cracked version of Vista around US $8

Story: A dystopian future - looking beyond Windows VistaTotal Replies: 12
Author Content
henke54

Feb 06, 2007
6:55 AM EDT
Quoting:Tehran, Feb 5, Taliya News – Cracked version of Windows Vista is already available at Iranian software markets. Less than two months after presentation of last edited version of Microsoft Company’s latest operating system, Windows Vista and despite all anti-crack locks installed by that system’s designers, Iranian hackers managed to beat Microsoft’s anti-copying tricks and present the “fully cracked” version of this new Windows software to their Iranian clients! The copied version of Vista is presently presented by an Iranian software company and provides the possibility for its owner to have a private “Serial Number” and thus, to “legalize!” his cracked Windows copy. The retail sale price of the Iranian cracked version of Windows Vista is 80,000 Rials (around US $8) while this good’s original version is sold around $650 at world markets! This version of Windows is the first in its kind that enables the users to register his Windows “fully legally!!” at Microsoft website and take full advantage of that company’s after sale services, thus sacking over $640 of illegal benefit! We have still received no news on Microsoft officials’ reaction to the cracking of their final version of Windows Vista.
http://www.taliyanews.com/en/archive/2007/02/iranian_hackers...
Sander_Marechal

Feb 06, 2007
7:43 AM EDT
Why am I not surprised by this. What parts of Vista haven't been cracked yet? I think only bitlocker and the inability to run cheap Vista's in virtual enviroments remain. All the rest has been cracked, including "prototected media path"
bigg

Feb 06, 2007
8:01 AM EDT
Gives me lots of confidence in the security of Vista. If they can't even protect themselves, how the heck are they going to protect users?
jdixon

Feb 06, 2007
8:17 AM EDT
> and the inability to run cheap Vista's in virtual enviroments remain.

Is that enforced in the code or only in the EULA? I'd expect it to be only an EULA prohibition.
Sander_Marechal

Feb 06, 2007
8:30 AM EDT
I remember reading somewhere that it's in the code as well. Vista simply won't install on virtualized hardware. I could be wrong, but since we're talking about MS here the most likely possibility is that they have tried it in code as well.

I wonder how they tried it though. I know virtualizers such as VMware expose some kind of generic hardware to the OS, so presumably it can try to detect those, but I recall hardware-based VM's with hypervisors exposing the Real Thing (tm), making it impossible to detect the difference between real and fake hardware.
tuxchick

Feb 06, 2007
8:37 AM EDT
This is great. At this rate, Vista won't be installable or usable by anyone.
herzeleid

Feb 06, 2007
9:55 AM EDT
Bleh - not interested anyway. I just nuked vista from a new HP DV6000 laptop to install SuSE 10.2, and am very happy with things. From my brief look at vista, I was reminded of that old chestnut "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery" - I saw hints of of GUI gadgets and decorations ripped off from OSX, KDE and enlightenment - but underneath it all, you still have that dorky little "C:>" drive, a peecee OS, and DRM galore. Thanks but no thanks.
DarrenR114

Feb 06, 2007
10:18 AM EDT
herzeleid,

Did you at least get your refund for the unused Vista license?

dcparris

Feb 06, 2007
10:26 AM EDT
Ya coulda got a real box from one of the vendors in our DB. ;-) And without the MS Tax! May the fleas of a thousand camels infest your armpits! :-D
jimf

Feb 06, 2007
10:35 AM EDT
Humm... $8 huh. Still a bit high. Maybe with a $80 rebate I buy one and let it rot on the shelf ;-)
herzeleid

Feb 06, 2007
10:45 AM EDT
Quoting: Did you at least get your refund for the unused Vista license?
I'd heard that it was more trouble than it was worth, and far from certain. If I could be assured of actually seeing a refund, I'd put the effort into it. Pointers?
DarrenR114

Feb 06, 2007
11:11 AM EDT
herzeleid,

Actually, that's why I was asking you ... so I could use your experience... ;-)
Sander_Marechal

Feb 06, 2007
12:46 PM EDT
There are a few threads on this site about how to get a refund. Even if it's more trouble than it is (financially) worth you should do it, just to make a point (and to post it as an LXer feature :-)

But since you wiped the box, it's already too late. Photographic proof of you reading the EULA and clicking "I don't accept" are good things to have. You can still try but your chance of success has lessened quite a bit.

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