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News Microsoft phasing out Windows Genuine Advantage

Discussion in 'Article Discussion' started by Tim S, 8 May 2009.

  1. Tim S

    Tim S OG

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  2. MajorTom

    MajorTom Minimodder

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    So long as a DRM system doesn't hamper paying customers, it's not bad. It will very likely, however, be cracked very quickly. The real question is, how will Microsoft ensure that genuine, paying customers get the better deal than the pirates?

    I will be buying Windows 7 as I have been very impressed with the beta and RC. If it limits installs or anything annoying and unreasonable like that though. I may have to get a copy by other means once those installs run out.

    I guess we have to wait and see how WAT works.
     
  3. Cupboard

    Cupboard I'm not a modder.

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    WGA didn't work in my experience, I have seen plenty of computer with illegal copies of XP pass the WGA test (my old one, which came with XP Pro but no recovery disks is included in this).

    As for Vista, I have a completely legal version of Vista Ultimate but also ran an illegal copy for a bit when I needed to do a reinstall and didn't have my disks available. The only times I have had problems with the anti piracy measures have been when running the legal version. I turned my computer on one day after making no changes to it and it told me that it needed re-activating!
     
  4. Turbotab

    Turbotab I don't touch type, I tard type

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    "....Called Windows Activation Technologies (WAT)"
    Amazing, I wonder if there will be a server version, called Terminal Windows Activation Technologies, what would its acronym be?
     
  5. C-Sniper

    C-Sniper Stop Trolling this space Ądmins!

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    Cool! we have new words in the news! :p

    I think that this will be a case of wait and see to see how the piracy teams respond to cracking this now. The only real way to prevent piracy would be to build a database of all the serial numbers on the windows CDs and keep track of which ones are activated.
     
  6. Blademrk

    Blademrk Why so serious?

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    typo (or maybe not ;) )
     
  7. naokaji

    naokaji whatever

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    I bet it will be cracked within less than a week.

    Anyway, I just hope the new thing won't have you call them regularly after swapping hw.
     
  8. Mr T

    Mr T 4 Left Into Long 3 Right

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    I wonder if they will fall short using the same method as many have used with vista using the modified bootloaders to spoof an OEM install.

    I'm guessing MS will have learnt from this mistake.
     
  9. Jozo

    Jozo This is bit-tech

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    I think it's the same story all over. They make new type of anti-piracy software and then pirates
    find a way to avoid it. A never ending story. :lol:

    At the end we will probably end up streaming our OS from MS servers. :worried:
     
  10. Paradigm Shifter

    Paradigm Shifter de nihilo nihil fit

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    If it doesn't give me grief on a legit copy, I won't complain. It's an OS, I use it all the time... it's not like a game that I can do without. (Although, arguably, I could use a free OS like linux...)

    However, if this Activation gives me headaches with a legit copy, while a friend runs an illegitimate copy and has no issues... well, it'll be like every other type of DRM out there, really. Cracked about five minutes after it's released. Problem is... they still need a way of allowing quick unattended mass installs for companies like Dell and HP. If they don't do that, the companies are going to be annoyed... and if they do do that, well, that's a potential place for the pirated versions to latch on to and exploit.
     
  11. kenco_uk

    kenco_uk I unsuccessfully then tried again

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    Windows Azure - it'll be here sooner than we think, methinks :)
     
  12. n3mo

    n3mo What's a Dremel?

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    Well, Microsoft actually doesn't want their protection to be uncrackable, this would hurt the magic words that mean Microsoft's life or death - market penetration. Lock out pirated versions = Linux market share instantly jumping to 20%. WGA was laughable, WAT will be the same and their only cause for existence is to scare casual, ignorant pirates and reassure paying suckers that they're special.
     
  13. JyX

    JyX What's a Dremel?

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    Linux ? Its market jumping to 20%? ROFL!

    I will buy 7... but as was said, as long as paying customers don't have to support the problems that this new system bring, it's alright... and it will be cracked no matter how well they think it's coded.
     
  14. Lakeuk

    Lakeuk What's a Dremel?

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    Why don't they bring the price down to catch more of the 30% using pirated versions
     
  15. azrael-

    azrael- I'm special...

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    If you build an OS around a massive DRM infrastructure you'd better use said infrastructure.

    I sometimes wonder what Microsoft could have achieved if they had used all those man hours implementing DRM structures to fix bugs and security issues instead...
     
  16. n3mo

    n3mo What's a Dremel?

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    Actually ~25-30% of all Windows installations are illegal (Microsoft gives a far lower figure but they base it on WGA which is passed OK by almost all pirated copies), so phasing all those people out would mean that most of them have to switch to something else. In eastern Europe a copy of Vista costs around an average monthly pay which is about half of a price of an average computer or even more if you want a basic home machine. That's the reason for extremely high volumes of piracy here, nobody wants to pay for Windows more than they paid for their GPU (to be precise, quick check in my friend's shop - Home Premium costs about 75% of an 280GTX, while the Ultimate is 110% of a GTX)

    While this pricing policy might work in western Europe where average pay is ~800% higher and people don't care about those few extra pounds or euros, it is not as good here.

    The upside is the fact that i see far more people using XP and Linux than Vista.
     
  17. woodshop

    woodshop UnSeenly

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    I Figure that if M$ ramps up the Dev cycle a bit more we can just hope from Windows7 RC to Windows8 Beta to windows8 RC to windows 9 Beta to windows9 RC etcc. and not pay a dime :)
     
  18. ShakeyJake

    ShakeyJake My name is actually 'Jack'.

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    Well my totally legal copy of XP on a laptop recently failed to verify it was genuine when I went for new Direct X drivers. So they better come up with something, that's the only one I own with Windows.
     
  19. [USRF]Obiwan

    [USRF]Obiwan What's a Dremel?

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    I will think hard on which version of windows7 I will buy, because Vista ultimate was a joke with the so called 'exta' stuff you suppose to get. I probably buy a so called 'only with new PC' version this time like all my friends did. Saves me a lot of money which I can put into better hardware...
     
  20. thehippoz

    thehippoz What's a Dremel?

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    the os itself I don't really mind paying for.. I used to be like that with xp- just download the patches and apply them to a install without a key, even guys who made up to date iso's.. I mean for quite awhile microsoft didn't have any security at all with the genuine advantage plugin used in the browser- you could simply disable it and download whatever strait from microsoft using IE.. even auto updates worked.. went on for about 2-3 years XD always made me wonder, I'm sure they knew about this.. I just think microsoft really are more in touch with the user base than you'd think..

    far as all the different versions of windows- I don't like it myself either.. they just need 2 versions really- one for business and one for home.. business being the full version- all this security stuff is pretty funny considering how bill gates himself grew up.. if you've read his biography he's a havard dropout who used to sneak into the computer lab and steal time.. he is essentially one of us at his roots- now balmer, that guy just makes me sick XD like looking at a little kid in a grownups body.. I'm sure he's a pedo
     
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