Microsoft Cripples Vista to Fight Piracy!

 It's been talked about in the press since October of 2006, but many consumers still don't know about, so Microsoft sent an email to all of their partners Advotech included, requesting that we inform our clients about the new policies regarding product activation and validation that apply to Vista and other products shipping later this year.

It boils down to this, activate your product online or via telephone within the first thirty days using your Vista product activation key or your new Vista machine becomes a 1 hour at a time web browser. If at any time in the future Microsoft determines your product is not genuine, the clock starts again only this time, your original product key will not do the job.

I have some serious and I believe valid concerns about disabling previously activated systems that may be performing critical work and have informed Microsoft of them. I can only hope that they will make some changes before someone gets hurt. I have included both their original email to me and my response so that you can see exactly what they are saying about their product activation and validation changes. I share this because they asked me to, but also because I think there is a problem there that our clients should be aware of.

 

 Microsoft's Message to Advotech...

From: Allison Watson
Sent: Friday, April 27, 2007 7:46 PM
To: Lyle M. Sharp
Subject: Important activation changes to Windows Vista

 

To: Microsoft Partners From: Allison Watson Subject: Important activation changes to Windows Vista Date: April 27, 2007 As a valued partner and trusted advisor to our customers, I wanted to re-iterate Microsoft’s commitment to helping protect consumers and software resellers from the risks associated with pirated software. Millions of PCs that ship each year end up with non-genuine Windows® software, which puts you at a competitive disadvantage, and your customers at risk of a sub-optimal experience. The significant anti-piracy technologies built into Windows Vista™ software are designed to make the widespread pirating of Windows Vista more difficult. Now, all customers who deploy Windows Vista must successfully activate their product using a genuine product key. If a non-genuine product key is used in activation, customers will experience reduced functionality and lose certain features, such as Microsoft Aero and ReadyBoost. To avoid potential business disruptions and maintain the highest level of satisfaction with Windows Vista deployments, the most important activation changes for you to be aware of and to inform your customers about are: 1. Activation: In the first 30 days of use, all new installations of Windows Vista must be activated by the OEM, through Windows Vista volume licensing technologies, or by the end customer. If Windows Vista is not activated in the first 30 days, the system will operate in a reduced functionality mode. 2. Validation: In order to protect users from being victimized by counterfeit software, and to protect Microsoft’s intellectual property, Windows Vista includes ongoing validation. Through validation, if non-genuine Windows Vista is detected (including non-genuine product keys, cracked or tampered code) the system enters a 30-day grace period. During this time Windows Aero and ReadyBoost features are disabled, and Windows Defender and Windows Update will have limited capabilities (optional updates will not be available through Windows Update, and Windows Defender will only remove critical and severe threats). In addition, during this grace period, a message will appear repeatedly, encouraging the user to take the steps necessary to activate with a genuine product key in order to regain the full value of Windows Vista and to prevent the system from going into a reduced functionality mode. 3. Reduced Functionality: After the repeated prompts above, and if Windows Vista is not activated in the 30-day grace period, the system will operate in a reduced functionality state until a genuine product key is used for activation. In this reduced state, the user will have access to their files and applications, and access to the Internet. However, the desktop will be simplified with only a browser (no Start Menu or Task Bar) and Windows Vista usage will be limited to one hour sessions, at which time the user is forced to log off. Additionally, users may boot the system in Safe Mode in order to access or back-up personal data and applications. I encourage you to communicate early with customers about the activation changes. For customers that experience reduced functionality, you can help them resolve this by providing them information about how to activate their Windows Vista properly or enable them to purchase a genuine copy. Learn more to help you discuss this with your customers. If you serve customers in multiple ways, you may receive a similar communication from the Microsoft OEM team about these new anti-piracy changes. Together, we are working to deliver a great Windows Vista experience for you and for our customers. Thank you for your business, Allison Watson Corporate Vice President Microsoft Worldwide Partner Group You are receiving this informational email as a service under your Microsoft Partner Program membership. © 2007 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Legal Information This newsletter was sent by the Microsoft Corporation 1 Microsoft Way Redmond, Washington, USA 98052

 Advotech's Feedback...

Allison,

 

                I have one client in particular, who through no fault of his own, is the unhappy owner of several reduced updating copies of Windows XP Professional. The IT service provider he used before Advotech, removed viruses by using an XP Pro repair disk. This resulted in key OS files being replaced by the version of the OS he used and now these machines are detected as non-geniune copies. All of these systems are originally OEM HP XP Home Edition systems, but since they don’t have recovery disks and the drive image is no longer there, there is no way short of buying recovery disks and re-installing/re-configuring the systems, or buying new Microsoft XP Professional licenses for my client to have the problem resolved. The client refuses to do either due to cost and continues to run the compromised systems. In this example, no harm is done by him choosing not to pay twice for what he has already purchased, but many of my other clients would not fair so well. While that would certainly help Microsoft sales, it would make no friends among buyers and could harm long term commitments.

 

                What Microsoft is doing with this new piracy protection adversely impacting their customers is likely backfire much as Sony’s CD protection scheme and RIAA’s lawsuits against 12 year olds. While I know that neither you or I can make these kinds of decisions, we can perhaps have some influence. This new, continuing validation coupled with crippling software policy will most certainly cause a single case of wrongful OS disablement that will be linked to the death of an innocent in some small daycare, factory, or other business environment relying on a Vista box as a workstation server or monitoring tool. At that point, it will be too late to put a bad idea back on the shelf. If something like this occurs, Advotech will have to sever its relations with Microsoft and I for one, will be all for providing some feedback to the media as to how there was some advance notice along with announcing my new Open Source related business model.

 

                While I understand the strong desire to protect Microsoft products to the point that I never even squeaked when Microsoft began the online or phone required product activation system for new installations, but disabling active systems is going to hurt many people that believe they have purchased your product. I applaud and assist efforts to go after CD/DVD copying pirates and those that resell these copies, but when you hurt your users, you are going to have a problem. Maybe, this piracy protection plan will not be the one that causes a huge backlash, but after its business model’s success, the next one might. It’s a slippery slope argument, coupled with some big what if scenario’s, but I’m sure Sony never thought their root-kits would cause them problems. Please, at least forward my feedback back up your corporate chain. Thank you for the heads up.

 

 

Lyle Sharp