection Program feature.
In limited functionality mode, a computer will shut down after 60
minutes and then allow only browser use. Now, instead of going into that mode, a version of Vista that has not been activated in 30 days will start up
with a black screen and a dialogue box that gives users the choice of activating Vista now or later, said Alex Kochis, a group product manager at
Microsoft.
winbeta.org - 04.12.2007
South Bay Man Found With 50,000 Pirated DVDs
The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office Monday announced the arrest of a 27-year-old San Martin man for allegedly pirating approximately 50,000
digital video discs.
Sheriff's deputies allegedly discovered the pirated DVDs, with an estimated street value of $250,000, after
responding to a 911 hang up at the man's home on the 12000 block of Sycamore Avenue, according to Sheriff's Office Sgt. Don Morrissey.
winbeta.org - 09.01.2008
Internet Explorer 7 Now Available to Pirates
Microsoft has released a minor update to Internet Explorer 7 for Windows XP, removing the requirement for users to be validated through the company's
Windows Genuine Advantage program. This means those with non-legitimate or pirated copies of Windows can now upgrade their browser...
betanews.com - 05.10.2007
Seven ways to fix WGA
Microsoft's Alex Kochis has blogged an
explanation of the glitch behind last weekend's Windows Genuine Advantage screwup that left users being told their copies of Windows were pirated,
and Vista users having features like Aero and ReadyBoost disabled. In short, buggy preproduction code accidentally got rolled out to the production
servers that verify whether a copy of Windows is legit or not. Oops!
Kochis's post is pretty detailed, humble, and up-front. But
I hope it's only the start of Microsoft's response to the weekend mess. If a copy protection scheme can leave thousands of paying customers with
their copies of Windows disabling functionality and accusing them of using pirated copies of the OS, it's simply too fragile to trust. Even if this
particular problem never crops up again. (And this recent unpleasantness is far from the first time that WGA has caused trouble.)
winbeta.org - 30.08.2007
Microsoft gets serious about Windows piracy
Microsoft has been battling piracy since the beginning. But it seems as though they have finally had enough. In one of the more recent Windows
Updates, Microsoft deployed what they feel is a step in the right direction for preventing the theft of their software.
Windows users with
the pirated software installed on their computer will soon notice a black desktop, along with a permanent notice in the bottom right of their screen,
stating that they must purchase a legitimate copy of Windows. While Microsoft is trying to get their message across as best they can, the company is
still kind enough to allow all applications to run normally.
The new tactic has not gone unnoticed or without resistance. Multiple law
suites have been filed claiming Microsoft is now the one doing the hacking, though to this date, no claims have been successful. Little time has been
wasted, as users have already begun to find ways around the new feature. One way to circumvent this is as simple as shutting off the Windows Update
feature to prevent the installation of the validation program.
Many are claiming it is because of the poor economy and high priced
software that they are forced to make use of pirated goods. This may be true but they are not acceptable excuses. It is against the law to steal,
ladies and gentlemen, and Windows is finally doing something about it.
Read full story.....
neowin.net - 06.11.2008
Pirates quick to offer Vista
AS MICROSOFT kicked off the
global launch of its
long-awaited Windows Vista,
the software giant's new
operating system also hit the
streets of China - in pirated
form. In an electronic market
in the southern Chinese city
of Shenzhen, scores of sellers
were offering the brand new
software for as little as 10
yuan ($1.66), along with
Microsoft Office, anti-virus
software and others.
The sellers said Vista was
available several weeks before
its launch, although they
would not say how they got
hold of the version. Described
as the "official version of
the new generation operating
system" on its cover, the
pirated copy offered an
identification code at the
back of the disk for
downloading the software.
Microsoft could not be
immediately reached for
comment.
neowin.net - 02.02.2007
