Pirates Face Vista Black Screen of Death
It's so dark... I'm scared.... hold me?
Thursday, September 13, 2007 by Zoomba | Discussion: WinCustomize News
If you're running a non-genuine copy of Windows Vista, expect something very unpleasant in the upcoming weeks/months. Microsoft is activating a function in your PC which, if you're found to be running a non-genuine copy of Vista, the OS will go into "Reduced Functionality Mode", disabling the PC for all intents and purposes. What will this feature look like in practice?
- A black screen after 1 hour of use
- No start menu or task bar
- No desktop
This is probably the most aggressive stance Microsoft has ever taken on OS piracy, in the past content to letting non-genuine copies run, but to deny them many system patches and improvements.
Will your screen be going dark soon?
Update: According to follow-up stories, the "Reduced Functionality Mode" is not being activated this week. There is no estimate on when the switch will be flipped. Many have claimed that the story is an out-right hoax. Reduced Functionality is something that Microsoft itself has documented. The inaccuracy in the story was over when it would go into effect.
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Philly0381
Reply #22 Thursday, September 13, 2007 6:07 PM
Reply #22 Thursday, September 13, 2007 6:07 PM
Zubaz, what you wrote in your reply #1 probably will be coming very soon. Just my personal opinion. 
Nimbin
Reply #23 Thursday, September 13, 2007 6:08 PM
Reply #23 Thursday, September 13, 2007 6:08 PM
if its true then good on microsoft for taking steps to combat piracy, my brother uses a pirated copy of windows xp and constantly complains that the O/S cannot be updated to which i just laugh in his face and tell him to buy a genuine copy. how about this system for cracked versions of windowblinds too? and it could replace your current theme with a u are a stinking pirate theme 
Philly0381
Reply #25 Thursday, September 13, 2007 6:18 PM
Nimbin I like you idea, unfortunately if the person was inclinded to use a cracked version of WB they just would probably think they got a free Premium Theme?
Reply #25 Thursday, September 13, 2007 6:18 PM
how about this system for cracked versions of windowblinds too? and it could replace your current theme with a u are a stinking pirate theme
Nimbin I like you idea, unfortunately if the person was inclinded to use a cracked version of WB they just would probably think they got a free Premium Theme?
bobbyhundreds
Reply #26 Thursday, September 13, 2007 6:57 PM
Reply #26 Thursday, September 13, 2007 6:57 PM
I don't understand how some people think free ownership of commercially produced software is some sort of birthright. 
As much as I agree that some versions of Vista and a lot of the top end software (photoshop,ms office et al) are or can be prohibitively expensive I see this as no excuse for people just helping themselves to whatever they fancy,it's crazy.
I say yay for the BlackScreenOfDeath!
If you don't want the grief don't be a teef. 
As much as I agree that some versions of Vista and a lot of the top end software (photoshop,ms office et al) are or can be prohibitively expensive I see this as no excuse for people just helping themselves to whatever they fancy,it's crazy.
I say yay for the BlackScreenOfDeath!
If you don't want the grief don't be a teef.
eieio
Reply #27 Thursday, September 13, 2007 7:27 PM
Reply #27 Thursday, September 13, 2007 7:27 PM
Extrapolating from what Phoon and Nimbin said:
If the users of pirated/cracked versions avoid updates and Microsoft does plan to 'deploy the update' some time in the future, it would stand to reason that it would be distributed via the very mechanism the pirates avoid.
Maybe that's where the 'stealth' updates come in
Meanwhile the legitimate users suffer when WGA has a 'fit'.
There has to be a better way that protects Microsoft's investment without negatively affecting and alienating legitimate users.
If the users of pirated/cracked versions avoid updates and Microsoft does plan to 'deploy the update' some time in the future, it would stand to reason that it would be distributed via the very mechanism the pirates avoid.
Maybe that's where the 'stealth' updates come in
Meanwhile the legitimate users suffer when WGA has a 'fit'.
