There was never any doubt in my mind that Vista was going to be hugely pirated and cracks are already floating around the P2P networks. Hey, wouldn’t it be cool though if you didn’t even have to worry about entering a product key and activating Vista? According to TG Daily this is already reality In Thailand:
We bought our Vista RTM copy in a regular store in an upscale mall in Bangkok. Vista, along with other expensive software, was prominently on display at several stores with prices ranging from $2.50 to $5.00 (US).
Photocopies of the front and back box covers are usually displayed along with a three digit number. Customers simply write down the numbers of the software they want to purchase and take them to the store’s cashier. After paying in the store, it takes about ten minutes for a runner to bring a freshly burned copy of the software.
According to media reports, every few months the Thai police sends people to raid some of the stores, but the officers often end up empty handed. Since the DVDs are burned off-site, there is often no contraband at the store. In addition, stores appear to be well connected and are often told in advance when the police will raid the mall.
So for $3.50 they were able to purchase a copy of the final Windows Vista that was hot off the press…literally. The instructions for installing it say that you need to set your BIOS clock ahead to year 2099 before installing Vista and then set the clock to the correct time once Windows is installed.
Is it really that easy to crack Vista? I know that you don’t need a product key for installation (which is obvious that would be a problem for Microsoft) and then this trick is supposed to “extend” the length of time that you have to activate Vista, or that is what I assume it is doing. This is so old-school and it boggles my mind how Microsoft could not have prepared for that? I would also assume that since Vista would still be operating in “trial mode” that there wouldn’t be a problem with WGA verification.
Thanks to “cannontrane” for the tip!
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That does sound way too simple…but I wouldn’t put is past MicroSquish to overlook something so simple.
I doubt this will work….
One would think that MS would account for installations that happen so far into the future.
But, but the packaging is designed to protect the dvd for lifelong use!
But you still won’t be able to get updates and patches.
Tell that to the hundreds of pirated XP towers getting updates.
If that works, MS should juts abandon further attempts to crack down on pirates.
True, but then they couldn’t say that it is yours “forever.”
If you run the trial version I am pretty sure that you can get updates and patches because technically you are running a genuine version of Windows…it just hasn’t been activated. Microsoft might have some way to account for this in WGA but I’m not sure.
I couldn’t help but laugh because it is so true.
The smartest programmers in the world will probably never work for Microsoft, so I’m sure there will always be cracks and patches floating around. Microsoft can’t give up though otherwise that would be a sign that the hackers have won…and Microsoft would never admit to that.
[ubuntu.com]
I second that solution!
There is some kind of cracked activation that works by changing activation server to some Chinese home-run or downloading 5GB WMVare image that has server that you can run. Works for Enterprise and Business versions.
I think original at china server got already shut down. Too bad I neither can read Chinse not I use or will use vista any time soon.
I tested it 4 days but it replaced it quickly with ubuntu linux because it were very unstable crashing every hour at worst
Tested Vista not crack