Vista pirated half as much as XP, Microsoft rejoices
By Donald Melanson 
posted Dec 4th 2007 3:21PM
posted Dec 4th 2007 3:21PM
While it admits it's not possible to pin down an exact number, Microsoft has let out word today that it estimates the counterfeit rate of Vista to be about half that of XP, a figure that it seems to be more than pleased with. Of course, one could interpret those numbers in slightly less positive ways, but Microsoft claims the sharp dip in piracy is due to Vista's amped up authentication system, which it says is a "proven and effective way to combat piracy." To come up with the numbers, Microsoft apparently relied statistics based on Windows Genuine Advantage validation failures, as well as other unspecified internal data. As TG Daily notes, all this follows Microsoft's announcement of revised anti-piracy measures in Vista SP1 and, specifically, some big changes to the aforementioned WGA feature.
I'm going to take from this that Vista is half as desirable as XP.
Who wants to pirate an OS that SUCKS
Who wants to pirate an OS that SUCKS
vista is just an ad/campaign for XP. have you noticed how many XP bashers started to praise it after vista came out?
I wouldn`t use Vista even if they payed me.... Now I use OSX Leopard and my 4 core cpu is used fully for the first time, long live hackintosh.
lol i have Windows Vista ultimate,and it offers alot more than XP,it's more secure,more reliable,more good looking,more features.
So i applaud MS,Cracking Windows Vista ain't easy,this is quite a progress,DOWN WITH PIRACY!
Well it is fact that Vista is not as versatile, app-friendly and hardware-compatible as XP. xp was the ultimate version of windows and remains till date.. but as h/w gets cheaper by the day MS thought lets stop XP and sell a better/costlier version of windows...
MS set its own standards high with XP but I read a lot against MS and vista on this page.. and i dont agree with all of that..
c'mon ppl, think like Bill gates...he gotta keep microsoft running after being hit so bad by piracy on all popular MS softwares... whats wrong if he puts vista campaign on high and stops XP sale..
But then he shouldnt make such half-true comments about vista's geneuine advantage..
As a 4th year student studying web design I can say that most people in my area at University avoid Vista for many reasons. The migration could cause headaches and waste vital hours during our course.
Just another example of why Vista is not wanted and for any student entering a computing course with XP on their system this term, there is a good chance they will be still using it in 4 years time because of the massive advantages.
Microsoft could be making their money from this target audience (which is massive) in other ways such as an Experts-Exchange.com copy-cat run by Microsoft for their software only. Get the money from follow up services that students can see results from etc
It does my head in how Microsoft can get it right and get it wrong at the same time because I'd love to be using Vista!
Great. So Microsoft makes a product so bad that no one even wants to steal it, and they decide to use that to convince people their DRM is working. That'll surely help sales...
I have to agree. I used Vista Home Premium today at work, and I wanted to shoot myself.
to Microsoft's credit, there is no FCKGW key for Vista.
but seriously, FCKGW.
Did anyone stop to consider that perhaps those guys over at MS have heard of statistics before? When they say Vista is pirated half as much as XP is it at al possible they are looking at _percentages_ of the total OS counts rather than just a straight comparison? You know, like any 9th grader would do?
I honestly wonder how many people who have commented on here have actually used Vista Ultimate...
Yeah seriously, FCK George W... Oh wait...
Vista half as good as XP, Microsoft makes money anyways thanks to prebuilts
Michael Emmons:
The point is there is less demand for Vista among both pirates *and* paying customers.
You go telling your investors that sales dollars don't matter, percentages do. See what their reaction is.
In other words, reducing the percentage of piracy means nothing if there's no corresponding increase in sales. What's the point? Ending piracy is a means to an end, not an end in itself. MS could end all piracy tomorrow if they just stopped producing products and released all their software into the public domain. Boom, no more piracy! But what good would it do them financially?
The whole idea is reducing piracy to make more money. If you're reducing the number of paying customers at the same time you reduce piracy, then it's all moot.
