Microsoft runs out of Vista product keys
A small hitch has cropped up in Microsoft’s beta-testing program for Vista: the software giant has temporarily run out of product keys for testers.
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7.9.2006 Windows Vista Product Keys Leaked
What is the first thing you should do after buying Windows Vista? Take high resolution pictures of the newly acquired product and post it on the Internet so that anyone could see. Right? Wrong!
Or at least if you are going to take pictures of the Windows Vista box and what it contains make sure that you choose a neutral side.
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9.2.2007 Perform a Windows Vista Suicide by Pressing Just 2 Keys
Windows Vista can be completely killed by pressing a simple combination of just two keys. All you need to crush Microsoft's latest operating system and put the much-applauded Wow at an end is two fingers. Thanks to odeeee for this news.
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14.7.2007 MS: Valid Vista Family Discount Keys Coming
Microsoft said Friday afternoon that it was in the process of issuing new keys to those who may have received invalid ones through the Vista Family Discount program.
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4.2.2007 Microsoft Is Still Delivering Windows Vista Release Candidate 1 Product Keys
Four months after the availability of Vista RC1 Microsoft is still delivering product keys for Windows Vista Release Candidate 1.
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1.1.2007 Do you need more keys?
Windows 7 Activation Keys
It really looks as if the only topic left to discuss on this blog is Windows 7 LOL! Again, I’m here with another Windows 7-related post, which I think will be loved by all who have been trying to get their hands on a Windows 7 activation key.
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1.11.2009 Microsoft can't afford to support OEM Vista?
Microsoft might have $7.6 billion in spare cash in the bank, but when it comes to supporting users who purchase Vista on a new machine, the software giant is all too ready to cry poor.
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15.5.2007 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 Windows Vista OEM Preinstallation Kit available
The Windows Vista Release Candidate 1 (RC1) OEM Presinstallation Kit is now available. Microsoft's Worldwide System Builder team would like system builders to experience the updated OEM Preinstallation Kit (OPK) tools which will be used to preinstall Windows Vista.
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16.10.2006 OEM versions of Vista Ultimate available for pre-order
hardgiant spotted over at overclockers.co.uk that Windows Vista Ultimate 32/64 OEM discs have been added at just £114.99, which when converted to USD comes to $262.750 plus tax. The full retail version costs £352.49 a whopping $685.235 after tax.
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4.1.2007 Vista OEM 'Express' upgrades stuck at the gate
Europeans who bought a new PC in time for Christmas and were persuaded that they would get a Vista upgrade soon after the rollout by redeeming a voucher, are learning that demand for the upgrades far outstrips "supply".
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18.2.2007 Vista Oem Activation Tool Kit 0.5 Beta
Thanks to Steve Jobs for this download. This is Vista Oem Activation Tool Kit 0.5 Beta by Steve Jobs @ Keznews forum
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22.3.2007 Vista Oem Activation Tool Kit v1.5
Steve Jobs update his Vista Oem Activation Tool Kit For Vista 32bit and 64bit to version 1.5. Vista will be 100% genuine, all downloads will work.
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3.4.2007 Vista Loader 2.2.0 OEM BIOS Crack Emulator
This is New version of Vista Loader 2.2.0 from Chinese hackers. With this you can force a bios emulation and let Vista think it's installed on a OEM machine.
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20.5.2007 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 New Vista OEM Activation Hack - Vista Boot by gkend
Thanks to Steve Jobs for this article on his blog and to our forum members to clecha, Nighthief and fitterphil120 for most of the findings. One again the “Chinese” come up with a new method to trick out the Vista Activation. We have seen Softmode and VistaLoader, however “ Vista Boot by gkend” does promise even more.
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21.5.2007 OEM Logo and Information for Windows Vista - Auto Patch
Thanks to Steve Jobs for this post in forum. You have successfully activate Windows Vista instantly in OEM style by using hardware-level BIOS ACPI-SLIC mod, or one of the two software based OEM BIOS emulator such as softmod SLIC BIOS bootloader and Paradox OEM BIOS Emulation Toolkit.
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20.3.2007 Microsoft Confirms Windows Vista OEM BIOS Crack
Microsoft confirmed the fact that hackers have developed a valid Windows Vista crack designed to exploit the operating system's OEM BIOS activation.
