Hackers bypass Windows 7 activation
Hackers have managed to find a way around one of the key antipiracy protections built into Windows 7.
Ordinarily, the operating system requires users to activate their copy of Windows 7 within 30 days. However, a recently outlined method allows the normal notifications to be turned off.
The software doesn't actually get confirmed as legitimate, but users are able to keep using the product indefinitely.
Microsoft confirmed on Friday it is aware of the technique, but said that it is working to shore up the activation procedure.
"We're aware of this workaround and are already working to address it," a Microsoft representative said in a statement, which also urged customers to only use genuine software, noting the fake stuff can contain malware and other bad things.
It's the latest in a long history of cat-and-mouse moves between the makers of Windows and those who would rather not have to pay for the privilege.
During her years at CNET News, Ina Fried has changed beats several times, changed genders once, and covered both of the Pirates of Silicon Valley. These days, most of her attention is focused on Microsoft. E-mail Ina. 
It's a never ending cat and mouse game.
And no, copying Windows 7 or any software isn't theft, as theft deprives someone of something real; if you steal a car, or a DVD, you deprive the original owner of possession and use; that's why it's outlawed.
Making a copy of the car of another, however, is completely lawful, as it doesn't deprive the original owner of anything. Why copying a book or a piece of software or a song is unlawful is more a testament to the wealth of the lobbyists of the imaginary property industry than anything else.
"Making a copy of the car of another, however, is completely lawful, as it doesn't deprive the original owner of anything..."
It IS illegal if you try to pass it off as the real thing. Car makers own all the engineering and styling that goes into their products; if you build it solely for your own use PERHAPS they won't file a lawsuit against you. But if along the way you got tired of it and tried to sell 'your creation', then you would run into legal troubles since you technically would be profiting from someone else's intellectual property that you knowingly used to create this copy...even if you sold it for a loss from your original cost of construction.
There's no way any car maker would let you get away with making a completely accurate copy of one of their products, simply because it would be too easy for an unscrupulous person to try to pass it off as the real deal. Ferrari for instance still goes after shops that make accurate knock-offs of cars they haven't built in 40-50 years...because invariably there's SOME sleazeball who will take those and try to pass them off as an original. With hundreds of thousands of dollars if not millions riding on these sorts of transaction deals, that car maker knows that their reputation is at stake and won't sit still at anyone thinking that they can run roughshod over the integrity of their creations, no matter how long ago they were made.
Quote: Why copying a book or a piece of software or a song is unlawful is more a testament to the wealth of the lobbyists of the imaginary property industry than anything else.
So I presume you listen to imaginary music (lawfully acquired), watch imaginary films on your dvd player, and run an imaginary operating system on your computer. You really should think about the things you're pontificating about, because they make no sense. Just because something isn't physical doesn't mean (a) that is can't be stolen, (b) that it can't be protected by rights and laws.
Making a copy of the car of another, however, is completely lawful, as it doesn't deprive the original owner of anything. Why copying a book or a piece of software or a song is unlawful is more a testament to the wealth of the lobbyists of the imaginary property industry than anything else.'
Geesh. . .talk about trying to justify a wrong.
The basis of theft laws are not established in depriving the owner of the original item; it is the VALUE of the original that sets the standard. There can be no theft unless the object has established and recognized value. In the case of Windows 7 software, it has value because Microsoft says it does, defines that value in dollars and cents, and the market of users acknowledge and accept the value with their purchase.
If you use the original to create an exact duplicate, then you have copied the VALUE as well, thereby lessening the value of the original. Without consent of or compensation to the owner, that constitutes theft. Pure and simple.
But if you disagree. ..then I'm sure you wouldn't object to allowing anyone to use your name, SSN, and birthdate for a few days. After all. ..we aren't depriving you of your original. . .
In the meantime, copy protection (activation) adds inconvenience to the legal user (remember the weekend the Vista activation servers went down and so did a whole mess of Vista users?) and thus "buys" ill-will for the company. I DO wonder how many people are running Linux or the Mac OS at least in part due to the hassles with activation and WGA. Who wants to do business with a company that treats them like a criminal from the get-go?
If it weren't for their dirty-tricks-supported monopoly that keeps them on top and people were REALLY given a real choice, I wonder how many people, corporations and government agencies would abandon that buggy, DRM-laden, security-vulnerable piece of crap known as Microsoft Windows for a cleaner, meaner, less-demanding OS such as Linux.
I switched over 2-1/2 years ago and am not going back. Every time I do something with a Winmachine I'm reminded why.
