Microsoft to remove Vista kill switch feature
Microsoft on Tuesday said it will cease hobbling Windows Vista installations that fail the company’s validation processes in its forthcoming Service Pack 1 update, scheduled for next year.Currently, Microsoft penalizes Vista users that fail to activate their operating system software within 30 days, or three days after a major hardware configuration change, by restricting Vista to running in “out-of-grace reduced functionality mode.” This denies access to games included in Window Vista and to premium features like Aero Glass, ReadyBoost, and BitLocker. It also limits the amount of time the user can remain logged in to one hour. A more restrictive state, “non-genuine reduced functionality mode” may also be imposed if the Vista detects a blocked or counterfeit product key, or incorrect or modified activation binary files.
Microsoft characterized its decision as part of an effort to bolster its anti-piracy enforcement by disabling two types exploits used to bypass the Vista activation process. The company attributed the 5% growth of Windows desktop OEM revenue in the past quarter to declining piracy and noted that the piracy rate for Windows Vista is less than half of Windows XP. “Although our overall strategy remains the same, with SP1 we’re adjusting the customer experience that differentiates genuine from non-genuine systems in Windows Vista and later in Windows Server,” said Michael Sievert, Corporate Vice President for Windows Product Marketing, in an interview published on Microsoft’s site. “Users whose systems are identified as counterfeit will be presented with clear and recurring notices about the status of their system and how to get genuine. They won’t lose access to functionality or features, but it will be very clear to them that their copy of Window Vista is not genuine and they need to take action.” What’s up Bill, people started to realize Vista isn’t such a blockbuster and this measurement should help to increase the numbers?
Source: Information Week
Comments(65)
so is this good or bad?
“The company attributed the 5% growth of Windows desktop OEM revenue in the past quarter to declining piracy ”
I Seriously doubt that, could it have anything to do with the Price of the OS… hmm i wonder
@1
This is bad for pirates I guess, but hey. There will always be new ways of cracking the M$ OS’s. It will never end.
And this is why people should disable “BITS” and from here on NOT update any windows OS. After August of this year and with MS killing off AutoPatcher, this is exactly what I did.
MS let AutoPatcher go on for so long and then they decide to send a cease and desist letter in August. So I figured MS had something in-store (under-handedness) within their update system and while we’ve heard it every time, I will say it again; While they create patches (for security or OS “bs”) they are also creating holes else-where. This is a forever thing that MS will be doing in any of their products from now on. I sense that B. Gates has his hands deep in Congress’ (U.S.) arse.
I’m stuck with XP but I am ok with it. Just rambling.
smart microsoft smart………………. 1 hour limit!!!!!!!! dang!
Vista piracy rate is only 50% of XP, because most of the people who are able to download a cracked version read reviews and know that Vista is crappy, bloated. An advanced XP user is as safe as Vista, or even more. Third party apps just make the job perfectly and dont waste as much RAM as Vista does!
Microsoft is perfectly in the right in this case. They should do everything they can do to prevent piracy on their OS. It’s always a game of cracker vs developer, or cat and mouse. Which ever the result of the game both sides will become stronger and more knowledgeable .
This means nothing…it will be cracked in a matter of days!
M$ will never learn. If they removed protection alltogehter cracking groops would loose interest! Its like a cat and mouse game that will never end
i am not sure if someone of you read it, but it says microsoft will REMOVE this feature, which means it’s already included.
I like how Bill Gates is still referred to as the head of Microsoft, even though he broke off all ties a while ago. It’s like he’s taken on some kind of mythological status, like the big bad bogeyman.
Martin #9:
I know.. I am not sure where these people got that from, when I read that it said they were going to remove all this privacy stuff .. uhm.. people? read the article before commenting?
haha now their actually making it easy to steal their piece of crap OS
“Declining piracy” L O L! Thats the funniest thing I’ve heard all year. People are going around saying: “Hey, more and more crappy games are coming and that Vista really sucks, lets go buy them, with money, and I mean real money not like the ones from the photocopier. And also lets cut our wieners off with this incredibly dull spoon, It’ll be fun!” At least in Microsoftland they are.
jeezes!
no take my OEM hackzor
I think i wont download SP1 unless its awesome, witch it wont be by the sounds of it..
