Instead of disabling programs will instead get an hourly reminder alert.
No doubt due to lower than expected sales of the new Vista OS, Microsoft has announced that it’s going to ease its response to pirated versions found on users PCs. The changes to Windows Genuine Advantage will occur in the first quarter of 2008 along with the release of the new service pack.
When users attempt to activate Vista or try to download certain software from the Microsoft site, the Windows Genuine Advantage system scans their PCs for signs of pirated software. Today, if it finds an unauthorized copy of Vista, the glassy user experience disappears and other features are automatically removed.
With the new version of Windows Genuine Advantage, users found to have a pirated copy will continue to be able to use their PCs, but will have a reduced Vista experience and hourly alerts telling you to get a legitimate copy.. The desktop wallpaper will turn black, and a white notice will appear alerting users to the problem. Each time they log in, they will be prompted to buy legitimate software, and every hour, a reminder bubble will appear on the screen.
"We want to make sure unwitting victims get a great treatment," said Mike Sievert, a corporate vice president in Microsoft’s Windows marketing group.
The move is surely in response to people angered by the former heavy-handed approach that sometimes happened to users owning legitimate copies that for whatever reason couldn’t activate it properly.
"Microsoft realizes it has to take a different approach with their customers," said Chris Swenson, a software industry analyst for market researcher NPD Group. "If you shut down someone’s computer, you’re going to anger customers."
Microsoft also said the new service pack updates will fix two holes that have allowed pirates to create counterfeit copies: one that mimics the activation of software by computer makers before a PC is sold, and one that extends a grace period given to people who install new software, before they must activate it.
It’s nice to see that Microsoft is easing up a bit on its approach to piracy, but it reminds me once again why XP is just such a more pleasnt experence than I think Vista ever will be.
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Still using Windows 2000 pro. Can't find a copy xp with wga setup that it does nothing but says I have a good copy even though i don't
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