Back to my foundational question; how much revenue is Microsoft REALLY getting because of product activation, considering the offsets of the costs of maintaining the activation system (which is passed along in every copy of Microsoft Windows, Office and other software that requires activation) and the customer dissatisfaction involved? Enquiring minds want to know!
Kinda reminds me of people using cracked antivirus software... How can you trust what it tells you?
Who said that the pirates do updates?
Are you kidding me? A FEW? More like a few HUNDRED.
And cracked antivirus software made me laugh. It's extremely easy for the update site to track and locate hacked copies. And yes, virus updates are VERY necessary, or there's no point to having it.
"Who said that the pirates do updates? "
I believe that was a direc reference to Apple's history of combating the jailbreaking of iPhones or people building their own Hackintoshes, defrauding the company of a minimum of a $599.00 purchase of the lowest level Macintosh that the OS would have come with legally.
Surely you believe in a company trying to protect its products against those that would actively endorse the theft of that product? Microsoft and Apple both try to protect their products against such theft. It would take a real creep to do something like stealing from a company like that.
Oh.... that's right... you have a Hackintosh. Um... nevermind., pirate.
Anyone who advertises a "free phone" and has 2-year contract agreement in print should be prosecuted for fraud. A phone advertised as being only a couple hundred dollars but whose actual cost to the customer is well over a thousand dollars is a dastard bait and switch. If bundled two-year service agreements are required to get a phone, the total cost of the hardware and service should be included in the advertised price.
The point is simple: someone who snags a copy of Windows off of P2P (or wherever) will avoid having their install smeared by simply disabling Windows Update. Guess what that leaves (hint - no security patches...)
Congratulations! You just described every major cell carrier in the United States! :)
Exactly why it's so easy to launch counter-offensives on Chinese botnets. In theory of course.
Hey, everyone pirating Windows 7: Don't you think it's good enough to pay for? If you want a free OS, Linux has been available for a long time. If you want Windows 7, cough up the bucks.
Now that would be ironic.
You don't see 7 as being enough of an upgrade to pay for, but you do see it enough as an upgrade to use? You can't have it both ways. What other illegal activity do you do that you don't feel remorse for?
I honestly don't see how providing a link to instructions is so shameful. Honestly, even if I personally wouldn't do a hack it is sometimes interesting to know how something works. As others have noted it isn't like not linking to it will prevent people from finding it.
I've run into both problems.
I've also had them decide that my perpetual lisence should be time limited in spite of their "early adopter" bonus.
These kinds of hacks serve perfectly legitimate purposes in addition to others.
I agree, but even more: I don't think 7 is more enough of an upgrade over Win 2000. Seriously. Win 7 does nothing for me that 2000 can't. A good firewall, antivirus and something like SteadyState or Deep Freeze is all you need to be 100% safe and return your PC to its initial configuration.
I thought you were a respectable tech news company???
As for the cost of Window, ill fully admit i used to use cracked copies of Windows up until a few years ago. Switched to Mac, and will never go back to Windows.
Will recommend it to everybody!!
Otherwise, **** Homeuser. You know nothing.
why does swiftmed have to care about Windows server or linux? as long as it works and he likes it, then let him be!
It's pretty strange to choose to go through the frustration of activation when all you get is the frustration of having to put up with A/V software sucking away part of your system resources constantly as well as the frustration of having each piece of software not attributed directly to your OS having to update on its own and, let's not forget, you paid for that frustration just so you could be like 90% (claimed percentage, no evidence) of the world.
I'm using Ubuntu 9.10, no activation, I run an A/V scan once a month. Haven't had a hit since I installed Linux in the first place over 8 months ago. I run a firewall but, since it's built into the kernel, I have no extra system resources needed to run it. I run a single update which happens to update all of my software at once through the repository. The bonus, I had no expenses for upgrading to 9.10, not even hardware. I spent the cash I saved on a better monitor and a new computer as a birthday present for my mom, Xubuntu 9.10 installed on it.
The bottom line, market share means jack squat.
@Random_Walk
Glad at least one person isn't trying to pretend Linux doesn't exist.
who says linux is for poor people? Don't BIG companies with A HECK OF A LOT OF MONEY use it for servers and applications? Do your research man before you starting ranting mr. windows troll!
Yes, frustration in activation. Power users can and do hit the limits of activations. I have to call in for every install of Office I do now. I've got 4 seats, and 2 active installs and I have to call in every time. It's a hassle.