I will say one big reason I will never, EVER buy Windows Vista, or any machine with Vista on it, is the DRM (including WGA).
I'm pretty sure Microsoft doesn't have to convince its investors of anything, if you've paid attention to their revenue statements lately.
the reason is that Vist is Shit compared to XP.
I think one of the biggest reasons is the fact that the build is so large. Most people don't want to download several GB for a half assed update. Also many "pirated" versions pass as authentic anyway
Yeah, but you have to think "who pirates this"? Mostly, people who pirate an OS know what they're doing with a computer, and people who know computers don't want Vista plaguing theirs. Therefore, anyone foolish enough to get it is also not smart enough to pirate it.
People steal less from the contents of outhouses than from stores, septic collectors rejoice!
F%&KING DUH people aren't stealing vista! I'm still UPgrading vista machines to XP (or Linux, depending on software need). Once Microsoft actually releases an Operating System instead of an error generator, perhaps I'll have a gander. Until then, Piss on you microsoft.
I got the full version of Vista for about $10 from the school I work at (campus license). Even at that price, I didn't bother installing it. It's worth having, "just in case", but XP still runs fine on all of my systems.
@Jeff
Investors do pay attention to percentages. Think about it if you had stock that cost $100 a share went up 1 dollar vs a share that cost $50 and went up $1 dollar which would you want to own. Personally I would rather own 2 of the $50 stock, since I would then have $102 rather than $101 (of course this difference becomes larger with more stock other variables).
So when Microsoft says the rate (Percentage) of piracy is lower in vista than XP its simply (Vista_pirated / Vista_sold) < (XP_pirated / XP_sold). It is not saying the total Vista pirated copies is less than the total pirated copies of XP, because that is obvious to them and the rest of us.
Michael Emmons, what exactly has your comment to do with either the original post or the comment you were replying to? I don't know how the comment got high ranked considering no-one had implied that MS was using absolute numbers.
Clearly, the pirate percentage for Vista is smaller. That's because people who pirate their OS have a better choice in XP. Whereas people who get their OS with the PC use Vista by default and by and large don't know how to get XP even if they wanted it.
haha, thats cuz nobody wants it!
copy is the sincerest form of flattery.
i guess no one is flattering Vista.
why do people always beat me to my comment
uh huh. right.
i heard that toyotas and hondas are stolen about twice as much as the fords and gm products.
must be the amped up security they are using.
no.. they're just worth more on resale because they're built better and run better.
much like XP vs. Vista.
pretty sure Motoxo was just being sarcastic, prokanda. :)
-bryan
Stupid report. Xp has been out since...2001? Vista since...2006? You wonder why you get these results.My Vista is pirated and I love it. This is just a stupid post Engadget.
Let the "I hate Vista" comments roll in now.
Hated it! (2 snaps)
I agree about the year difference, but vista is crap, so why does anyone steal it?
@rock99rock
zorro snap!
yeah a um guy i know loves his to, and it authenticates so you kind of have to wonder about those stats
Vista: runs your games slower
First: This made me laugh. Did Microsoft consider that most people who are willing to get a pirated copy of XP and Vista would rather take XP?! I know some (most) technicians who groan when they see Vista on a pc. How about this headline: "Vista purchased half as much as XP, Microsoft mourns." The real truth is some people just don't want Vista, and I'm one of them.
Half of those who choose to steal Vista decided to revert back to their stolen XP.
I did lol
+1 haha
I went from pirated XP to pirated Vista, and I'm fed up with the lot. SuSE 10 here I come!
(Oh, and if a 17 year old can handle cracking Vista's anti piracy measure, it cant be that hard)
I don't understand the point when vista was easier than XP sp2
All too true, XP Pirates FTW!
True dat, i did
Thats true, I didn't pirate it I bought a macBook, way to go MS, you sent me to apple. Nice work.
I'm also in the "Hate Vista, decided to buy a Mac" side of this. I COULD pirate Vista, I just don't WANT to. I still use my XP box to do some surfing from my couch, but that's about it.