There has to be a better way that protects Microsoft's investment without negatively affecting and alienating legitimate users.
drkshdw4u
Reply #28 Thursday, September 13, 2007 8:11 PM
Reply #28 Thursday, September 13, 2007 8:11 PM
and if they try something new like this they will mess everyone else's puter up like be4 with the last update
HG_Eliminator
Reply #30 Thursday, September 13, 2007 8:22 PM
Reply #30 Thursday, September 13, 2007 8:22 PM
A thief is a thief, no matter what the disguise, no matter what they are stealing.
As for the " its not lost revenues, we wouldn't have bought it anyways" B.S.... Fine don't buy it , but don't use it.
The way the world works... if you want something, you BUY it..
you don't steal it and try to justify it by saying "If I had to pay for it I wouldn't use it" the best yet Ive heard was "I'm doing the Dev's a service by pirating their software,I'm making it so popular" .... who gives a crap if the softwares popular among non paying thieves? You think Ford goes bragging about how many taurses are stolen every year????
As for the " its not lost revenues, we wouldn't have bought it anyways" B.S.... Fine don't buy it , but don't use it.
The way the world works... if you want something, you BUY it..
you don't steal it and try to justify it by saying "If I had to pay for it I wouldn't use it" the best yet Ive heard was "I'm doing the Dev's a service by pirating their software,I'm making it so popular" .... who gives a crap if the softwares popular among non paying thieves? You think Ford goes bragging about how many taurses are stolen every year????
Will Rose
Reply #31 Friday, September 14, 2007 12:01 AM
Reply #31 Friday, September 14, 2007 12:01 AM
It is wrong to pirate software. That is true.
It is also wrong for companies to gouge consumers, charge U.S. customers 3 times what customers in some other countries pay for the same product because they think we can afford it, add software to our PCs without permission that harms functionality on our PCs, abuse the court system by suing grandmothers for things they didn't do, use lawsuits to extort money from people, and deny people the right to use as they see fit something they've paid for.
All of these things are going on. Two wrongs don't make a right, but who is really getting the short end of the stick?
It is also wrong for companies to gouge consumers, charge U.S. customers 3 times what customers in some other countries pay for the same product because they think we can afford it, add software to our PCs without permission that harms functionality on our PCs, abuse the court system by suing grandmothers for things they didn't do, use lawsuits to extort money from people, and deny people the right to use as they see fit something they've paid for.
All of these things are going on. Two wrongs don't make a right, but who is really getting the short end of the stick?
ZubaZ
Reply #32 Friday, September 14, 2007 12:31 AM
Zubaz waits for Amiga (again)
Reply #32 Friday, September 14, 2007 12:31 AM
It is also wrong for companies to gouge consumers, charge U.S. customers 3 times what customers in some other countries pay for the same product because they think we can afford it, add software to our PCs without permission that harms functionality on our PCs, abuse the court system by suing grandmothers for things they didn't do, use lawsuits to extort money from people, and deny people the right to use as they see fit something they've paid for
Those things may be true and they may be poor coustomer service . . but they are not wrong. Using a MS product is a choice. People can alsways say no and get an Apple (a company that charges a high fee for products AND controls the software AND the hardware) or go with Linux.Zubaz waits for Amiga (again)
The__Goo
Reply #33 Friday, September 14, 2007 12:52 AM
Reply #33 Friday, September 14, 2007 12:52 AM
after some more reading and some more thinking about this, I have come to this conclusion...
when someone charges outrageous prices for their crap, they're asking for piracy. It’s their own damn fault. 400 bucks for an operating system is a joke. I'm sticking with my xp pro until the price comes down or i get a pirated copy of ultimate... I am just not willing to pay that price, so Old Borg is right, I will not be a customer to that price, so yes if I get a Pirated copy of it, its not a loss to them just merely a gain to me. Microsoft will not suffer for it either. Which just bring to mind the greed of these companies? I mean what is the actual cost of the initial program anyways? If it cost 1 million dollars from concept to market shelf and another 1 million to maintain the service (i.e.: ongoing support, customer service and info) to Vista from start to finish (these are just a number to play with) and they expect 100 million copies to be sold, then they are the true pirates for charging 400 per copy. So when a few copies get pirated ask yourself, who ripped who off first.