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11.4.2007 Tons of Genuine Windows Product Keys Published and Available Online
There is an entire library of Windows product keys available online, only a Google search away. And we all can agree that that's by no means very far.
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18.4.2007 Windows 7 RC Build 7100 Activation Product Keys
Windows 7 Release Candidate Build 7100 is now available for public download straight from Microsoft. In parallel, users can also access Windows Server 2008 R2 RC, which went live concomitantly with the client flavor of Windows 7.
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5.5.2009 Vista to Windows 7 Upgrades Kill Access to OEM Recovery Applications
Users that upgrade Windows Vista OEM computers to Windows 7 might find that the recovery applications set in place by the original equipment manufacturer are no longer accessible.
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9.10.2009 Dell, HP, and Sony OEM Certificates Used in Windows Vista Activation Crack
The latest trend in Windows Vista cracks is to utilize OEM certificates in order to bypass the activation process of the operating system. Via the OEM crack for Windows Vista, original equipment
manufacturer versions of the operating system are illegally activated through a process that involves patching the BIOS of the motherboard.
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26.2.2007 How to Downgrade from Windows Vista Business or Ultimate OEM Edition and Install Windows XP Professional
A lot of users still don’t getting used to Windows Vista. A lot of reviews have been labeling Windows Vista as bloated, hard to use, tons of compatibility issues, inconvenient, not user friendly, not stable and etc.
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22.8.2008 What about Windows 7 OEM pricing?
Microsoft still has yet to go public with its Windows 7 price list. But that hasn’t stopped customers and partners from publicly hoping for the best (cheaper than Vista) and fearing the worst (any kind of increase over the cost of Vista).
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16.6.2009 Windows Live to Get First OEM Bundle
Microsoft will imminently announce its first PC-bundling deal for Windows Live.
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14.3.2007 Windows 7 OEM Pricing Emerges
Windows 7 is set to be launched on the market in about three weeks from now, and those people considering choosing it as the platform on their computers are certainly interested in the costs the migration will imply.
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30.9.2009 OEM licensing confusion starts at Microsoft.com
Last week, in the wrap-up for a post about WGA, I offered five suggestions I’d like to see incorporated into Vista and especially into Windows 7.
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9.9.2008 Microsoft: The Windows OEM License Dies with Its Computer
Licenses for Windows come in various flavors from Retail to Volume, but perhaps the most common of all is provided by original equipment manufacturers together with operating systems preloaded on new computers.
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17.6.2008 XP OEM Licensing Extension Is Urban Myth
Contrary to all the blog buzz, Microsoft hasn't extended OEM Windows XP "downgrade" licensing by another six months.
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8.10.2008Microsoft runs out of Windows
Vista Keys
Apparently, Microsoft today
ran out of product keys for
Release Candidate 1 version of
its upcoming Windows Vista
operating system.
The following message was
posted on Windows Vista's
Connect website:
"9-5-06 - We are
currently out of additional
keys for package 5342 and Up
Ultimate. We will have more
keys available for download
within 72 hours. Please do NOT
send mail to MCHelp or LHBeta
regarding this issue."
jcxp.net -
08.09.2006MS: It's Okay to Buy Vista OEM Software
Microsoft has given the go
ahead for users to buy the
low-cost OEM copies of Windows
Vista now appearing on sites
like Newegg.com; however, they
would be expected to adhere to
the licensing terms just like
any other computer
manufacturer...
betanews.com -
30.01.2007MS: Valid Vista Family Discount Keys Coming
Microsoft said Friday
afternoon that it was in the
process of issuing new keys to
those who may have received
invalid ones through the Vista
Family Discount program...
betanews.com -
03.02.2007Windows 7 Ultimate cracked and activated with OEM master key
Windows 7 has yet to even be released officially to the general public, and already the dodgy folk on the Internet have fully cracked and activated
the Ultimate version, with help from a leaked Lenovo OEM DVD .ISO file. The news comes from website My Digital Life who state that you can already
pass Windows Genuine Advantage validation offline, OEM style. The leaked .ISO was originally posted on a Chinese forum, which was then downloaded in
order for people to get hold of the boot.wim, and in turn retrieving the OEM-SLP key, plus the OEM activation certificate. Microsoft uses the same
digitally signed OEM certificate, which has an .xrm-ms extension, as that in Windows Vista.
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
29.07.2009Microsoft can't afford to support OEM Vista?
