Wondering why your PC has been infested with malware, random popups, intermittent shut downs and all sorts of other atypical garbage since the day you installed that downloaded copy of
Windows 7? In case you aren't capable of determining that your copy of Windows isn't genuine (as in, you didn't
buy it from a legitimate source),
Microsoft is about to lend you a serious hand. In the "coming days," the software behemoth will be pushing out a new update for Windows Activation Technologies, which will look for over "70 known and potentially dangerous activation exploits." It sounds as if the update is intended to alert folks who purchased complete PCs from the back of their local White Van that they may have gotten ripped off, but either way, we're not particularly stoked about having yet another item running in the background, consuming system resources and telling us that we've been naughty. Thankfully it's a voluntary update, but keep your eyes peeled if you don't want to okay the installation accidentally.
[Thanks, Troy]
posted February 11th 2010 8:59PM
They can't detect my BIOS Mod so I'm set!
@10nisman94 Fo Shizzle! I'm still running the beta , before 7600 , I just removed all the activation stuff and never had any issues. Hope they let me keep it going
HAH +1
andyp tools ftw!111one
@10nisman94 Yep, BIOS flashing ftw.
@10nisman94
who the hell gets random popups and spyware/viruses from a downloaded copy? learn2torrent?
@10nisman94 it amuses me how half the time pro-piracy comments get Highest Ranked and the other half they downranked in to oblivion.
@10nisman94
Yes, but they can detect your pirated Royalty OEM product key.
@Steve Jobs Clone
Its oem slp key for offline oem activation. If they blacklist oem slp key all legal costumers would be affected
@d889 It is merely to scare you away from piracy, just like the scary ads before a movie.
@RandomGuy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDy8EYCh4uY
Couldn't find a better copy of it anywhere.
@kojo87 It's highest ranked because it's purely epic win.
@KOJYT And even if they do block it, just use slmgr.vbs -ipk (new key).
@10nisman94
With the new Microsoft™ Cookie Bum © tracking technology, you can't get away.
No one escapes Cookie Bum ©.
Nobody.
@Indefinite Implosion
Couldn't agree more, but I wish they would put out an update for the Clean Install Student Activation issue. I'm tired of MS telling me my copy isn't legit when I paid for it!
@10nisman94
Actually if you are able to download a torrent ISO , burn it to DVD and install+configure it alone chances are that you are less likely to have viruses, pop-ups and other shit rather than a douche that bought the paid version and had someone to install it for him... and later on installed HIMSELF Antivirus2010 to "protect" his investment.
Voluntary updates won't help stop piracy.. they simply won't install it, lol
@iFargle
This is not meant to stop piracy. It is meant to stop the ugly backside of piracy that puts spyware, viruses, bots on computers that are sold thru craigslist or other channels which leaves the user either uninformed of compromised nature of their PC or left attacking Microsoft when their computer doesn't work properly.
@LJKelley
Those RIPOFF pirates are giving us GOOD (ie: poor) pirates a bad name! >:[
Is it compatible with iSausage?
Arrrghh!! ye'll never ketch me ye scurvy Redmond Dogs !! *squawk*
@AstroSeven
Wow. I... wow.
WGA on XP and Vista was "voluntary", though it was "critical patch". My Windows 7 machine defaulted to "auto install critical patches". So, it wont be voluntary for me. While it's their software and they can sell it with whatever bugs/features they wish, it's annoying to have more things running in the background. I already have lots of thing on bootup (AV, sound card utiliy, nVidia manager, bunch of stuff for managing various hardware), I wont' want one more.
@xtasi Change your auto-update settings to "off" and be careful about which updates you dl.
Hope it doesn't bork legit copies...
Anyways, whats to stop a pirate from...I dunno...Just not downloading it? Apart from not getting future updates without a second hack?
AFAIK Shady retailers selling cracked Windows is a big problem in Asia. This is mostly aimed at telling people who DON'T know their Windows isn't geniune.
@The MAZZTer Well, in Asia, the "shady" retailers are THE retailers. I think it's actually harder to find a real legit copy of Windows, unless you buy a new brand-name computer.
@The MAZZTer
Do you have any idea how big and diverse Asia is? There are tons and tons of legit 1st world style retailers in Asia. Good grief. It's not all slummy alleys and Playstation VCD bootleg movies.
Much love for teh Cookie Bum, yo.
@mtnDewFTW Ditto
I had to reformat my XP install several times over the years, eventaully ran into WGA because I went over the limit on my times activated, sounds like DRM to me
@JeremyBenthem
Had that happen a few times as well. Just called and punched some numbers into the automates system and I was back in business. Oddly enough, it was my MSDN copy that required me to do this (which on the other hand makes sense)
@kojo87 Nope. Unlike you, I have no computers to fix :)
What happens when theoretically windows says i don't have a genuine copy of windows? Is there an OK or Ignore button?
@nsfw
You call, enter your license key to the automates system and it will spit back a "reactivation" code and you go on with your life.
There will be some that will whine and moan, but I personally have better things to complain about than taking 5 minutes out of my day for this.
i don't get what the malware and virus but has to do with anything?
@acme64 scareware
so, will my oem aio activated copy still work?
@ksmith
probably, but you should get the update and report back on your success/failure for the rest of us.
Having the most popular windows 7 for free tutorial on the internet (almost 300,000 views)
This could be bad news for me ;/
(300,000 angry people are going to try and string me up by my activators if they get de-activated.)
Another process running in the background? How about you do some research before making stuff up? This bolsters the activation processes already present in Windows 7, it doesn't add anything completely new. It's a non-intrusive update that changes nothing about the user experience, designed exclusively to deter known activation cracks. Nothing to get upset about. If you want free software, go steal a boxed copy or use Linux.
Thanks for the heads up!
Yup. This is a lawsuit just waiting to happen. I can see it now... Joe with a real copy of Win 7 gets borked by this new update and out comes the class action lawyers.
damn. This means my activated copy from bittorrent is going to be marked as not genuine again.
Linux FTW!!
Say, hypothetically, you activate Windows 7 with a loader software. Basically this update is going to say your copy of Windows is not genuine if you used a loader software right?
Genuine Advantage much? Let's just say there's a reason I check the option to only download and install updates that I choose.
Haha, they still aren't learning the lesson from the introduction of WGA? The windows market share has only going down since they introduced that thing. And as a result developers are following. Apple isn't really making better products, they are simply providing the alternative that people can understand and tolerate. This is actually a case where OS piracy is in their best interest for all the other products and platforms they sell. Its exactly how they got to where they're at. However, I welcome any nazi stuff they continue to do to their users. They've gone after system builders with annoying licensing rules, they're going after companies with insane licensing prices and now they're going after the pirates for the licenses they don't have. What are they *giving* you for a reasonable price considering non obfuscated features everyone can understand? How many ways can you cut out basic functionality to make a different product that OSS provides independently? I welcome all this lunacy. I was getting afraid they were going to leave Windows 7 alone simply after activating EFI. The more they screw with the customer base the more I don't have to support their crappy operating system in our products. (as well as their god awful browser) Bring it on MS! I'm loving the slow death.
so what would happen if the update tells me i have a unlegit copy? what would i do?
@manuel Call Microsoft and pay their extortion fees.
:p
How long before they just put those check in their malicious software removal tool?