I bet you, sell vista ultimate for 50 bucks and it would have sold 1000 times over then what it has so far.
far.
when someone charges outrageous prices for their crap, they're asking for piracy. It’s their own damn fault. 400 bucks for an operating system is a joke. I'm sticking with my xp pro until the price comes down or i get a pirated copy of ultimate... I am just not willing to pay that price, so Old Borg is right, I will not be a customer to that price, so yes if I get a Pirated copy of it, its not a loss to them just merely a gain to me. Microsoft will not suffer for it either. Which just bring to mind the greed of these companies? I mean what is the actual cost of the initial program anyways? If it cost 1 million dollars from concept to market shelf and another 1 million to maintain the service (i.e.: ongoing support, customer service and info) to Vista from start to finish (these are just a number to play with) and they expect 100 million copies to be sold, then they are the true pirates for charging 400 per copy. So when a few copies get pirated ask yourself, who ripped who off first.
I bet you, sell vista ultimate for 50 bucks and it would have sold 1000 times over then what it has so far.
far.
Will Rose
Reply #34 Friday, September 14, 2007 1:16 AM
Sorry, Zubaz, but they ARE wrong. Something doesn't have to be illegal to be wrong. A basic tenet of both law and common sense is that one cannot execise free choice or give free consent when under duress. If your job says you use certain software products, and sometimes you have to take work home with you, you don't have a real choice that you can do something else. You buy the products you need to have.
And you don't get to choose whether you pay the American price for Windows or the Chinese price. And besides, saying "pick Mac" as a defence against being gouged by MS presupposes you're not being gouged by Apple. Linux? Great for us, but I'm not sure how well my elderly parents are going to fare updating to the latest versions of gtk and Gnome, not to mention getting their new photo printer working. This argument smacks of "it's not WRONG to mug you, because you could have walked down a better lit alley. You had a choice."
You don't get to choose if the copy protection software added on to that new game disables functionality on your DVD burner or not; it is installed surreptitiously.
You must think it's right that after buying a movie on DVD, you have to buy it again if you want to watch it on your Ipod (if it's even available). Or that the fast forward button on your DVD player is disabled when the introductory advertisements play EVERY TIME you put the disc in.
And if you really think the way the RIAA is using the court system for extortion is ethical and therefore "not wrong" then I'm afraid there's really no room to find common ground.
There's right, and there's wrong. Those things are wrong, and the companies that do those things should be ashamed. My ethical code does not allow me to say that an immoral act is ok simply because it has become commonplace.
Cheers...
Reply #34 Friday, September 14, 2007 1:16 AM
Those things may be true and they may be poor coustomer service . . but they are not wrong
Sorry, Zubaz, but they ARE wrong. Something doesn't have to be illegal to be wrong. A basic tenet of both law and common sense is that one cannot execise free choice or give free consent when under duress. If your job says you use certain software products, and sometimes you have to take work home with you, you don't have a real choice that you can do something else. You buy the products you need to have.
And you don't get to choose whether you pay the American price for Windows or the Chinese price. And besides, saying "pick Mac" as a defence against being gouged by MS presupposes you're not being gouged by Apple. Linux? Great for us, but I'm not sure how well my elderly parents are going to fare updating to the latest versions of gtk and Gnome, not to mention getting their new photo printer working. This argument smacks of "it's not WRONG to mug you, because you could have walked down a better lit alley. You had a choice."
You don't get to choose if the copy protection software added on to that new game disables functionality on your DVD burner or not; it is installed surreptitiously.
You must think it's right that after buying a movie on DVD, you have to buy it again if you want to watch it on your Ipod (if it's even available). Or that the fast forward button on your DVD player is disabled when the introductory advertisements play EVERY TIME you put the disc in.
And if you really think the way the RIAA is using the court system for extortion is ethical and therefore "not wrong" then I'm afraid there's really no room to find common ground.
There's right, and there's wrong. Those things are wrong, and the companies that do those things should be ashamed. My ethical code does not allow me to say that an immoral act is ok simply because it has become commonplace.
Cheers...