Microsoft might have
$7.6 billion in spare cash in
the bank, but when it comes to
supporting users who purchase
Vista on a new machine, the
software giant is all too
ready to cry poor.
Conventional wisdom
holds that if you feel the
urge to upgrade to Windows
Vista, buying it pre-installed
on a new machine is the best
way to go. The advantages are
allegedly twofold: there
should be fresh and functional
drivers for all the built-in
hardware, and you get OEM
pricing (much lower than the
retail $400-$700 price range)
for your new OS.
That
discount pricing comes with a
nasty twist, however. Because
you've purchased an OEM copy,
Microsoft won't extend to you
the courtesy of a 90-day
support period for Vista,
which it does offer to
customers who struggle through
the upgrade process on their
existing machines. Instead, it
will direct you straight back
to your hardware manufacturer...
winbeta.org -
15.05.2007Microsoft to Remedy ‘Family Discount' Tragedy
It looks like Microsoft is
ready to settle the score with
customers who took advantage
of the Vista Family Discount
offer earlier this week. As
reported on Wednesday, anyone
who purchased Windows Vista
Home Premium using the keys
provided by Microsoft's Vista
Family Discount was unable to
use the keys. Windows Vista
reported them as invalid.
Microsoft still will
not tell me what the keys are
for, however as promised I did
get a call back today. I was
told by Microsoft, "We do not
know how these false keys
where issued, but we do know
the solution." What is
Microsoft's solution?
Anyone who took
advantage of the Windows Vista
Family Discount should be on
the lookout. Microsoft will be
emailing those customers new
product keys for Windows Vista
Home Premium within the next
3-5 days. The new product keys
should work without a hitch.
neowin.net -
02.02.2007Consumer Versions of Windows Vista Available Early
The official launch of Windows
Vista is planned for January
30. Some online retailers
have, however, made the
operating system available
early. mwave.com states that
it has Vista 32-bit Home Basic
OEM for $89.90, Vista
32-bit Home Basic OEM 3-pack
for $268.90 and Vista
32-bit Business OEM for
$139.90, all in stock and
ready to ship. Vista Home
Premium and Vista Ultimate are
currently unavailable.
Customers are limited to two
copies of Vista Home Basic OEM
or Vista Business OEM and they
must be purchased with
hardware for licensing
reasons. You can probably get
away with ordering a really
cheap piece of hardware and
still saving a lot over the
retail price of Vista.
Overclockers UK has previously
also started listing OEM
versions of Vista.
neowin.net -
22.01.2007The Problem with Bundling
Joe Wilcox: On Friday I spoke with two product executives from a major OEM about some forthcoming new PCs and notebooks. During the conversation, I
asked about their Windows Media Center strategy. The OEM no longer has one, and Vista integration is the reason.
The response is
surprising, because Media Center integration into Vista was supposed to benefit Microsoft, its customers and partners. But that's not how this OEM
sees it. Reasoning: The discreet SKU's disappearance makes Media Center differentiation more difficult among OEMs, so there is no real competitive
advantage. The product executives expressed concern that Media Center promotion for the OEM's products might benefit competitors.
The conversation was a broad indictment of Microsoft's whole Vista SKU strategy. Rather than differentiate products around Vista SKUs, the OEM
has instead returned to emphasizing performance metrics and made product design a greater priority. That's opposite the intention of Microsoft's
Vista SKU strategy, which was supposed to encourage greater differentiation around operating system capabilities.
winbeta.org -
10.12.2007Windows Vista SP1 Update Available via Microsoft OEM site
It looks like Microsoft has posted the final Vista SP1 bits to their
OEM site which is accessible to anyone that registers. The file is a 1.13GB .img which combines the 32-bit and 64-bit update
executables into one image:
Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) is now available for download. Windows Vista SP1 will deliver
improvements and enhancements to existing features that significantly impact customers, but it does not deliver substantial new operating system
features.
Download Windows Vista SP1 here. The download contains Window Vista SP1 for five languages: English, French, German,
Japanese, and Spanish. Note Additional languages will be available soon.
Once you download the Windows Vista SP1 package, you
will need to extract the appropriate .exe file for the language you wish to install.
winbeta.org -
12.02.2008OEM Microsoft Office and OEM Microsoft Windows licensing
OEM Microsoft Office and OEM
Microsoft Windows licensing is
a topic that seems to again be
generating questions and there
are plenty of people out there
who are illegally taking
advantage of others to trying
to make a quick profit by
selling counterfeit or
unlicensed software.
