A new anti-piracy technology at the heart of Windows Vista

Over the past two years, Microsoft has stepped up its fight against software piracy thanks to "Genuine Advantage" for Windows and Office.Today, the publisher continues its successful integrating anti-piracy features in Windows Vista.
His next operating system will be activated with a registration key and run only in "reduced functionality mode" until the activation takes place.
After its debut in Windows Vista and Windows Server Longhorn, the "platform" software protection incorporate future versions of all products from the publisher says Cori Hartje, program manager "Genuine Software Initiative (GSI) of Microsoft. In this type of functionality, users can use a web browser for one hour maximum, after which the system disconnects.
The vast majority of users, however, should not be faced with this anti-piracy technology in Windows Vista.Those who buy a PC on which it is installed, from manufacturers such as Dell, Hewlett-Packard and Gateway, for example, will find the operating system already activated.

30 days to activate the system Vista

"Everything should run smoothly for the first use," Cori Hartje."These measures relate more people who install [Vista] afterthought."
These users will thus have 30 days to activate the operating system and Microsoft to show that they have a license in good standing."During those 30 days, you will receive warning message stating the number of days remaining.The last three days, these messages become increasingly frequent, "says Thomas Lindeman, responsible product from Microsoft.
In the absence of any action at the end of the period, Vista will include four options.The first allows the user to activate the on-line system, the second to execute mode reduced functionality, and the third to enter a key product, and the last will explain how to activate the product by phone, says it still.
Preventing people from using their PC is a marked change compared to the anti-piracy features that Microsoft had with Windows XP through the program "Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA).In XP, these features are content to prevent the downloading of additional programs on the Web sites of Microsoft.

Preventing people from using their PC

"Piracy is one of the biggest problems facing the software industry," said Cori Hartje. More than a third of all installed software last year was pirated or without license, "she says, citing figures from the Business Software Alliance (BSA), an advocacy group organized by software publishers.
But even after activation, the company from Redmond will continue to check whether Vista has been obtained by legitimate.This audit will be carried out in case of downloading additional Microsoft programs.If a license key is deemed illegitimate, the user will be given an additional period of 30 days to purchase a license key valid.
During this period, warnings will be displayed and Vista block access: tool "anti-spyware" Windows Defender, the functionality of extended memory and ReadyBoost option advanced graphics Aero.In addition, a permanent message will be displayed in the lower right corner of the screen, stating: "This copy of Windows is not genuine."
If Vista is not validated after thirty days, the user will be disconnected again.
This change is also accompanied by a change to licensing for businesses.New licensing system will replace the current license keys in volume, which gave rise to many abuses, said Cori Hartje, "We estimate that piracy derives half of keys issued to customers Volume Licensing."

Companies also concerned
The keys volume licensing codes are recording products that the publisher distributes to large companies in the form of plain text.A key can be used to activate and run an unlimited number of copies of the product, such as Windows XP or Office XP.
From Vista, Microsoft will offer two types of keys, and three distinct ways to distribute within a company.In all cases, it will mean more work for the technology department of the company.
"All they have to do is a little planning and more," says Cori Hartje.
The first type of product key that will replace the current system is called "activation key multiple (MAK).One person in the IT department of a company may install a key on a computer which will then be validated online.Another possibility is a proxy server can be configured in a centralized way to activate several systems at once.
The second option is called a "licence management service Key" (KMS). It requires that the company configures its network KMS a service which will enable the client machines. The PC then quietly Vista detect the moving service and KMS, according to Microsoft.