I hate Vista and bought a Mac as well.....and then installed XP on it.
Seriously.
Vista is Microsoft's attempt to steal back from the pirates because after you install it, half of your software and hardware is gone!!!
I hate vista
Agreed. I have Vista on one machine out of 8, and that is only because I like the Media Center.
Lets also not forget that the primary hack for Vista requires no key, and therefore no problems with WGA.
Pirates half as much, sucks twice as much.
It's harder to pirate the hardware to meet its higher system requirements.
Even pirates have performance standards.
Exactly. I would install my piraLEGAL copy of Vista on all my comps if I didn't think they would shit themselves.
yea..Insted of FCKGW vista has MAKs ( Multiple Activation Keys ). YFKBB is also blacklisted. but there are deals thru wh u can get it 4 $100
I pirated vista JUST NOW. SP1 integrated No activation No Key. Thats great piracy protection microsoft ;)
If half of all PCs sold were installed with Vista, and the other half with XP, does that mean all Vista-installed PCs are pirated?
Huh? Take the crack pipe out of your mouth before talking, please.
I'd say this is partly down to the requirements of Vista. Vista requires a pretty powerful machine to run happily which loosely translates as a recent machine. Anyone buying a machine recently would of got Vista with it. Now XP will happily run on pretty much any machine you will find out there today and so when people get hold of cheap second hand computers they slap XP on it.
Well it uses a lot more hardware to do what? A shiny user interface?
I have the highest regards for XP for many reasons. One of them is that I actually have a Pentium (original, not 2/3/4) with 128 MB RAM, which runs XP perfectly! Can you imagine that?
I also have the latest machines Core2 on both my laptop and primary desktop machines. Can you imagine running Vista on even a P4?
And kudos to XP for running from P1 to dual core! Thats past and future from when XP was released! Hats off.
And in 5 years todays machines will be Vista's past and the machines out then will be Vista's future. Was it worth posting on an old entry just to make a pointless comment?
I don't know why they'd brag about this.
If it's out there on BT, then chances are it's already cracked or it gives instructions on how to crack it. That many people aren't just downloading a useless disc image.
If Vista IS cracked (which, by the way, it is), then the more interesting question is why is Vista STILL only half as popular as XP, even if they're both cracked and free?
Because I would rather have an adequate computer than a lump of shit on my desk. That's why I would never pirate vista.
they migth be telling the truth.
windows vista works as well as windows xp.
Lies! Filthy Slanderous Lies!
That's NOT slander, it's libel. :)
Do you really think that Microsoft didn't account for the year difference? That would be a pretty ridiculous error to make. Just maybe figure that in.
Well....when XP still works Dard Good...... why "Acquire" Vista? If I want Widgets I can just install Yahoo Widgets which work great.
I have used vista. I hate it. To perform one operation on vista, you have to respond to 3 times the amount of questions as XP.... IT´s like this.. Delete folder G, then vista asks¨are you sure you want to¨, ¨are you really sure¨, ¨are you the administrator¨ then continue. Also, I haven´t gotten some games to run, like NFS carbon, FIFA 2007. On XP all of this function very smoothly.
A VISTA le hace falta mucho trabajo
Vista is a POS and wasnt worth anyone's time to pirate
When people know they can get any version of an OS at no cost and at any time, they're going to choose the better one (Until they're forced to upgrade, again, at no cost)
Simply Hilarious. Pat the guy that designed that stuff on the back. Way to go!!
I have been on Vista 64 for a few months, with a few bumps, but no major hang ups till last week. I went to update my BIOS, and had a bad flash. After getting back up with the ASUS startup disk, Vista said that due to a hardware change, my Vista was no longer valid, and now keeps prompting me to buy a new activation code. I didn't change any hardware at all!!
