Can You Guys Help?

[perfecto2002]

Hi, my friend has just bought a new pc and wants to use a "dodgy" copy of windows. I just wanna know if it is possible for microsoft to find out if you are using a "dodgy" copy or not when connected to the net and if it is possible to find out how high risk is it? I heard that if you send an error report to them then they find out that way but i dunno whether that is true or not :unsure:
Any help would be great - Thanks.

 

[moz]

yes they can, at the moment they do nothing, in the future they stop you from downloading security updates.

 

[finty]

Actually they are trying to pass some legislation that lets them corrupt your HDD. So there.

 

[LHC]

How on earth are Microsoft passing legislation?

 

[finty]

Trying to pass it, with who ever passes that shit. They have some sort of code name for it.

 

[LHC]

That's funny because if somebody steals my TV aerial I'm not allowed to smash up their TV.

 

[PinkSpider]

I doubt microsoft will win that, and if they do it will probably be easy to get around.

 

[finty]

They could probably pass it in the US, but not the EU.

 

[Hanz™]

It depends there are serials that you can use on Windows Update which Microsoft think are legal, but which aren't, those will work indefinitely - as they cannot tell that your copy is not legal (you can also turn error reporting off if you are suspicous).
If he is going to do this he should make sure he uses a well-reknowned "dodgy" copy.
We should probably not speak about this sort of thing here.

 

[sam fisher]

Trying to pass it, with who ever passes that shit. They have some sort of code name for it.

​

yes here it is:

project pass legislation to allow us, the microsoft corporation, corrupt you hard drive by messing with every single sector. a nice message will pop up informing you. the process will take 72 hours per gigabyte. alan parsons project.

 

[Rico]

yes they can, at the moment they do nothing, in the future they stop you from downloading security updates.

​

Actually I think they're doing that right now for anything non-critical.

Actually they are trying to pass some legislation that lets them corrupt your HDD. So there.

​

That's the RIAA, and they aren't getting very far with that.

 

[Axeman]

Basically, they arnt doing much with it because the real blast to dodgy copies of windows is coming in the form of Longhorn, and I bet the ant-piracy measures on that will make the current crop of stuff seem tame...!

 

[Rico]

I doubt it, they seem quite happy for people to keep using pirate copies instead of installing, say, Linux, or buying a Mac

 

[aapje89]

damn I hate windows :angry:

 

[perfecto2002]

Thanks for all the info Looking at the replies I think that using a copy should be relatively low risk so i will pass on info and as for ripping off Bill Gates - well i just dont give a damn! Anyways thanks again.

 

[WarmFluffyUK]

In a nutshell, no, microsoft cannot tell if you are using a 'dodgy' copy of windows.
It would be almost impossable with all the corporate licences of XP out there.

On the HDD erase scam I just read about, sorry I don't believe that for a second. I myself know it takes one second to erase a drive, just write FFF's all over the first 64K block of the drive and it's pretty much deleted. But can you imagine if that happened by accident, and the following lawsuite by some irate customer at the loss of his/her data? Noo I don't think any software producer would risk that one.

If you are worried about things like SP2 update over the web, all you have to do is get a copy of SP2 on CD. It's free from Microsoft and takes about a week to get to you by post.

Also, if you are worried about windows sending info to MS behind your back. Get a good software firewall, this will block off any unwanted outgoing ports.

 

[PinkSpider]

They cant tell if your using dodgy software, they can tell if your using a dodgy CD key though, there are however apps out there to change your CD key.

 

[WarmFluffyUK]

Can I also add, if you are using ripped off software, you don't deserve support and updates from the company. After all it's theft!

 

[PinkSpider]

Its not actually theft, its copyright infringement - completely different things.

And I disagree somewhat, but im not going into this now as I have a course to get to.

 

[WarmFluffyUK]

Sorry but in my books it's theft.
If someone was using something I had written without paying for it, I would feel as if they had stolen it from me, I wouldn't really care how the law 'classed' it, it would still feel like theft. Just because it's a big company, doesn't make it any different.