Retrieve CD Key/Product Key From Windows Registry with Product Key Finder
You must keep CD Key/Product key of any software or application at handy place since you may not know when you will need that key again.
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9.7.2009
Windows 7 Product Key Checker to Verify Windows 7 Product Key
Windows 7 official release is set on October 23 and soon you will be able buy your own copy of Windows 7.
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9.9.2009
Vista License and Product Key Terminology Part 1
First part of mini serial of articles about Vista Licensing from
Steve Jobs blog.
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4.6.2007
Vista License and Product Key Terminology Part 2
Second part of mini serial of articles about Vista Licensing from
Steve Jobs blog.
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7.6.2007
Vista License and Product Key Terminology Part 3
Next part of mini serial of articles about Vista Licensing from
Steve Jobs blog - Vista Certificate of Authenticity (COA).
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Vista License and Product Key Terminology Part 4
Next article about Vista Licensing from
Steve Jobs blog - this is about Microsoft Product Activation (MPA).
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16.6.2007
Rearming Vista SP1 to Live 120 Days with No Product Key
With Windows Vista, Microsoft brought to the table an entirely overhauled activation architecture compared to Windows XP.
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10.1.2008
Microsoft Product Key Finder 1.0
In past we have covered product key finder, produkey & winguggle to recover product key of windows and several other installed softwares.
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6.8.2009
Activate Windows 7 Pre-Beta 6801 with Vista Beta or RC Product Key without Crack
Already download and install Windows 7 Pre-Beta build 6801? You probably have to leave the product key field blank during installation in order to complete the setup of Windows 7.
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1.11.2008
Get Genuine Kit and Windows Product Key Update Tool
The best and most cost-effective way for customers to acquire Windows software is preinstalled on a new PC.
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15.8.2006
Change Office 2007 Product Key
When Office 2007 was RTM'ed and downloadable on MSDN I used Office Professional 2007. For my new course, SharePoint BI, which I'm writing at the moment I needed InfoPath as well.
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1.1.2007
Free Windows 7 with Product Key By Attending New Efficiency Launch Events
Looking for free copy of Windows 7? Now is your chance to take home a copy of genuine Windows 7 Professional edition, complete with genuine valid product key to activate the operating system permanently with crack or hack.
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15.8.2009
Microsoft PIDX Product Key Checker for Windows 7 Free Download
Most commercial software products from Microsoft, such as popular Windows operating system i.e. Windows 7, Windows Vista and more, requires a product key to install and activate. Without a product key, Windows will run as evaluation software, and once trial period expires, the operating system will become not genuine and illegitimate to use any longer. Product key, which is a series of 25 characters serial key code string, is used by Windows operating system for several purposes.
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2.9.2009
The Product Key Is Not Valid Or 0xC004F061 Activation Error On Windows 7 Upgrade
When installing and upgrading to Windows 7 from previous version of operating system such as Windows XP and Windows Vista with an upgrade license, media (either Windows 7 ISO image or DVD disc) and product key, the following error message may be displayed when entering the serial key during setup.
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3.11.2009
XP: Get Updates No Matter What or Change your Product Key
If your windows installation has issues, or for some other unmentionable reason is unable to get updates from the windows server, this is what you need to do.
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27.3.2006
Windows 7 Beta ISO Download and Product Key Available for MSDN and Technet Subsribers
Although the public beta for Windows 7 beta will only available on January 9, 2009, the MSDN and Technet subscribers can now start downloading the DVD ISO media together with a genuine working product key to activate the Windows 7 installed.
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8.1.2009
Hack to Activate Office 2010 RC (RTM Escrow) With Free Product Key
Microsoft does not invite many people to join the official MS Office 2010 RC (Release Candidate) beta testing program in Connect website. For people who downloads and installs Office Professional 2010 RC (RTM Escrow) build 14.0.4734.1000 for volume licensing distribution channel, its possible to install the Office 2010 without any product key. For user who wants to activate the installed Office 2010, which may become the final RTM version (the RTM version is now rumored to be build 14.0.4740.1000), heres the trick or hack on how to activate Office 2010 RC.
