Buyer beware of WGA
Getting around Microsoft’s stupid Windows Genuine Advantage verification process is easy, but not for everyone. Those who pirated Vista and are using an illegal key will have to remain diligent in keeping their hacks up-to-date, but for the rest, expect a new kind of OS experience. Says a local Microsoft rep about pirated copies of Vista:
“Good afternoon, as of this week, Microsoft has activated a function in Vista called ‘Reduced Functionality.’ This is a specific function in Vista that effectively disables nongenuine copies of Windows. Therefore anyone who has a pirated copy of Vista will experience:
A black screen after one hour of browsing
No start menu or task bar
No desktopPlease communicate this antipiracy initiative from Microsoft to your resellers — note this function has only just been activated in Vista worldwide and therefore any issues with nongenuine versions will start to arise from now onward.”
So by “Reduced Functionality” you really mean “Jesus Christ, now my computer has become completely useless”, right Microsoft? I mean I understand maybe taking away IE, Notepad, and some other key parts of Windows, but making the screen turn black? What the hell! Keep this crap up and you won’t even have a functional OS anymore.
Black screen of darkness to haunt Vista pirates [Computer World]
maybe black is the new blue
LAME
I hope my computer isn’t Black when I get home from work…
It’s only Vista though right? Not XP? :p If that’s the case, I guess I’ll just have to use XP and wait until there’s a way around this BSOD (Black Screen of Dumbness)
What are you guy’s afraid of, actually paying for a product?
Thieves, low lifes, people of poor character need worry.
The police have been doing this fo awhile with bait cars, the cars run just long enough to allow the theif to drive off, and then the car quits. No one think this is lame…except the thieves.
For those of you who believe this story… you shouldn’t. This was confirmed to be fake prior to this crunchgear post: http://blog.wired.com/monkeybites/2007/09/microsoft-vista.html
Don’t judge me Chuck.
I take what I need to help me get through these advanced times. With new versions of software updated weekly/monthly/yearly, you’re right in the fact that I am afraid of paying for a product.
I don’t see it right to charge large sums of money for a product by which after a few months it’s 50% cheaper than what you purchased it for. Then a few more months later there’s a whole new version out that you have to repay to use. What do you do with the old version? Can’t resell it can you? You lose your money, just like renting an apartment. You make no gains, it holds no value once a better version comes out.
People who commit auto theft like you mention in your comment with the bait cars, are thieves against others. Others like themselves. These are the real criminals, those who harm others. Who do pirates hurt? Do they hurt you Chuck? Do they raid your home and start pillaging your booty? I think we all know the answer to that one..
Pirates hurt no one except the corporation, which does consist of people…yet not a single persons. Take Microsoft for example…Pirating Vista may fault in say…Vista Home sales….but who cares, it’s a POS anyway. What do Pirates get? They get Vista Ultimate! They then learn how to use it, complain all over blogs about what’s wrong with it, Microsoft then reads those blogs to fix the problems, AND THEN all the Pirates go to work and tell their employers to upgrade to Vista…so instead of 1 single license, they get licenses for the whole company
It’s how things work!
Thank you mysterious man (…) for that additional info about the article not being true.
Another anti-Microsoft copy-and-post story on Crunchgear, which, with even a modicum of research, is found to be utter bullshit.
I don’t know which is more laughable; Vince’s moronic post, or Mark’s idiotic reply.
@ Mark:
No matter how you rationalize it, it’s still stealing. I don’t think you’ll ever understand until you run your own company and people are taking things from you, bragging about it, and trying to make it seem ok.
Just admit you like stealing instead of trying to make up an excuse.
M0RE INTeRWEB WARZ!!11! LAWLZ
I posted my opinion about the subject, we don’t need your crude remarks here Scott. I’d suggest sticking with the Dora the Explorer forum and continue to diss on little children, it seems like it’s been working out for you so far.
Jackass.
Hey, I never said I didn’t like pirating. And I do understand the harshness of pirating software and what they do to companies. I myself am in an industry that deals with pirating, as much as any of the others.
Never did I brag about pirating. Never did I say it wasn’t stealing, nor did I say ‘pirating software is better than buying it’, because I do still buy software, just not everything. The opinion that I posted is my opinion and mine alone.
But if you don’t like what I say, take some time to come up with something more intelligent than…
a) “No one think this is lame…except the thieves.”
b) “I don’t know which is more laughable; Vince’s moronic post, or Mark’s idiotic reply.”
c) “Just admit you like stealing instead of trying to make up an excuse.”
because..
A: Thief, okay fine. I’m a thief. But even if you set me straight pirates grow by the second, there’s no way to stop pirating.
B: And just like there’s not way of stopping pirates…there’s no way of stopping assholes post a blog comment.
C: Reread everything above and if you still have a problem with my ‘excuse’…I don’t know, you win. Have a cookie.
OK, let’s everyone have a cookie, better yet lets steal the cookies from Mark. After all it’s only a cookie, what can taking one little cookie from mark cost…well one for each of us.
Mark, was your cookie comment an example of something smart to say, lame.
Mark, you are the poster child for everything that is wrong with society today. Corporations are people, workers and investors with familes and they deserve compensation for what they took years to create.
If it were only you who ever stole, then that would be one thing, but its assholes by the millions like you cost real people what they deserve.
My opinion is that you are a snot nosed punk with nothing to your name but big fat mouth and an over sized attitude that the world owes you something.
Anyone with real buisness experiance will have what it take to step up and pay for the play.
And yes, this is not the first time that Vince has published somrthing with dubious validity
I got pwned.
Hats off to ya Chuck.
Damm, I hate it when they give up so fast!!
Hang on, Windows was (is) a functional OS? I’m still trying to get it to function properly to start. Wait, now I get it, they are adding improvments!
And I am using a pirated vista ultimate. activation hacked and WGA approved over 5 computers like a piece of cake. What are you going to do, microsoft ? keep bugging the regular paid users ? I don’t mind at all.
Maybe somebody can help me here – I actually bought Windows Vista on a laptop and paid dearly for it. Now I am getting the message that my software is a pirated version (which it is not) and I have the black screen of death. Any suggestions! I am mad and frustrated.