Windows 7 Receiving Revamped Activation Software

[Rob Williams]

Microsoft has never been known as being a company to stand by idly while its software is hacked and cracked, and it's no surprise that its flagship desktop OS is where a lot of the focus goes. Since the introduction of WGA, or Windows Genuine Advantage, activation in Windows has become an inane process, one that's riddled to the nines with complications and needless nags.

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You can read the rest of our news post here.

 

[2Tired2Tango]

Called Windows Activation Technologies Update for Windows 7, this update will detect more than 70 known and potentially dangerous activation exploits. Activation exploits are sometimes called “hacks”, and attempt to bypass or compromise Windows’ activation technologies. This new update is further evidence of Microsoft’s commitment to keeping customers and partners secure. The update will determine whether Windows 7 installed on a PC is genuine and will better protect customers’ PCs by making sure that the integrity of key licensing components remains intact.

Translation: "We're pooping our pants because our activation system is so easy to hack"

I found the bit about "better protect customer's PCs by making sure that the integrity of key licensing components remains intact" to be quite hilarious... They're trying to spin a total lockdown of their software which does nothing but make sure they get their money into some kind of huge favour they're doing for us...

Really... getting it for free is illegal... but in no way can it be considered dangerous...

 

[Kougar]

There are more than two sides to this, so I'm going to cover both.

This update is not to simply stop or deter people from using illegal copies of Windows. The main target (in my opinion) is to target counterfeiters that sell PC's will illegal copies of Windows 7 installed.

When the buyer updates their PC and installs the update, it will check and help insure they are using a legitimate copy that they paid for. If it isn't legitimate then they can expose the people or organization that was bundling illegal copies and pocketing the money paid for the OS. Does that sound a little to neat and tied to you? Give http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/wga.asp a read...

That said...

Microsoft really DOES need to do something about their supposedly multi-point system inspection policy. They claim there has to be several different factors that add up to a certain number before the system gives warnings and requires a reactivation of the product key. I installed a new BIOS version and updated some system drivers, and I already have to reactivate my copy of Windows 7. Almost every BIOS update seems to cause this problem because the BIOS settings themselves change as well due to my constant system overclock. It's getting really annoying to deal with, and the moment my key does fail to re-activate I'm going to be giving someone hell about it.

 

[2Tired2Tango]

Microsoft really DOES need to do something about their supposedly multi-point system inspection policy. They claim there has to be several different factors that add up to a certain number before the system gives warnings and requires a reactivation of the product key. I installed a new BIOS version and updated some system drivers, and I already have to reactivate my copy of Windows 7. Almost every BIOS update seems to cause this problem because the BIOS settings themselves change as well due to my constant system overclock. It's getting really annoying to deal with, and the moment my key does fail to re-activate I'm going to be giving someone hell about it.

See, that's one thing I never understood... They are locking onto all kinds of stuff and making the whole process massively annoying.

All they need is one factor --just one-- in each machine that doesn't change. Years ago I did some "install once" stuff for a software company selling POS systems. I found that all I really had to do was look at the BIOS ROM serial number. That never changes and it's darned unlikely that you'll get two machines in the same area with the same ROM serial, so it's a pretty good lock to use. Grab the ROM serial, burn it right into the resources of the software and check it when the software starts. If they don't match, the user gets a real nasty on screen warning about software piracy and the software shuts down.... If you don't finalize the installer CD you can even burn the serial into the disk so the installer will only let you reinstall on the one machine... it's all very tidy.

As long as you don't replace the ROM chip itself you can do whatever you like to your hardware and other software without running into problems... And in my 25+ years messing with PCs I've never had to change a ROM chip yet.

 

[b1lk1]

I, for one, see no issue with this. As long as my system activates when I call or push the activate button, I do not care. I have yet to have a false lockout and I have changed systems, migrated my OS to new systems and so on. I have limited experience with 7, but I fail to see how it will be any different. I do not blame MS and I do not hold it against them. Those that do are free to use Linux.

MS has to do something seeing how it is probably the most pirated software on the planet.

 

[2Tired2Tango]

MS has to do something seeing how it is probably the most pirated software on the planet.

I agree with you... they do need some kind of piracy protection... perhaps even hardware based (eg: dongles). They own it, we only pay for permission to use it... they have rights and I agree with that.