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9.2.2010
Microsoft Office 2010 Volume License Product Key (VLK) Requires KMS or MAK for Activation
Volume licensing customers for Microsoft Office 2010 suites and applications who install volume editions of Office client software will require activation, even with a volume license key (VLK).
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26.8.2009
A Software Compatibility List for Microsoft Windows Vista RC 1
Iexbeta has a nic Wiki page with a huge list of software and its compatibility with Windows Vista.
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29.9.2006
Updated List of updates for Vista SP1
This guy Aaron Tiensivu keeps a VERY good list of non-critical Vista updates and this looks like it could be part of SP1.
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14.6.2007
Heres the list of fixes in those new Vista fix packs
I linked to an AeroXP post this morning listing hot fixes for Windows Vista provided in two new Knowledge Base postings. The AeroXP post is gone now. Poof!
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30.7.2007
Microsoft's List Of 800 Windows Vista-Compatible Apps Excludes IBM, Adobe
Microsoft has released
a list of 800 applications that should run properly on its new Windows Vista operating system.
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25.2.2007
Vista upgrade invalidates your XP key
If you choose to purchase an upgrade version of Windows Vista to upgrade XP, you will no longer be able to use that version of XP.
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30.1.2007
Intel waiting for key update before going Vista
If it's not good enough for Intel, is it good enough for you? We're talking Microsoft's Windows Vista, which the chip giant's CEO, Paul Otellini, this week indicated has not won the backing of his technology experts.
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7.3.2007
Windows Vista product editions revealed
If you've been wondering why Windows Vista has taken a long time to reach Beta 1, we can now tell you why: there are seven separate editions of Vista headed your way. OK, that's not the reason for the delay, but how else do you introduce that many OS versions, without invoking Snow White & friends? Join me now as I romp through the various editions, many of which you'll see are just barely differentiated.
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Windows Vista Product Guide Preview Now Available!
The Windows Vista Product Guide provides a comprehensive overview of the innovative features and functions that make Microsoft Windows Vista the next-generation Windows client operating system and successor to Windows XP.
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11.4.2006
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
Microsoft releases key Vista developer technologies
Microsoft on Wednesday gave developers access to a key piece of Windows Vista, months ahead of the operating system's release.
The company posted near-final versions of two software development technologies that are part of WinFX, the underlying programming model being introduced with Vista, which is slated to ship late this year.
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20.1.2006
Vista Hands On #4: Clean install with an upgrade key
I've been reading
the breathless reports this week about the "Vista upgrade loophole." Most of it is typical echo-chamber stuff, and most of the reports I've read so far have gotten the basic facts wrong.
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19.2.2007
Microsoft Windows Vista Product Guide Preview Now Available!
The Windows Vista Product Guide provides a comprehensive overview of the innovative features and functions that make Microsoft Windows Vista the next-generation Windows client operating system and successor to Windows XP. This guide also provides information the benefits Windows Vista offers diverse users as well as information about the different editions (SKUs) available. It's about 300 pages, and contains a lot of really great information about Windows Vista.
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11.4.2006Clearing up the confusion on Vista licensing and key management
Since Windows Vista has been released to the public, there has been a lot of confusion and hype surrounding some of the licensing decisions and
restrictions with which Microsoft Corp. saddled the operating system and its many versions. Additionally, there's a new type of product key and a
volume key management system that you might not know about. In this article, I'll take a look at five distinct points about Vista licensing and key
management and give you the most current answers to what I've found are the most common questions about those topics.
winbeta.org -
02.11.2007Official Way to Use Vista without Activation 120 Days
Official Way to Install and
Use Windows Vista without
Activation for Free for 120
Days
By default,
Windows Vista can be
installed, used and run
without any license, product
key or the need of activation
for 30 days grace period, for
purpose of trial or
evaluation. Although Microsoft
initially stressed that users
should purchase a license with
valid product key before the
trial period expires, or else
Windows Vista will lock into
Reduced Functionality Mode.