Excalpius
Reply #35 Friday, September 14, 2007 3:06 AM
Reply #35 Friday, September 14, 2007 3:06 AM
This is a hoax...please update the original post please.
badboythemer
Reply #36 Friday, September 14, 2007 10:32 AM
Reply #36 Friday, September 14, 2007 10:32 AM
It's about time microsoft pulled thier head out of the sand and retaliated to the pirates, because half the reason the bloody software costs so much in the first place is due to theft , and piracy of code etc pushing up the price to try and cut thier loses
I am certainly not worried as all my software is legit, i am in design so all my software is tax deductuedable anyways lol.
But for those who are not so lucky i can certainly see the appeal to download pireated stuff, i mean hell it's not hard to do is it
[Removed by admin. No need to post ways to get around systems. -- ZubaZ]
I don't do this myself as i have always supported the great work stardock and stardock design are doing, it's great a place offers designers a place to not only share thier creativiy but also make some $ at the same time.
But amyways i'm off topic now so meh ......
I am certainly not worried as all my software is legit, i am in design so all my software is tax deductuedable anyways lol.
But for those who are not so lucky i can certainly see the appeal to download pireated stuff, i mean hell it's not hard to do is it
[Removed by admin. No need to post ways to get around systems. -- ZubaZ]
I don't do this myself as i have always supported the great work stardock and stardock design are doing, it's great a place offers designers a place to not only share thier creativiy but also make some $ at the same time.
But amyways i'm off topic now so meh ......
Philly0381
Reply #37 Friday, September 14, 2007 11:24 AM
Excalpius, I don't think Zoomba would mind if you provided a link to support your hoax statement.
Did you actually find a statement released by someone saying this is a hoax? Sure hope it was from a Microsoft spokes person or someone from their PR department.
If it is a hoax it's not a very good one. I believe MS has a track record of doing stranger things.
Reply #37 Friday, September 14, 2007 11:24 AM
This is a hoax...please update the original post please.
Excalpius, I don't think Zoomba would mind if you provided a link to support your hoax statement.
Did you actually find a statement released by someone saying this is a hoax? Sure hope it was from a Microsoft spokes person or someone from their PR department.
If it is a hoax it's not a very good one. I believe MS has a track record of doing stranger things.
Wi53M4N
Reply #38 Friday, September 14, 2007 11:49 AM
Reply #38 Friday, September 14, 2007 11:49 AM
Um, well I've got a genuine copy of vista. Got updates, my own activatiion key and everything...
I guess pirates just stay one step ahead
I guess pirates just stay one step ahead
blazeaway
Reply #39 Friday, September 14, 2007 11:50 AM
Reply #39 Friday, September 14, 2007 11:50 AM
I suppose all things being fare in love and war there is always some kind of code to be cracked. Multi-BILLION dollar Microsoft didn't get where they are by giving anthing away for free and what ever it is you buy from them will cost you your first born. BUT!!!! There is nothing contrived by man - for man - that can Not be stolen or duplicated. I wish the thief all the luck in the world ,really. The 'Gates Hot Shot Team' might have thrown a monkey wrench into the new system but given enough time and having the right knowledge and tools, The code will be broken. REMEMBER ---- Nothing is Sacred! -- It Takes a Thief. Good Luck! ------------- Mr.B!
vStyler
Reply #40 Friday, September 14, 2007 11:50 AM
Reply #40 Friday, September 14, 2007 11:50 AM
I heard they were doing something that would make Vista completely vanish off the face of the earth as if it never even existed.................. 
......then I woke up
(The preceding has been brought to you by Skinner's Rant Magazine.)
......then I woke up
(The preceding has been brought to you by Skinner's Rant Magazine.)
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Reply #21 Thursday, September 13, 2007 5:58 PM
Responding to that report, a Microsoft spokesperson said the information received was inaccurate and Microsoft has not deployed the update that includes reduced functionality mode in non-validated copies of Windows Vista this week.
That said, the spokesperson indicated the anti-piracy measure is still on its way in the form of a Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) update.
"An announcement regarding the timing of this update will be made when appropriate," the spokesperson said.
I still thinks the origianl new post can stand.