As a gamer im happy i pirated Vista and never bought it!
If SP1 screws up my Vista install, i will MORE then gladly go back to XP Pro (legit btw) since Vista was obviously NOT the gaming OS we were believed to think..
Pirate <3
Who you callin’ cracker?
LMAO…I wouldn’t touch Vista if they GAVE me a key!!!
Ok, how does piracy attribute to declining sales? People don’t want to buy it, they want to keep XP, let alone pirate it. It is a piece of crap OS, hence why they have to make SP3 for XP. I mean, not one creative thought went into it, I really wonder what they are thinking, just because we are Microsoft people must buy what we make… i guess they forgot Apple. I mean, Vista is the first OS i have ever seen to be attacked for hurting our environment haha, only M4 can pull off that one.
I am not a hater of Vista mainly because i have a decent enough computer to run it without crying like a little baby. I also like the bitlocker feature (although i have the suspicion that all governments can have the key upon request), dreamscene, DX10 (which i do use), desktop search (better than google’s IMHO), better GUI and overall appearance, more memory addressing (which i do use), and a few other features that i feel make it better than XP.
However since i am an OEM system builder i have never seen the benefit of getting a full copy of a Windows release, i always buy the OEM version. When i built my 2007 personal build back in March i installed OEM Win Vista Ultimate. About a two months ago my Raptor main drive crashed. It took me about 2 weeks to get a replacement because i just never got around to replacing it as quickly as i should have because i still had my 2005 personal build which is a 3.0ghz P4, 2GB of DDR, and 7900GT so it still plays current games fairly well. Anyway i finally got another Raptor about 2 weeks later and reinstalled my OEM copy of Vista Ultimate, much to my surprise to find “product key already in use”.
Now i know even XP was pegged to the mobo and if you changed it then OEM was invalid (however XP is a lot cheaper) and you had to purchase another one. However Vista is b1tchy and i have heard that some driver changes trigger then reactivation process, and in this case my HD swap triggered it. Now supposedly after reading the fine print you only have 3 days to contact Microsoft and they will arrange for you to be reactivated, had i have known that then i probably would have done that BUT it should be pointed out that is a needless pain in the ass that a customer should never have to do.
Anyway i did the idiotic thing and used an online crack on my LEGIT copy (ironic huh?) to make the activation reminder go away. From my personal point of view i had a legit copy i had my receipt, the box it came in, everything. Well after this latest update they zapped all “illegal copies”. And when i say zapped, i mean zapped as in “reduced functionality” means “you can only use your browser”. Oh and they also banned my product key so it can never be used again, my product key was permanently marked as “not genuine” (all Vista DVDs are the same now, they tie everything to the product key).
Anyway in the end i basically had to decide to go purchase a new copy of XP, new copy of Vista, or migrate to Ubuntu only. Basically i came to the realization that Microsoft has people by the nuts and that Ubuntu wasn’t going to really work mainly because of DX10. Anyway long story short i purchased a FULL Win Vista Ultimate key for $400 online through Microsoft.
Just to be clear Microsoft basically held my data and the use of my computer hostage and i had to pay a ransom to get it back; i would SERIOUSLY question the legality of this and i think this is a major reason why after 2 days of releasing this update (this was first reported yesterday) they are already saying “hey we are going to stop doing this when SP1 comes out”. I am sure that a lot of lawsuits would have resulted. I am one of the lucky ones that actually had the $400 to recover my data, because i run a business and Microsoft had me by the balls it was either fork over $400 or lose a lot more in lost business. However not everyone has that kinda money to drop and they would have been seriously fcked unless they had impeccable data backups across multiple product keys (doubtful).
I understand that this was PARTIALLY my fault by cracking my own copy. However i would have entered reduced functionality mode anyway due to the hard drive change. That is complete bullsh1t and it really pisses me off. Although Microsoft may have good intentions they really need to relax the OEM upgrade standards and at least just take it back to when it will only trigger a reactivate request if the mobo is changed.
well there was a time when i was all about bypassing protection on windows.
but i dont really bother anymore and just went and bought the box. Then I’ll have it if i get sick of osx sometime
I read a while back that the final release of XP SP3 will install an activation feature in XP. Relaxing anti-piracy in Vista and beefing it up in XP.