However, a "rearm" method
has long since been discovered
to be able to extend, or reset
the remaining time for
activation to another fresh 30
days, for up to 3 times.
Now Microsoft has
confirmed that Windows Vista
can be used and run for 120
days or 4 months ( 3
rearms ), and extending the
activation grace period is not
a violation of the Vista End
User License Agreement (EULA).
All versions of Vista include
Windows Vista Ultimate allow a
30-day free period without
activation, except the
corporate-oriented Vista
Enterprise, which supports
only a three-day trial.
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
22.02.2007Microsoft's Vista 'Family Discount' Troubles
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.
jcxp.net -
01.02.2007Microsoft Endorses Product That Turns Off Vista UAC Nags
The latest version of a well-reviewed third-party security policy enhancement system for Windows Vista claims to solve what its manufacturer
characterizes as "not a secure solution" to a critical problem Windows historically had with administrator privileges on programs. But in the
announcement of the upgrade earlier this week, a key Microsoft product manager is quoted as having acknowledged Vista's own take on the solution was
not quite enough, effectively reversing his company's stand on User Account Control.
The product is BeyondTrust Privilege
Manager 3.5, and its key new feature is the ability to run Vista's UAC transparently without prompting the user for privilege elevation. In Monday's
press release, Microsoft director of client security product management Austin Wilson is quoted as not only endorsing the product, but appearing to
agree with BeyondTrust's key contention: that the UAC prompts were not only a nag but an insecure solution in itself.
winbeta.org -
24.08.2007Windows Vista Application Compatibility Downloadable List for IT Professionals
The Application Compatibility List for IT Professionals is a Microsoft Office Excel-based spreadsheet containing software applications which have
earned the status of Certified for Windows Vista or Works with Windows Vista.
Additionally, this list contains applications
with a status of Compatible. "Compatible means that the application has been reported by the publisher as compatible with, or supported on,
Windows Vista. These applications have not gone through the Microsoft Windows Vista Logo Program.
The Application Compatibility
List for IT Professionals is current as of July 31,2008 and published as of the Date Published, noted in Quick Details, above.
winbeta.org -
09.10.2008Windows Anytime Upgrade: Digital Distribution To End
Microsoft had this to say on its website: "In an effort to streamline the Windows Anytime Upgrade experience for our customers and open the program
to additional markets worldwide, Microsoft and its partners have decided to end digital product key distribution on February 20, 2008."
With Windows Anytime Upgrade, customers could upgrade to another version of Vista by purchasing a digital product key. Microsoft has now decided to
stop distributing product keys online. Those who now want to upgrade, will have to buy a Windows Anytime Upgrade Kit from a local retailer or from
Microsoft.
Read full
story.....
neowin.net -
11.02.2008Windows Vista SP1 Product Guide
A comprehensive feature-by-feature guide to Windows Vista with Service Pack 1. With contributions from people who actually worked on the product, this
is the definitive resource to learn about Windows Vista. The Windows Vista Product Guide is available in XPS and PDF formats.
winbeta.org -
22.03.2008Windows Vista Grace Period Extended to 120 Days
Every Vista DVD includes the
ability to install any edition
of Vista without a product
key. When you install without
a product key, you get an
automatic 30 day evaluation
period. This probably isn't
news to anyone.
What may be news
to you, however, is that you
can easily extend the 30-day
Windows Vista grace period to
120 days. No hacks required.
This is an official, supported
operation directly from
Microsoft.
To extend the grace period
another 30 days, simply start
a command prompt as
Administrator, and issue this
command:
slmgr -rearm
Reboot for the
change to take effect, and
voila, you have 30 more days.