(they do require that you buy a copy of OSX though...)
works on some hardware; not all.
"(they do require that you buy a copy of OSX though...) "
Although if you want to be legal, you need to buy a $599 Apple Mini, the lowest price computer you can buy to get the OS. Those that don't are just pirating Apple's product, defrauding them of the money.
Apple does not make the law. A license agreement is not a law. The license agreement for Leopard only says "for use only on an Apple labeled computer" (but has been updated for Snow to say "branded" instead of "labeled"). So what if you bought an Apple computer chassis for a few bucks and repaired the non-functional Mac by installing OSX86-compatible PC hardware? The computer itself would still bear the manufactured labels and branding of Apple Computer, Inc., by virtue of the construction of the chassis. You would have simply restored a non-functioning chassis into a working computer, and technically stayed within the boundaries of the license agreement.
In that hypothetical scenario, you could use the open-source developments of OSX86 to enable the restoration of a dead Mac, akin to the way vintage auto aficionados put new/aftermarket parts into chassis of junk cars. The parts they put in do not have to be made by the original manufacturer to be compatible with the restored system.
You would be wrong about my purchase of the Family Pack of OS X so I had an extra lisence to build a hackintosh being pirating in any way. My family has 2 Macs leaving me 3 more installs. Apple got their money. No priacy involved. EULA conflict? Maybe but that's what my Apple Stikers is for to make sure the computer is "apple branded".
That $50 upgrade special should have been the continued actual price, especially for Vista customers, since they already admitted W7 is what Vista shoud have been.
I wouldn't install it even if it's cracked!
Even if you think it's "secure", most likely you daily use of it is NOT.
And yea, I expect every fan boi to be screaming "I am a sysadmin". BIG WOOP!!! So is Google, MS, Yahoo, and any other major company you can think of. SO.... name me ONE who hasnt been hacked or attacked???
I'm still waiting for Mac Fans to tell me how superior their SERVER OS is??? I'd rather bet $$ on someone using MS or Linux for a Server.
You mean common thieves do you not? They are no different than the drug addict who breaks into someone's home and steals their jewelry. A thief is a thief, is a thief, whether it's a DVD from Walmart or Windows 7.
Copying software <> depriving the original owner of use and possession.
Copying software <> theft.
Theft = taking something without permission
Copying software = theft
Copying software may not deprive the original owner of use and possession but it's still taking something without permission. It's not an either/or situation.
Like one of the other posters said, how about we take your SSN, credit card numbers, checking account information, etc and use it a little while. You are not being deprived of its use or possession. Maybe we could all buy copies of Windows 7 with your credit card.
Wrong. Copyright infringment is just that. Theft is something else. If they wanted to make software something you could steal they would not lisence it and instead actually sell it.
Microsoft just laid off 800 people, who no longer have a livelihood. That is due to thieves like you.
There, I fixed it for you.
I get so tired of theives pretending they have such a burden not stealing.
if you don't think it's worth buying, don't use it. People complaining about price are equally disingenuous. all summer long, Win 7 pre-orders were $49.99. and yet, you people STILL chose to steal it. But I bet you had enough money to buy Uncharted 2, didn't you?
You shady pepole spend money on what you want to spend it on. It's that simple. It's not that you can't afford $50. It's that you seem to think the world owes you something and that it should be free.
At this point I avoid Activated softare of any kind where I have any choice.
At this point I avoid Activated softare of any kind where I have any choice.
Mr. Dogg, and Damned adrianj:
After various crashes, upgrades, and computer replacments I now have to call to activate all my version of office. Ironicly I have 4 valid installs and am only using 2, but I have to call every time. Windows and Nortons have both gone buggy and decided that I wasnt' allowed to use the software becuse it was not activated (even though it was). Sport had limited installs, and just getting my Gateway to work via their support process which always involves a reformat used them up. I hate iTunes but just had to de-authorize all my computers to start over with the authorized computer concept.
Anything that reqires online activation is a problem waiting to happen..
BS... unless you have scientific facts to back that up. And while you're researching that, make sure you read the part about how they had to disable some features available on Mac (but not PC) in order to hack them at all. Out of the box, without any disabling, Mac eats PCs for lunch.
Not only that, but since Macs are used primarily for design and multimedia (i.e Pixar)... once you hack it, whatcha gonna do with it? You won't find any useless games or bloated apps... this is not the "droid" you are looking for, go about your business.
- by assman November 13, 2009 7:53 PM PST
- Uh.. didn't this happen weeks ago..?
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