Ohhh I get it. Push the pirates into Vista and the masses will follow. And you guys thought M.S. was dumb.
There’s one thing I don’t undestand.
I’ve installed a pirate version o Vista in my wife’s computer cause she likes Dreamscene and all the other fancy envionment crap.
But my pirate version, like some of your own, say it is activated a is a DELL OEM computer. Will it have problems to??
vista, i hate it, just unnecessery OS.
and i would never hate it becouse its sux, its becouse the dx10 issue, its piss me off.
cool smart dude.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVbf9tOGwno
@27
There will be a workround Im sure.
“unscrupulous Vista pirates”
those treacherous immoral bastards!
There already is, and has been, if you know half a thing about windows and have a brain, you’ll be able to figure out how to bypass the restricted mode.
took me 5 mins to figure out the 1st and only time it happened.
You have done well then. Considering their “new” methods are not enabled yet.
So maybe you should use the other half of your brain and STFU.
@Hillary Clinton
I really dont’t care, I prefer XP or OSX, but my wife…
“allows unscrupulous Vista pirates” – L O L – That’s me!!
With SP1 integrated, apart from the baloon pop ups saying “This copy of vista is not Genuine” it will have 100% functionality.
Remove the annonying notices is easy in the Beta SP1/
Could it be because the price of computers that have Vista installed are allot cheaper and because of dual core the demand for computers have sky rocketed? I seriously think its down to Microsoft for that meager 5% but people purchasing new computers with OEM vista installed.
Nice try tho MS trying to spin in your favour!
I wish someone would make an opensource or alternative OS which was fully capable of running PC games (directx/openGL) and was Windows compatible in some way to allow for apps and games to run. But wasn’t Windows, was more secure and free. If it was faster than Windows, more secure and just as compatible then there would be no more reason to use Windows.
Vista the Spanish word for view. The OS Mr Gates was forced to make after the US government said “you can not profit from hardware and software” UNLESS you make something for us, Vista. Also no software created before 2006 works with it.. So all of you that like vista, have fun with that and know Mr. Gates is not the only one VIEWING what you are doing.
Microsofts new udate willll not affect your flashed bios which emulates SLIC 2.0. as long you have the modded bios table and your OEM cert matches your board then there is nothing they can do HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. what they gunna do stop selling bulk keys to suppliers and also black list current existing keys and have millions and millions of people PISSED.i dont think so.microsoft have already dug there grave on this 1 and they no it.
microsoft kiss my arse
@ 36. Kent
Didcha eat the wrong mushrooms this morning?
I was using a hacked copy vista untill 2 weeks ago (uses more memory but if you have a decent system ya cant really tell) but if my sys restarted it would go into restricted mode then if I shut it down it would start back normal.
Now if I’m reading this right, theyve been doing that awhile and now there gonna stop? Or are they making it harder? Anyway I went back to legit copy of XP just because that was annoying.
The whole point of this article is that M$ are removing the ‘Kill Switch’ and replacing it with something worse, is it not?
Ironic really, since on one hand they are pushing Vista by releasing every new pc with it pre-installed and bleating on about it, yet on the other hand SP3 for XP is due soon with performance increases, plus SP1 crippling Vista.. wow what OS do they really want to sell?
^ on that note, have to say, after the very few *proper* documentaries I’ve watched (e.g. 911 Press for Truth, No End in Sight, and War on Democracy) I’m prone to thinking it was allowed to happen. Not planned, just allowed to happen. Perhaps the actual loss of life came as a shock, perhaps that wasn’t planned. However, the NeoCons wanted Iraq and they got it. Serves em right. Cryin shame for everyone else of course.
my 2c.
(here comes the conspiracy war!)
Why so many comments here that MS will make it harder to have a pirated copy of Vista (when SP1 gets released), when in actuality, the opposite is the case. They’re REMOVING features that would limit you being logged on for more than an hour, and REMOVING ‘limited’ functionality.
“They won’t lose access to functionality or features, but it will be very clear to them that their copy of Window Vista is not genuine and they need to take action”.
It will be very clear, but no actions will be taken. lol At least, to me, it’s obvious that MS is trying to get people ‘hooked’ to Vista even if it takes piracy (like it did with XP). Or, in other words, Microsoft is saying that piracy has been working out for them big time. Personally, no Vista for me. They better start working on a new OS…
@44
That was what I was thinking. And alot others, but so many conspiracy quacks in here I’ve just been skipping every few posts.