I called tech support, and the lady wants my credit card # so I can pay $60 for tech support. I told her I am not paying any more money for MS help and I am not paying more $ for something I already bought. After a few mins. of arguing, she finally was about to issue me a new act. #, but I asked her that since I might have to RMA my motherboard (still having some bugs, so I ended up having to), would the new # work when I get the board back from ASUS, and she said no it would not work, so now I am in limbo. I am supposed to call back when I get my MB back.
You would think that MS would figure out that if in their phone support menu, the first 5 options are for problems with activation, and the #6 (of 6 options) is for all other issues and problems, that something might be really wrong here!!!
Bamboo, at some point you've got to take a step back from your position, realise that you own a legitimate licence to run Vista, and consider how much time you've spent arguing with Microsoft about your legitimate copy of Vista. Isn't it time you downloaded a copy from a torrent site? Technically speaking, you have the licence and Microsoft has its money. Just get a copy that works!
Heartless jerks. That's why I use mac.
Pirates aren't stupid. They know Vista sucks.
Arr! We don't need no stinkin Vista!
yeah right, it would be nice to know how many user actually use vista
At 9% it is 2nd in market share only to XP.
http://apple20.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2007/12/01/apple-mac-hits-record-681-market-share-in-net-applications-survey/?section=money_topstories
Vista is a good OS, acknowledged by many, but it just didn't meet our high expectations. Maybe the improved security is the reason for less pirating. Why do you people automatically assume it's because no one wants Vista?
Windows Vista still has a higher market share than all of OSX combined.
And there are more ford escorts then ferrari enzos.
Just a guess...
More people want XP than Vista?
I don't get all the Vista whining and bashing from Mac talibans who haven't even used Vista. Vista runs superb on my machine.
It runs fine on my work PC as well. (I use a Mac & XP at home). But the only reason I use it at all is because my employer paid for it. I sure as heck won't shell out MY money for it.
Not true. I'm a recent Mac convert (switched switched last year) and I don't like Vista at all.
@Razor
If you switched to Mac last year, how did you even get to spend any substaniable about of time on Vista?
Vista was released late last year.
or are you saying that you switched FROM Mac TO Windows. (never really hear of anyone doing that though)
im kinda sick of hearing people bitch about Vista. as far as im concerned its XP with a different skin. its kinda funny: i found Vista much easier to hack.
Same here
LOL! I have a pirated copy...I'm never gonna use it though! :D
>it would be nice to know how many user actually use vista<
I have the Vista "upgrade" disk that came for my Fuji P1610 tablet and don't have even the slightest interest in installing it. To run slower bloatware than XP? Why?
So I am a "user" by M$ count but not a user in the sense of using the product. I don't think I'm alone.
Same here. Got the upgrade disk with my HP NC6400. Not gonna let it near my laptop for the near future. Or ever.
So I'm another non-using Vista "user" in MS books.
I bet if you could really dig into the statistics, you'd find that more people have PIRATED Vista than PURCHASED OSX.
Duh. Unless you are a 'hackintosh' fan, the overwhelming majority of computers out there can't run OSX. This doesn't make Vista better than OSX, its just the circumstance.
My question: Is everyone saying how much Vista sucks because it's the trendy thing to do or because they've actually used it for more than 10 minutes within the last 3 months? I've been using it for about the last 6 months and since Nvidia and such released decent drivers, my overall performance is on par with my 32-bit XP install and I haven't needed to go back for any reason. Hell, dos-box still works, so I can even still play 16-bit games on a 64-bit system.
I'll admit, back during the RC2 days, Vista sucked. It was horrible and was everything that everyone above me is complaining about, but since the hardware companies decided to put out some drivers that aren't complete trash, it's actually a decent system. Sure, I wouldn't buy it, (free copy from Intel) but I don't have any issues with how it runs or getting programs to work.
my copy of vista is pirated and i got it day 1
the only thing i hate more than vista is the new office.
It's terrible, and they reformatted the menu system for no damn reason.
used vista ultimate. hated it. went back to xp. better performance and better overall.
"Vista sucks twice as much as XP"
Fixed the title for you.
thats cause vista stinks...
They have only proved that making a shitty OS deters pirating.