Microsoft To Begin Checking For Piracy

Curious Yellow 82 writes "Microsoft will begin checking for pirated copies of its Windows software when users attempt to update. Security updates are supposed to be exempt from the check. Upon detection of pirated software the user will be given the oppportunity to purchase a legitimate copy of the software for a discounted price, upon providing proof of purchase etc."

Re:Yawn

[MoonFog]

If you used the Security Center and set it to receive Automatic Updates automatically it would work, even with a counterfeit version of Windows.

Checked it this morning....

[Anonymous Coward]

Corporate XP Pro still works FYI :-)

Re:What?

[NineNine]

So if you're found to have a pirated copy, you need to show proof of purchase? If I have proof of purchase then it's not pirated, and therefore, I wouldn't need to buy it again at a discounted price.

Not true. You could've bought a pirated copy (see all those "bi S0ftw4ar3 4 cheep" emails?). And at least in the US, it's not legal to have stolen property, even if you didn't know that it was stolen. They're being very generous. Technically, they could sick the cops on each and every person using a pirated copy.

Re:Wait a minute...

[op12]

"They" (the media) only hinted at that in January [usatoday.com]. But if you look they said that at least initially even those with pirated copies could get security fixes.

wont stop anything

[Lumpy]

Several sites have the fulldownloads of the service packs and hotfixes etc...

hell there are torrents available that will give you everything that are updated weekly.

A buddy of mine recently offered me a CD of all XP updates including the lestes ones and his colleague at work was making a script to auto apply them all into a slipstream cd image.

it will only stop the clueless casual non licensed software user. everyone else will not be bothered one bit.

Re:Yawn

[MoonFog]

Microsoft said the company has no plans at this time to require users running automatic updates to provide proof that their copies of Windows are genuine.

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2005-01-26-micro soft_x.htm [usatoday.com]

I did this myself until I got a proper version.

Re:What?

[Shakrai]

Technically, they could sick the cops on each and every person using a pirated copy.

I call bullshit. The only way they could do that is if I bought a stolen copy off the back of a truck somewhere and said stolen copy had literally been stolen, i.e: shoplifted, taken from a warehouse, taken from my house.

In that scenario I would be in possession of stolen property. In the scenario of burning a copy for a friend and letting him use your key or downloading from the Internet you are in violation of the license (a civil matter) and maybe in violation of copyright laws (might or might not be a criminal matter -- more likely a civil penalty and/or fine).

In no case are you in possession of stolen property for merely violating the license agreement -- despite all BSA/Microsoft propaganda to the contrary.

Re:I really hope that this is a pain in everyones

[thesp]

Also, an a Limited-User account, with all the activex security turned up (this is my current WinXP account for day-to-day tasks) the Genuine Advantage Tool fails to run, and requests a) Administrator rights and b) that I set my ActiveX security to Medium/Low. It then accuses me of having failed the test, and of having a counterfeit copy of Windows. So, I predict more security problems as people who have taken sensible security precautions are forced to abandon them for this tool.

Re:Yawn

[Solosoft]

Not that I pirated my windows :/

Service Pack 2 is a breeze. I have the first copy of XP. All you have to do is Download this [solosoft.org] and copy it to the root of your C drive. Open up the "Command Prompt" and goto your root of the drive. Type in "cdkey xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx" as in x's are your SP2 compatable CD key. Once you press enter you should see nothing come up. (if somthing does then find a working key). Once your CD key is changed then Goto this site and click "Download and Deploy Service Pack 2 for multiple Computers" [microsoft.com]. Once you are done that install SP2 and your done.

Hopefully this is some help.

Re:Uhh

[Pharmboy]

Recieving stolen goods is also a crime.

In most states, KNOWINGLY receiving stolen goods is a crime, but not just receiving them. The usual standard is the old standby: "You knew or should have known" or "a reasonable person would have known".

For instance: You could have bought a computer at a flea market, from a long time dealer, and had good reason to think it was not using pirated software, and not be guilty of crime, even though you received the goods.

Re:Yawn

[Tassach]

It's "mundane detail", not "Monday detail". If you're going to quote Office Space, at least get it right.