I have a different stance on operating system platforms and programs. If you are too cheap to buy an operating system then GTFO the computer. With all the money some save on not paying for movies they can afford to put some back into their comp. After all the comp is our platform. I don’t want to hear about the monopoly stuff either regarding microsoft. I just think that their are certain things that should be left alone by the scene. Same goes with nero and other programs used for burning.We gotta show financial support somehow, right? Go microsoft on this one.
Who needs Vista?
I’ve never used it or even seen it in use. XP works just fine. In fact I’m using Windows 2000 right now on an old spare computer and it does everything I need it to.
So are are all the sane people on this post in agreeance this will give you full functions but just an annoying message?????
rofl i’m pretty sure there will be a vista crack out
Imo, A legal operating system should be a standard in the pirate community, And leave behind all the troubles that come with cracked versions, After all who needs the extra heat doing what we do. with a good key I/we can do what we do best without our OS slowing us down “Feed the lions”
Cheers And a Merry Christmas to all here
Microsoft is Iike the T-viruz its everywhere, M$ is rich just with corporate deals, they dont care if a small percent running it on their homes has cracked copies
53–That is a big cop out. They got more so why can’t I have it too. Buy your freaking operating system and get rid of the worries of using cracked copies. I knew some peeps that used retestrak and others and all they had was problems anyways. Who wants to put a bunch of crap on your comp only to lose it cause of an unstable copy. Quit being a cheap skate!!! On questions like these I get heated. I don’t personally use the scene to build a movie collection. I use it to manage my movie collection. I dish out a lot of money to buy dvd’s and such (I get ripped off most of the time but thats life), and the scene helps me save money by not buying crap that was given a high imdb rating to up sales. Personally, I love the fact that the scene exists solely for this reason. I wish they would let us rate the movies half the time. I am so tired of the fake uppety reviews I see on the net. Hell, it was cause of those that movies like second hand lions went unnoticed by many people for so long. Long live the scene, but support the platforms to run the scene.
I have an high end PC.. read again HIGH END, I have XPSP2, Vista, Linux Ubuntu.
Vista is a piece of crap. Same like XPSP2. End of story.
i wanna try Vista, but im afraid Uncle Bill will look inside my pants
I just picked up a really good high end system from HP and told them to it setup with XP and they had no problem with doing it. Bestbuy and the other chains can send it out also. Any one that is not ready to deal with the system bugs should do the same. You do not have to have Vista. Until people can test and hack the system for MS, they wont really find ways to fix the bugs. XP is finally running with very few glitches and big companys are not going to take 3 steps back now, so in the future they will be 4 steps ahead. Out of all the software that I use only 5 programs passed the vista check. One of witch is Office 2007… how weird…
Vista blows like my girlfriend. If they paid me $400 to use it as my operating system I still wouldn’t. Its that bad people. Who cares if you have a highend system and it works perfect. well then you my friend are an idiot and must be a newbie! Can’t you see this is MEII?? Sure not as many errors but just as bloated and crappy! BOYCOTT Vista people!! Give away XP to all your friends..I AM
XP FOREVER
using windows 2000 professional since 2 years……
got fed up with XP…..didnt hv issues with any application till date……
(not a game freak)
reduced functionality mode isnt a big deal, i did a hardware upgrade and it hit me. It launched a browser window but you can go to file-open and then you have access to the file system, so from there i launched a cmd line, and was able to navigate to my usb drive, where i backed up my activation files. It is possible, you just gotta be clever. Similar thing happened when i swapped motherboards. No reduced func mode, but on boot windows said “windows is unable to complete setup” because it wanted to set up the new board, well you CAN NOT upgrade install (or in my case, in place install) vista by booting off dvd, you can only upgrade/inplace install while in windows. So since windows was technically active during its “cant work” phase, i pressed shift f10, launched command line and jumpstarted the upgrade. I was then able to upgrade in place, even though windows couldnt fully boot. This is a travesty to joe consumer computers users who would be screwed, but to those who want to do it, they will find a way.
Still runnin win95, no need to upgrade.
You know what they are doing don’t you!…
The only way to “close” off the manufacturer OEM editions is to shut the entire lot down.