You can only extend three
times, so the total grace
period for a Vista evaluation
is 120 days.
jcxp.net -
01.02.2007Vista '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 -
31.01.2007Windows Mobile 6 to Synchronize App Development
In an interview with BetaNews,
Microsoft product manager for
Windows Mobile and embedded
devices John Starkweather said
that a key feature of the
system developers' kit for
Windows Mobile 6 will be a set
of tools that expose the
functionality of a new
graphical desktop
synchronization tool for
Windows Vista called Windows
Mobile Device Center...
betanews.com -
11.02.2007Windows Mobile 6 SDK to Enable Synchronized Apps Development
In an interview with BetaNews,
Microsoft product manager for
Windows Mobile and embedded
devices John Starkweather said
that a key feature of the
system developers' kit for
Windows Mobile 6 will be a set
of tools that expose the
functionality of a new
graphical desktop
synchronization tool for
Windows Vista called Windows
Mobile Device Center...
betanews.com -
10.02.2007How to Delete a Windows Service in Vista or XP
If you are a fan of tweaking your system and disabling services, you might find that over time your Windows Services list becomes huge and unwieldy
with a large number of services in the list that will never be enabled.
Instead of just disabling a service, you can
alternatively completely delete the service. This technique can be especially helpful if you've installed some piece of software that doesn't
uninstall correctly, and leaves an item in the service list.
winbeta.org -
26.09.2008Workaround Discovered For "Clean Install" With Vista Upgrade
DailyTech has posted a 7-step
workaround courtesy of Paul
Thurrott (via Microsoft
internal documents) on how to
perform a clean install with a
Windows Vista Upgrade DVD. Per
Microsoft's new licensing
requirements for Vista, users
are required to install a
Windows Vista Upgrade from
within Windows XP and to make
matters worse, the Windows XP
license is forfeited. The
process may be tedious, but
few will argue when they
compare the price differences
between the upgrade and retail
versions. Here we go:
- Boot from the
Windows Vista Upgrade DVD and
start the setup
program.
- When prompted
to enter your product key, DO
NOT enter it. Click "Next"
and proceed with setup. This
will install Windows Vista as
a 30-day trial.
- When
prompted, select the edition
of Vista which you have
purchased and continue with
setup.
- Once setup has
been completed and you have
been brought to the desktop
for the first time, run the
install program from within
Windows Vista.
- This
time, type in your product key
when prompted.
- When
asked whether to perform an
Upgrade or Custom (advanced)
install, choose Custom
(advanced) to perform a clean
install of Vista. Yes, this
means that you will have to
install Vista for a second
time.
- Once setup has
completed for the second time,
you should be able to activate
Windows Vista normally. You
can also delete the
Windows.old directory which
contains information from the
first Vista
install.
neowin.net -
31.01.2007Pirated 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 -
16.11.2006Microsoft Windows Vista is now on MSDN & Connect
Thanks Andareed who
posted this news in our
forums, yes thats right MSDN
users need no longer to
wait.
Initial
reports are that this is
different from the leaked
version that has been
available for about a week on
all sorts of torrent sites,
the hash is different:
en_windows_vista_x86_dvd_X12
-34293.iso =
b71e04564ca22e4d9928e59298eff8
7cf62b382b
LRMCFRE_EN_DVD.iso
(BillGates) =
b82590481755ba3420e7314bf82b89
16a90963b5
This
single download includes the
following Windows Vista
editions:
- Windows Vista
Business
- Windows
Vista Business N
- Windows Vista Home
Basic
- Windows Vista
Home Basic N
- Windows
Vista Home Premium
- Windows Vista Starter
- Windows Vista
Ultimate
The product
key used to install Windows
Vista will determine which
edition will be installed. The
product keys used to install
Windows Vista Business N,
Windows Vista Home Basic N,
and Windows Vista Starter are
not currently available.
Also US testers may
find an invitation to download
any version of Vista final
they choose (a product key is
then supplied for the version
specified) my source tells me
that international users will
start to see this appearing on
their connect page within the
next day or so. It's unclear
if every tester will get a
full version of their choice.