Re:I really hope that this is a pain in everyones

[Jarnis]

So? You need admin rights to patch the system anyway...

Now requiring admin rights for authenthication just to download additional software is bit more so-so, but even then you probably need admin rights to install them, so the problem is not that big.

Windows is broken in this regard that you pretty much need to run on admin rights to do anything with it :)

Look I already found a way around

[Evil Trigun]

http://www.softwarepatch.com/windows/ [softwarepatch.com] you dont need to use windows update...

Re:Two-Pronged Approach is Best

[OrangeTide]

Unfortunately most legal systems (American included) do not allow companies to "boobytrap" products. So Microsoft would become liable for any damage done to your computer (if the pirated copy happened to float back over from China).

If you could keep total secrecy about the operation and then just claim some malicious hackers have released compromised versions of Windows, then you could probably get away with it. (I think Microsoft already claims that this happens, and cites it as one of the reasons you should not pirate their software).

For example Banks "boobytrap" money with an dye bomb to mark robbers. But the law protects the banks because the dye is not intended to harm the robber. If your trojan-ized "pirate's version" of Windows intentionally damaged data, made long distance phone calls or damaged the reputation of an individual then you'd have serious problems in courts. If the pirate's version just signaled home and disabled further activity on the system (without damaging data, or preventing access to it, such as encrypting the drive), then that would be allowable.

Microsoft doesn't own the data on your drive, the creator of the data does. And it is likely that you've at least created a tiny bit of your own data. So at least a small part of your computer content belongs to you and you alone.

Re:Checked it this morning....

[Gherald]

Indeed... all this rhetoric against pirated copies of XP and they neglect to address the priates' choice.

For those not yet in the know (c'mon guys, it's been out for years)... Corporate XP Pro is identical to XP Pro except for its lack of any sort of activation or anti-piracy checks.

It was supposed to only be released to Microsoft's large corporate customers, but of course it was leaked long ago.

You had it right up until you...

[Svartalf]

...called it stolen property and went off on the "sick (sic) the cops on each and every person using a pirated copy" as you put it. It's INFRINGEMENT and it's not theft- it's duplication of an intellectual work without the permission of the duplication/production rights holder. Different crime- and you can own a copy, you just can't be making and giving out or selling them yourself in the US.

Please, please, please don't be propagating the falsehoods that the RIAA, MPAA, and similar organizations have been putting forward to futher their cause. Don't be making the Lie the Truth by repeating it for them.

Re:Yawn

[vinohradska]

The Globe and Mail has a pretty good story [theglobeandmail.com]on the privacy implications of this. To quote from the article: "The company will scan machines for a variety of information, including product keys or software authorization codes, operating-system version and details on the flow of data between the operating system and other hardware, such as printers."

Re:No-Broadband Users Screwed?

[Mr. Flibble]

Yeah, Microsoft USED TO offer a update CD:

http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/protect/c d/order.mspx [microsoft.com]

No questions asked either. I ordered one of these CD's when I worked as a tech, and it was great to have for fixing machines.

However, I will bet that you can still find images of the update CD around - mind you it won't have ALL the patches anymore. Also, if the copy of windows is pirated and has a well known serial number, it will refuse to install (which only makes sense).

You should see if you can track down a image of one of these CD's, or, perhaps Slipstream a copy once you have the patches. Pain in the ass? Yes. [winsupersite.com]

Re:I really hope that this is a pain in everyones

[nunchux]

The best answer I got was completely unofficial, from a Fujitsu engineer attached to my work - he said, just borrow a copy of Windows and install it with the valid license key. By that time I'd already made my own arrangements that, coindicentally, corresponded fairly closely to that recommendation...

So, dear daughter is now running an illicit copy, but with the original license key.

No, your daughter is running a perfectly legal copy. There's no difference between a borrowed CD or a backup you burn from the hard drive... Your Windows installation isn't tied to a physical CD, it's tied to the license key.

Now if it was the other way around-- you kept the disk but lost the license key and had to "borrow" that-- that WOULD be an illicit copy.

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For those of you still "testing" Windows XP...

