Ron Schenone

Microsoft Adds More Anti-Piracy Protections To Windows 7 – Starts 02-16-10

Posted by on Feb 12, 2010 | 16 Comments

In another move to thwart pirates from breaking into Windows 7 activation process, Microsoft is adding a new anti-piracy update. It seems that pirates are once again at work and have devised a procedure to by pass activation and to get an illegal copy of Windows 7 working without completing the process. Microsoft has issued an update that will detect illegal activations and what is being described as ‘numerous exploits’ in one article.

One source stated:

Copies of Windows 7 can be downloaded for free, but users must purchase a legitimate registration key to activate the software. But numerous activation exploits have popped up on the Internet that are designed to let users illegally bypass the registration process.

Williams said Microsoft’s new patch, called the Windows Activation Technologies Update, will sniff out all known activation exploits every 90 days to ensure computer users have not employed them, whether knowingly or unwittingly.

If non-authentic software is detected, the update will prompt users to take action (i.e., pay Microsoft) and any background wallpaper in use will be switched to a plain desktop as an additional reminder that action is necessary.

Microsoft first plans to distribute the patch through Windows Update to Home Premium, Professional, Ultimate, and Enterprise editions of Windows 7 next week. It will also be available online at the company’s Web site starting Feb. 16.

It is nice to know before hand that this update is on its way, just in case it doesn’t work correctly. In the past some of these type of activation / anti-piracy updates have actually disabled machines with legal copies of Windows  installed .

Do you think these type of measures will stop piracy? Let us know.

Comments welcome.

Source.

  • http://twitter.com/paytyler PayTyler

    They will NEVER stop piracy. Microsoft can’t, and never will be able to keep up with the hackers of the world.

    In the mean time, I find this stupid. ONE MORE USELESS PIECE OF SOFTWARE RUNNING IN THE BACKGROUND. But, if we remove it, that’s one less thing running. For example, I have a legitimate copy of Windows XP SP3. However, I have found that it boots much faster and your computer performs much better when you remove WGA.

    Sorry to step on Microsoft’s toes, but again, they’re making it so that the best version of Windows available is a cracked version that you can only find illegally.

  • Kelly

    What happens if the update finds your system to a pirated copy when you have payed for it. What you have to do call them and tell them Its not a pirated copy. If I payed for Windows 7 and they turned off things in my OS and it payed for I would want my money back and I would go to linux.

  • http://www.twitter.com/MacSmiley MacSmiley

    Apple doesn’t make its customers deal with such activation nonsense.

  • Bob Fox

    Piracy can only be curtailed by use of a one bullet per pirate between they eyeball sockets. There is no other way. Everything has been tried. Think about the pirates of Somalia. Only bullets will stop them.

    Life is full of choices…all choices have consequences.

  • Ryan Farmer

    Vista7 – “The ‘Pay Up Sucka!’ starts now!”

    Better go see if my Linux kernel is activated :P

  • Ryan Farmer

    In another move to stop sheeple from saying “pirate” as if there was any US law other than the Law of the Sea regarding pirates, Ryan bought a monkey, and equipped it with a taser. The shocky money’s first victim was…..(story to be continued)

  • joe

    Will it stop them? Nah, not really. They may stop the “first level hackers”, but many of these types of people have the same if not better programming and/or “tech smart” skills as Microsoft’s team. Its’ the old coyote and roadrunner routine all over again.
    Microsoft can prep it up just right, but when its all said and done.
    “Pow! “…………That anvil always seems to land on Bill G. Coyote.

  • http://geeks.pirillo.com/profile/EricFox Eric Fox

    HAH! Yeah right!

    Microsoft, like every other “big company” is trying to get under control the raging river that is the piracy community. The problem is that they don’t know what will be exploited next. They know their system is not perfect, but they don’t know what could be used for piracy. Unless they made their system absolutely piracy proof the first time around (a feat that is virtually impossible) there would be no way to keep up with them. All MS can do is counter what has already been done and hope they won’t find anything else, which they will.

    I guarantee there are already a few new methods, made or being made, that will counter this new update or just completely disable it without Microsoft even knowing about it.

    Yet another problem that could be solved if no one cared about profit.

  • Connor Bryant

    I can’t believe that people are always complaining about Windows, but then there are huge piracy problems for it, and you never hear any about Macs.

  • Connor Bryant

    Hey @MacSmiley: That’s because Macs suck so bad free is to high a price to pay for them so no one pirates it.

  • http://wp3.lockergnome.com/shadowmyth/ ShadowMyth

    Eric: Yet another problem that could be solved if no one cared about profit.

    Shadow: I absolutely agree.

  • http://welcome-to-warp-zone.webs.com Reagar

    :o I didn’t know it was legal to download WIndows disc. this whole time I’ve been telling my cousin he’s going to get in trouble for burning them and selling XP discs. Wonder where i can download me a windows 7 disc to see what all the fuss is about. that way i can decide whether to upgrade and buy a license, or switch back to Vista.

  • http://www.justenrobertson.com Justen

    Yawn. I really wonder how much money MS wastes with this “anti-piracy” nonsense. It can’t be cheap to have a team of developers and technicians on hand to constantly be scanning the web for every published exploit and find solutions, then deploy them regularly. To what end? Are the hordes of people using pirated Windows *really* going to rush out and buy a copy if they make piracy slightly more inconvenient? Doubftul. Even if, hypothetically, they could put a stop to it it’s doubtful that they’d net many extra paying customers. People who can afford Windows buy it, it’s much more convenient than hassling with hacks. Piracy is an issue of sweat equity: what you save in money, you lose in time. It’s only compelling for those who have a lack of the former and wealth of the latter. If they can’t pirate Windows, they will spend that time figuring out how to use Linux. Hell, the vast majority of pirated Windows users are people in the 3rd world, as well as in small enterprises and government institutions that don’t have the budget (but mainly the third world).

  • Ryan Farmer

    If you use Windows, set updates to “Notify me, but don’t download or install.” Hide the “anti-piracy” update, and then update the system.

    You can manually refuse to install it *for now*, just like Windoze Genuine Annoyance wasn’t strictly mandatory at first in XP.

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  • marcus

    Me, I detest them so much I pirate everything they have over their gay docks…not as if they can’t afford it..I mean seriously MS are one of the biggest thieves in this war.

    Windows 7 is a very badly done Leopard…yawn…either grow up billy master gates and stop whining…seriously if cash is that tight then stop babbling and gushing about all these charities you give billions too..what a cock he is and a thief..pot calling the kettle there microsoft.

    As for Apple not requiring activation?
    iPhone
    iPad
    Everything they run is propriety software, if it doesn’t match their os driver signing…then its useless. Sorry dude but mac stinks worse than ms (the only redeeming thing about ms, is the ability to switch driver signing off, unlike mac which is both fiddly and beyond the abilities of the average user)..both lady boys fighting over nothing but a few copper pieces..silly bitches the pair of them.