dbarrow
06-22-2006, 10:44 AM
http://news.com.com/Fighting+Microsofts+piracy+check/2100-1029_3-6085853.html?tag=nefd.lede
By Joris Evers
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
Published: June 20, 2006, 12:00 PM PDT
Counterfeiters aren't Microsoft's only opponents in its effort to combat piracy: Some of its customers are against it, too.
The company is forging ahead with a program, Windows Genuine Advantage, tied to its free software downloads and updates, that checks whether the Windows installation on a PC is pirated. But some people, including some who say they own a legitimately acquired copy of Windows, have challenged the need for such validation. ...
...But there is more going on than just talk. Some Windows users have started to search for ways around the antipiracy technology, setting up a struggle between Microsoft and WGA opponents. Since the 2004 introduction of the WGA program, multiple hacks and tricks to circumvent the piracy check or to remove the software have been published on the Internet. And the hunt for effective workarounds appears to be continuing. ...
...As the program has grown, so have efforts to circumvent it. One Web site, for example, lists 15 methods--including step-by-step directions and links to file downloads--to disable Microsoft's copyright-check tools and WGA Notifications warning messages. ...
By Joris Evers
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
Published: June 20, 2006, 12:00 PM PDT
Counterfeiters aren't Microsoft's only opponents in its effort to combat piracy: Some of its customers are against it, too.
The company is forging ahead with a program, Windows Genuine Advantage, tied to its free software downloads and updates, that checks whether the Windows installation on a PC is pirated. But some people, including some who say they own a legitimately acquired copy of Windows, have challenged the need for such validation. ...
...But there is more going on than just talk. Some Windows users have started to search for ways around the antipiracy technology, setting up a struggle between Microsoft and WGA opponents. Since the 2004 introduction of the WGA program, multiple hacks and tricks to circumvent the piracy check or to remove the software have been published on the Internet. And the hunt for effective workarounds appears to be continuing. ...
...As the program has grown, so have efforts to circumvent it. One Web site, for example, lists 15 methods--including step-by-step directions and links to file downloads--to disable Microsoft's copyright-check tools and WGA Notifications warning messages. ...