[Txiasaeia]

...and like to get updates automagically, try here: Autopatcher [autopatcher.com]. If you don't need to download updates automatically, try here: The Software Patch [softwarepatch.com].

Riiight, like I'm going to let an ActiveX applet from Microsoft scan my system. What do they want next, a retina scan? DNA check? I don't encourage piracy (I *do* own a legit copy of XP), but forcing users to submit to this crap so they can get updates (I know, I know, *not* critical updates, but still) is just wrong. Anyway, use the links above and just say NO! to Microsoft ActiveX scanning.

Check it out everyone!

[Pollux]

[Customers can] fill out a counterfeit report and receive a copy of Windows XP Home Edition for $99 or a copy of Windows XP Professional Edition for $149, Lazar said. Windows XP Home normally sells for $199 and Windows XP Professional Edition usually costs $299.

Check it out everyone! Forget buying XP at the store, just get a pirated copy, file a counterfeit report, and get Windows XP for 50% off!

They should call it the "Piracy Rewards Program".

Re:MSDN Universal??? Certified Training Partners??

[Solosoft]

Guess what ... microsoft solved that with it's Corporate Version of Windows XP. (btw that's the copy you see on the internet and you might know it as "Devils0wn")

One key works for everyone. Remember the key FCKGW-yada yada ;-).

Wikipedia Article [wikipedia.org]

But if you use the CD key thing as I mentioned above it changes the Windows XP to another key such as the one the anonymous user above gave, service pack 2 will install and there is no annoying blocking of Windows Updates.

Microsoft only wanted to stop the "casual pirater" considering every version of windows is already cracked. Not to sound like a mad pirate but to disable the activation is sadly VERY easy.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\Cu rrentVersion\WPAEvents
That's frickin it ... the "Activate me crap" dies ... and for all you tinfoil hats you don't need to reg your Windows XP. You think MS would of made it so easy if they didn't want people to pirate there OS. They would of made it so if some file isn't downloaded from there (encrypted of some kind) the OS simply won't work etc etc. No ... it's some silly regestry hack that takes less then 2 minutes to do and lasts the lifetime of the product. I know that the activation thing I mentioned above works in Windows XP MCE and Windows XP x64, im not sure about XP Pro ... if someone tries and has luck I wouldn't mind knowing.

Hope ive been some help

Solosoft

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HOW-TO BYPASS THIS

[fluor2]

1. Check Windowsupdate for what updates you need
2. Just go for the microsoft.com website and download any security update manually.

Microsoft must always allow this, because many servers do not have internet, thus one must be able to download updates manually and e.g. burn them on a CD.

Re:Pirated

[Nqdiddles]

I tried to use my store bought copy. I really did. But after a few hardware changes it stopped working and I had to call Microsoft (who don't seem to speak english very well) to get a new key. And then ten minutes later realised I still had an archive HD in the box. I took it out and got the same message again. I wasn't making another phone call, so I inserted a cracked windows cd and reinstalled the OS. Should the illegal version really be THAT much more user friendly than the store bought copy?

Re:Want XP? ( Pirate it first for a discount )

[minvaren]

Actually, smart shoppers should already be grabbing OEM copies [pricewatch.com] of the operating systems. These require a hardware purchase to be legit, so stock up on 99c case screws!

Re:Guess the CD Key Generator Program will be popu

[JonXP]

Microsoft actually reverse engineered the reverse engineering. They can tell what keys were generated and what weren't because of the algorithm that the older keygens used.

There are newer keygens, however, that are based off of the Genuine Advantage software itself, that can give you a passing key.

This is according to legitimate news sources, so don't blame me.

fdisk

[H9000]

good time to get rid off the priated copy and move to a legal GPL/BSD enviroment. my 0.02cet

Re:Want XP? ( Pirate it first for a discount )

[Clovert Agent]

Well, no. You have to provide proof of purchase first. In other words, tell Microsoft where you bought the pirate copy (or PC with an unlicensed install). Having done that, you get the discount and MS gets to pursue a pirate.

Re:What about keygens?

[Maserati]

Well, we're off topic but...