Here are the facts
and answers to many of the
points of confusion around OEM
Microsoft Office and OEM
Microsoft Windows licensing so
you are informed and can
protect yourself from the
scammers out there...
winbeta.org -
02.08.2007Vista Home Premium: $86 Shipped
Good deal at Micro Center: The OEM version of
Windows Vista Home Premium for a mere $80, 1/2 or 1/3 of the retail price and $22 less than Neweggs normal price. With $6
shipping you can be enjoying Vista on the cheap. Just remember that, as an OEM version, it can only be installed on one computer and cannot be moved
to another PC later on.
winbeta.org -
02.10.2007Consumer Versions of Vista Available Early
mwave.com lists several
editions of Windows Vista as
in stock and ready to
ship
Although the official launch
of Windows Vista won't take
place until January 30, that
hasn't stopped some online
retailers from making the
operating system available
early. mwave.com is listing
three Vista SKUs on its
website that are in stock and
ready to ship.
The OEM versions
of Vista listed on
mwave.com's website are
significantly cheaper than the
retail pricing for Vista
listed below:
* Windows Vista Home Basic,
$199/$99.95
* Windows
Vista Home Premium,
$239/$159
* Windows
Vista Business,
$299/$199
* Windows
Vista Ultimate,
$399/$259
The editions available
include Vista 32-bit Home
Basic OEM (Microsoft Part
Number: 66G-00576) for $89.90,
Vista 32-bit Home Basic OEM
3-pack (Microsoft Part Number:
66G-00613) for $268.90 and
Vista 32-bit Business OEM
(Microsoft Part Number:
66J-02289) for $139.90. As of
today, there were no listings
for Vista Home Premium or
Vista Ultimate on the
site.
jcxp.net -
22.01.2007Microsoft recruits Altech for OEM distribution in Australia
Microsoft has struck an OEM distribution agreement with Altech Computers for its Windows Vista, Microsoft Office and Microsoft Server products lines.
The OEM partnership is the vendor's first in nearly 10 years.
Microsoft SME and partner director, Pip Marlow, said the two
companies had partnered closely over recent years.
The new relationship would expand its scope and enable Microsoft to deliver
more support to the local system builder market, she said.
"Altech is the destination for small system builders - they do a
phenomenal job supporting that part of the channel," Marlow said. Altech now shares OEM distribution rights with Ingram Micro and Synnex.
winbeta.org -
12.11.2007Microsoft sends harsh reality check to OEMs
Last week, Microsoft sent
certified letters to its OEM
partners regarding Vista's
anti-piracy technology -- or,
more accurately, what happens
if they dare ship a system
with a "non-genuine" copy of
Vista.
The answer:
The system is crippled for 30
days, then hosed entirely
until you pony up for a
license. This is apparently
what Microsoft means when it
http://oem.microsoft.com/downl
oads/public/US/wgavista/genuin
e.pdf>warns of a "diminished
user experience."
This would be fine if
Microsoft were a reasonably
competent organization and
Windows Genuine Advantage
worked flawlessly. True
pirates deserve to be
punished. But Microsoft isn't
and WGA doesn't “ at least,
judging by the many letters I
got from Cringesters who
bought legit OEM copies of XP
from major manufacturers, only
to have WGA label them as
pirates. ..
winbeta.org -
04.06.2007Windows Vista Enterprise Edition appears on Select
Microsoft appears to have
published Office 2007 and
Vista keys to Select licenced
customers.
Along
with the keys is a download
entitled "Windows Vista
Enterprise English Disk Kit
MVL ISO CD". It's not quite
clear what this is but since
the download is 2641MB you can
only assume it's Windows
Vista Enterprise Edition. The
download was published a few
hours ago.
We are
currently awaiting a response
from Microsoft and will update
shortly.
Update: Microsoft
have now pulled the download
but the keys remain. Updated
with screenshot of what was. A
Microsoft spokesperson has
confirmed that Vista has not
yet RTM'd but is unable to
explain the odd appearance of
Vista Enterprise.
neowin.net -
03.11.2006Vista 'Family Discount' Bites Back
In the past, early adopters of
new Windows versions have had
some small hurdles to
overcome. Such hurdles may be
software incompatibility, or
lack of driver support. These
sorts of things are almost
expected with each new Windows
launch. But what would you do
if you bought Windows Vista
and your product key didn't
work? What if Microsoft had
no solution and was unwilling
to issue you a new key?