But Microsoft also has something of a reputation for doing things in the worst way imaginable... Really, 350megs worth of media center to provide playlists to their 130meg media player? ... I can do that and more in under 5 megs... Their copy protections are typical of that mindset and, aside from being a miserable failure, they do bloat the OS rather noticeably... something like 30mB involved in just startup validation checks.... something that could be done in a few hundred bytes... get real.

The big grumble is that all this bulk slows things down rather a lot and, per standard engineering wisdom, it makes the whole thing less and less reliable... Windows is a fat guy trying to keep up... It's not their copyright that bothers me... it's the way they're trying to protect it.

 

[Rob Williams]

I'm surprised that Robert didn't follow-up in this thread, but in all coincidence, after he made his post last night, he flashed his BIOS and then rebooted to see Windows 7 tell him that his (legal) key is no good. Nice.

 

[2Tired2Tango]

I'm surprised that Robert didn't follow-up in this thread, but in all coincidence, after he made his post last night, he flashed his BIOS and then rebooted to see Windows 7 tell him that his (legal) key is no good. Nice.

Now that's a hoot, coming from a company that force feeds their clients a constant string of useless updates...

(I'm not surprised he didn't follow up though... He's probably still trying to get Win7 reactivated.)

 

[Kougar]

See, that's one thing I never understood... They are locking onto all kinds of stuff and making the whole process massively annoying.

All they need is one factor --just one-- in each machine that doesn't change. Years ago I did some "install once" stuff for a software company selling POS systems. I found that all I really had to do was look at the BIOS ROM serial number. That never changes and it's darned unlikely that you'll get two machines in the same area with the same ROM serial, so it's a pretty good lock to use.

Yes, for all of the points they claim to examine that don't change, it seems the simplest changes set off the re-activation program. I'm about ready to call bullshit on some of these Microsoft blogs that explained how the process work, because it clearly isn't functioning as described. Motherboard peripherals, model number, MAC addresses, NIC, CPU, RAM.... for some reason it ignores all of that and instead a BIOS flash and GPU change forces me to call MS to reactivate Windows through their annoying phone system because it does not recognize my system as the same one I registered the serial under. I will say one thing, Windows 7 is NOT any better than Vista in this regard.

I wonder if I will make it a year before I have to call a physical person because their system says I've changed registered machines to many times.... my RMA'd GPU came back so now I need to replace it, any bets that I'll have to reactivate yet again?

 

[b1lk1]

What I find odd is that I not only flashed my notebooks bios recently, but I also have switchable grpahics so I boot up with either X4500 or G210M graphics and have yet to have an issue. Could be that I am OEM and retail may be more strict, but this seems so damn random. I know that I re-activated my Vista key 100's of times with no issue, yet the key I purchased off the MS website for my wife's Vista machine was locked and after 2 motherboard changes it is no longer valid for install use.

 

[Rob Williams]

Notebooks or OEM PC's in general are a bit different, so it's no surprise that no issue is seen there. As for your not having much experience with issue in the past, that impresses me, a lot. For what it's worth, when I purchased the Vista-equipped dv2 notebook last summer, it also screwed with me activation-wise about a month after I purchased it. So, I cracked it. I since wiped Windows and put Ubuntu on though, which seems to be treating me well there.

 

[Kougar]

I have reactivated Vista a significant number of times without having to call Microsoft about it, and ironically both Vista and Windows 7 are identical Ultimate (Upgrade) versions. I first activated Windows 7 at the end of December, so it's only been two months if that long... The next time I am forced to use their automated system I will use the option to call an actual representative, because I'm not going to tolerate this every 1-2 months...

 

[slugbug]

By the way this update is voluntary for now. By default the box is not checked. Not sure how long that will last though.

 

[Optix]

I own a legit version of Windows Vista but I chose to install a cracked version simply because I was running into problems similar to Kougar when I was trying to dial in my overclock and again when I was doing some hardware testing for a friend who was having problems with some of their components. Things weren't going so well so I flashed the BIOS, updated some drivers, and BAM! I have this message barking at me telling me my $200 purchase is bogus.

Baking powder?

I had dealt with Microsoft before when I had a problem with my legit XP key and decided I wasn't going to go through that 2 hour ordeal again so I grabbed a cracked version, installed it and I haven't had a problem since.

If Microsoft wants to penalize me for not putting up with their BS then so be it but I'm not wasting my time dealing with the foolish automated system they put in place or talking to some guy who shouldn't be allowed to operate a toaster let alone provide tech support.