EG: They will shortly cancel say ALL “ASUS” OEM licenses.
HOWEVER, not to annoy the Genuine Owners of a Asus PC, the
only effect will be a ” Not Genuine Notification”, a minimal
of hassle.
All GENUINE owners will therfore need to phone through to
their manufacturers Tech Support to confirm their ownership
of one of their Branded PCs…….. to have the Notification
cleared and their license restored
Hence they are removing the “disable” features in preparation
for this, so as to be able to cancel ALL manufactuer OEM
Licenses , without OVERLY bothering their real customers.
And of course those of us who cannot confirm we own the
branded PC’s as such, will be left locked out.
The is no other way around it, it is impossible to
distinguish a Boot loader OEM Key from a chip based OEM key.
once microsoft takes off the kill switch you know vista is a faliure… the problem is… I HAVE VISTA!!! …. *sobs*
@62… OMG… *uses the f word here*… i borrowed my key from a mate… hopefulli tat stuff doesnt happen…
lol @ #4 Not Stupid
Yeah, it’s all Bill Gates’ fault. Even if he stepped down or died in the future, anything to do with Microsoft will always be his fault. I think it’s time to change your name.
lol. M$ is whack if they think piracy is going down. If anything it’s always growing. There’s always new media to be cracked. I aint gonna worry about it though. Vista sucks anyway, plus I read somewhere that it’s only gonna be around maybe another year before they release another OS (supposedly they had planned this long before people realized it sucked), so people who got Vista are just being taken for a ride at a big price.
The one hour limit is a joke. Just make multiple accounts and viola, switch off between them. Or just restart the PC. Or better yet, uninstall Vista and get XP.
“Your Windows isn’t genuine”. Oh damn, it’s not a “genuine” piece of sh!t…or is it?
The Rule Of Thumb is simple,with any MS OS you wait til the SP2 comes out before trying it. I stayed with 98se until 2K got stable, now run XP and I’ll wait a couple of years until MS have sorted out all the bugs in Vista before changing to it.
Remember how ropey XP was when it first came out? And doesn’t it run fine these days for most people?
Patience, young padawans. Let the HighEnd Gamerboyz find all the bugs first.
@Hilary Clinton’s comments….
Sorry, I’m not convinced. Vista IS a piece of sh*t, and just like Windows Millenium, is all about the bells & whistles rather than a comprehensive & improved operating system.
Personally, I want an operating system for my PC, not the other way round. Most Vista users either got their OS on an OEM, or they spent a fair amount of money to get their PC up to spec.
Secondly, if you look beyond the Aero display, the integrated search, the DX10 and the other tiny add-ons which are nothing more than the same piece of software with a single tweaked registry entry and a version number of +1, you have an operating system that is actually a step back from XP!
Finally, on the subject of the whole ‘removing the killswitch’, I reckon that it reeks of desperation. A few days ago, Sylvert (or whatever his name is) was saying how Vista had managed to reduce piracy. Now, he’s saying they’re removing the thing that allegedly stopped the piracy & replace it with a nag screen? I can just see the illegal users quaking in their boots when they see that!
Hi! I got new information from Finnish computer site where they tells that Microsoft will close two security holes, which are being used to hack the system for pirate copy.
1. fix will close the possibility to imitate the Microsofts activation system
2. fix will prevent that “Time hack” which makes possible to set the activation date to ex. year 2099.
Now when your activation date has went over, the os will lock itself. But after releasing SP1, pirate copy users will get much of ads from Microsoft where they will offer and advertise their legal copy of Vista…. So they are not removing the whole protection, they will advertise their legit copy…
Anyone here who studies or has studied some business units knows that 5% is a really bad figure. 3-4% of it is attributable to inflation… gee anyone can make 5% by leaving it in the bank account!
Don’t be fooled by these executives haha
Basically if you have Vista cracked (or hopefully the few of us that have betas that have activation killed all the time)it will mean we can use the damn computer with just a message that says “Your Windows is not Genuine (small text The Feds Are Coming)” Anyways this good for all of us whether it’s genuine or not, I know XP does this all the f-ing time and I actually have a Genuine copy ^_^* Atleast the hours on hold getting mine re-activated will include the use of my computer… Oy