The usual practice for street numbering in the USA is to assign each block a 100-number block. Some cities (in Arizona for example) actually make an effort to keep it at 10 blocks to the mile (6 to the kilometer, but that's a side effect). That way a street address actually tells you where the place is physically located. It's not GPS resolution, but less than 1/10th of a mile resolution just from the address isn't bad at all.

Summary of SP1, SP2, VLK/corp, newest WGA info

[Devistater]

First of all here's the offical link on windows validation info:
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2005/jul0 5/07-25WGA1PR.mspx [microsoft.com]

All manual updates from windows update are required to validate that its a legit copy.

Security updates through automatic update are still availible, or if you can find the manual link to the update (without using windows update site) you can get security updates that way.

For example, you cannot now get dx9.0c (unless you install it off a game cd) without verification.

BTW, I have all legit versions of XP on my computers, purchased from my school program at a discount, etc.

Now, there's a lot of misinformation and anecdotal stuff going around about SP1 and SP2 and how those can be installed. Here's the correct info.

First of all, SP1 locked out a small number of very well known cd keys that were used in a few of the more common pirated versions. If you had those, windows update wouldn't work period. I think you might be able to use a keychanger in that case, but I never tried it.

SP2 info: during the beta of SP2, MS got really anal and blocked a ton of pirated cd keys (basically all pirated ones up to that point). From what I heard, you had to go through a bunch of hoops with special key gens that verified 50 keys with ms servers before they found one that worked.
They decided that providing security updates was too important and on the actual live release version of SP2, they backed it down so it only blocked the same few common keys that SP1 had blocked. (most SP2 pirated keys were differant by that time from the sp1 ones and I heard of no keys getting blocked by people who copied xp with sp2 release version integrated, etc)

Finally we come to today. Now all windows update downloads, and microsoft update downloads (including security/critical updates) will require validation. This is a little active X control that installs and checks your cd key to make sure its ok.

BTW, this INCLUDES corporate versions. You may be asked to input some info such as what company you got it from. Then they can match against what company purchased that VLK.

Quote from the link at top:
"Validation via WGA will be required for all customers using Windows Update, Microsoft Update for Windows content, and the Download Center (DC). Security updates remain available to all Windows users -- with or without WGA validation -- via the DC or Automatic Updates."

DC being the download center, i.e. manually finding the knowledge base article for that critical update and downloading it. (without using windows update)

Here's the FAQ:
http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/downloads/FAQ.asp x?displaylang=en [microsoft.com]

Quote from there about volume liscense customers:
"Do Volume License customers need to validate?
A: Yes. Customers using a copy of Windows with a valid Volume License will be validated and given full access to all genuine Windows downloads. Volume License keys have been a source of counterfeit in some instances; therefore the WGA validation service is able to recognize and block a Volume License key that is being used improperly."

The complete list of info collected per that FAQ is:
"The complete list of information collected in the validation process is shown below:

* OEM product key
* PC Manufacturer
* OS version
* PID/SID
* BIOS info (make, version, date)
* BIOS MD5 Checksum
* User Locale (language setting for displaying Windows)
* System Local (language version of the operating system)"

Anyway, there's the info, and the source for the official MS stuff on it. So you can verify most of this yourself.

Please

[Mensa Babe]

Sadly, for those of us who constantly change the operating systems on our "hobby" computer, we'll probably get marked that we've pirated their operating systems [emphasis added]

And this is surprising?

"As the majority of hobbyists must be aware, most of you steal your software. [...] One thing you do do is prevent good software from being written. Who can afford to do professional work for nothing? What hobbyist can put 3-man years into programming, finding all bugs, documenting his product and distribute for free? The fact is, no one besides us has invested a lot of money in hobby software. [...] Most directly, the thing you do is theft." (William Henry Gates III -- February 3, 1976 -- An Open Letter to Hobbyists)

Re:Guess the CD Key Generator Program will be popu

[Anonymous Coward]

The keys from the pid 640 key generator don't seem to work. They do "seem" to be using a know sold list.

Re:Checked it this morning....

[Anonymous Coward]

Funny, an XP Pro Corp I tried a little while ago was refused at the Windows Update site. It was installed using a key from a keygen.

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