We'll update this when
Microsoft gets back to us.
neowin.net -
17.11.2006No plans to release public Vista app-compat checklist
If you were wondering when
Microsoft plans to publish an
official list of applications
that don't work well with
Windows Vista, the answer is
never. When Microsoft released
Windows XP Service Pack 2, the
company subsequently published
a list of applications that
didn't work properly (or at
all) with the SP2 update. But
with Windows Vista, Microsoft
has decided not to issue a
public list.
Instead, the company is
advising both business and
home users with compatibility
concerns to get a copy of the
Microsoft Application
Compatibility Toolkit (ACT),
which includes technology that
will allow users to log
compatibility problems and
cross-check (privately, with
Microsoft and other customers)
compatibility results for
selected applications.
Until this month,
Microsoft officials had been
noncommittal when asked about
plans for publishing a full
Vista app-compat list, like
they did with Windows XP SP 2.
But just over a week ago, when
I asked Brad Goldberg,
Microsoft's general manager
for Windows client product
management, about Microsoft's
plans to make such a list
public, I got a more
definitive answer.
neowin.net -
12.12.2006Psst...here's how to get your Windows 7 beta key
Thanks to our ever wonderful forum posters who are currently discussing the Windows 7 beta and Helmers Blog we now know a method of acquiring an
official Windows 7 beta key. We have posted direct links to the downloads earlier today: Download: Windows 7 x86 (32bit) and x64 (64 bit)
Here's the steps for a key:Visit TechNet Downloads, sign in at the top right and let the page loadWithin the same window copy and paste
"https://www.microsoft.com/betaexperience/scripts/gcs.aspx?Product=tn-win7-64-ww&LCID=1033" into the address bar (yes it's a 64bit key but will
work on 32 too, if you get an error refresh a few times)...enjoy the result below, whilst stocks last.
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
10.01.2009Volume License Key Changes,
End to VLK Piracy?
"Corporate Edition" versions
of Windows have been the
blessing of both IT workers
and casual pirates since the
days of Windows 95, when the
operating system first started
asking for a license key on
installation.
Large firms and OEMs who did
not want to go through the
hassle of typing in a CD key
for every install received
Volume License Keys (VLKs)
that could be used on as many
installs as necessary.
Microsoft relied on the honor
system to ensure that
companies did not abuse this
privilege, but it looks as if
with Vista this system may be
ending:
"We
are making changes to the
process to Vista and a new
approach to VLK licensing,"
Mike Sievert, corporate vice
president of Windows client
marketing for Microsoft told
CRN during a recent interview.
"We're training our
enterprise customers and
we'll do some key management
for customers that's more
automated and makes reporting
easier."
Click on read more
to get more info from this
article!
jcxp.net -
28.06.2006Microsoft: Pay no attention to post-Vista plans
Microsoft declined to comment
Friday on post-Vista plans by
releasing a comment -- a move
bloggers attributed to buzz
about a list of most-asked-for
features to Vista's
successor. The list was yanked
from a Microsoft forum earlier
this week.
The
company's statement,
attributed to Kevin Kutz,
director of the Windows client
team, was among the shortest
on record from the company.
"The launch of
Windows Vista was an
incredibly exciting moment for
our customers and partners
around the world, and the
company is focused on the
value Windows Vista will bring
to people today," Kutz said.
"We are not giving official
guidance to the public yet
about the next version of
Windows, other than that
we're working on it. When we
are ready, we will provide
updates." ..
winbeta.org -
14.07.2007Microsoft block Windows 7 OEM key hack
Microsoft’s Windows Genuine Advantage team
have responded to this week's news that a Windows 7 Ultimate
licensing hack had been identified.
After a Lenovo OEM Windows 7 image leaked and was used to extract a license key, Microsoft have worked with the manufacturer to blacklist the rogue
key and replace it - on genuine Lenovo PCs bought with the new OS - with a working version.
winbeta.org -
31.07.2009