Many (if not all)
users who took advantage of
Microsoft's Vista Family
Discount have been issued
invalid installation keys and
cannot install Windows Vista
Home Premium. Microsoft
confirms that the keys are
indeed valid, but not for
Windows Vista. The CSR I spoke
with was unable to tell what
the key was for, but it did
appear to be a valid key, for
something.
Microsoft says, "This is a
known issue and has been
escalated to the program
manager." When asked what
could be done I was told, "I
can take your name and number
and call you back when there
is a solution. If that is not
acceptable, I can cancel your
order and issue you a
refund." I was also told,
"There is no expected time
period for a fix at this
time."
If
Microsoft does not have this
issue fixed very soon, they
are going to have a lot of
unhappy customers. In the past
Microsoft has just issued new
keys when this happened. Why
is Microsoft being so tight
gripped about handing out new
keys? If I purchased a valid
key, what is it for? How long
is this going to take to fix?
So many questions, so little
answers.
neowin.net -
31.01.2007Numbers Behind Windows 95, Vista
Here is a rundown of some
quick statistics comparing
Windows 95 and Windows Vista.
All prices are in USD. All
figures for Windows 95 seem to
be verified and although there
are sources for the Windows
Vista figures, Microsoft has
not officially confirmed them.
Windows 95 contained 11.2
million lines of code while
Vista is believed to be at 50
million. Windows 95 had
approximately 200 programmers
while Vista supposedly had
2,000, according one Microsoft
developer's blog.
The common retail price of
Windows 95 was $89.95. The
lowest amount you can pay for
Vista (Home Basic Edition) is
$99, and that's an
upgrade - the full retail
version is more than double
Windows 95's price, $199.
At the other extremity there
is Windows Vista Ultimate
Edition, ranging from $259
for the upgrade and $399
for the full. This of course,
doesn't consider OEM prices,
but I decided to do a little
hunting. At mwave.com, Home
Basic is priced at $89.90
while an OEM copy of Windows
95 is currently going for
$19.95, but that isn't
exactly a fair comparison.
Anyone remember the OEM price
for Windows 95 when it was
released?
neowin.net -
24.01.2007Windows 7 OEM prices unveiled, 50% off list price
ComputerWorld is reporting that online retailer Newegg.com has unveiled Windows 7 OEM pricing. Newegg.com has priced the OEM version of Windows 7
Home Premium at $99.99 which is a price reduction of 50% down from the recommended retail price of $199.99. Other savings are available for
Windows 7 Professional and Windows 7 Ultimate at $134.99 and $174.99, respectively. This is a saving of approximately 50% on each version from
the list price. OEM editions are priced lower as you typically do not get retail packaging, little official support and you're not able to
transfer the operating system license from one PC to another.
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
29.09.2009Viewing Your MSDN Product Keys Off-Line
Richard Macdonald: If you have an MSDN subscription, then you'll know that the subscription includes a set of product keys for use with the versions
of Office, Windows, etc that your subscription gives you access to. The keys can be viewed on-line at the MSDN subscriber site, but this isn't great
if you don't have any network access, and even then it's not all that convenient to have to log on each time to get a key.
Now,
there is an option to export your keys to an XML file, which means you can have them available off-line. However, XML isn't the most user-friendly
format...
winbeta.org -
10.03.2008Microsoft Responds to Reported OEM BIOS Hacks
The WGA team have finally
provided a written response to
the reported OEM BIOS Hacks
regarding Vista:
I
know many of you are aware of
reports of hacks that attempt
to exploit our OEM BIOS based
activation. We're aware of
this type of hack and I wanted
to take a minute to describe
how these work and how we plan
to respond.
First, what is OEM BIOS
based activation?
Here's a little more
information on how OEM BIOS
based activation works. This
form of product activation is
also known as OEM Activation
or just OA, which is how
Microsoft refers to it and how
I will refer to it in this
post. Back at the launch of
Windows XP when Microsoft
introduced Windows Product
Activation, we recognized that
as easy as end-user activation
is, it still represented an
extra step.
neowin.net -
12.04.2007
