What is Digg?96 Comments
- LocalH, on 10/12/2007, -2/+23@chris9902:
No, they're helping people who were running a pirated Windows installation (doesn't necessarily mean that person knew about it), and then bought a legitimate license. Now there's an "above-board" way to change the product key (by "above-board" I mean "suitable for the average user" as well as "legal"). - hollywoodcole, on 10/12/2007, -6/+25It pays to pirate!
- Coopjust, on 10/12/2007, -2/+16If you have a pirated copy, you can get a new retail copy through WGA for $150, which is close to the cost of an OEM copy. A retail copy can be up to $300. I once got a legit retail copy for $160, but that was a pricing mistake honored by an online store.
The idea of making it cheaper is probably to get more people to go legit with pirated copies. If you have one guy buy a new copy for $300 but three buying it for $150... you're better off.
Of course, if you show the reciept and rat out the system builder, you get the retail copy free. - 2L84ME, on 10/12/2007, -1/+15It would appear you've stepped in some spam. Let me help you out with that by digging you down.
- OBKenobi, on 10/12/2007, -2/+16I think I'll stick to the key changer I had before. It's more convenient because it even generates the keys themselves.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -14/+26/turn automatic updates off
problem solved. - meawake, on 10/12/2007, -3/+15That really makes me think....
I have a new PC to install that I built, bought all the parts myself... and I want to be legal with XP. I was looking at buying a retail copy last week. too expensive, I almost choked. Now with that option I will have no guilt, it will be way easier AND cheaper!
I just install whatever copy I have on hand, let it fail the test. Pay, and without going outside of my place, without ordering anything online and wasting minimum time I will have a legal copy of Windows. for cheaper than I would get it other way.
Thanks Microsoft! I wish you would have made it that easy to install windows for years! - KWhat, on 10/12/2007, -3/+13Keeping intruders out doesn't pay the bills =P
- J3R3MY, on 10/12/2007, -5/+14"This application must be run on a supported version of the Windows XP operating system"
Crap. - millixaw, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8You were always able to change your serial key, without re-installing, via registry hacks. But for the majority of users, which WGA seems to be going after, this makes it so average users can do it too.
- garethevans, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9I completely agree - it's one thing to pay that much money for a license, but to also have to undergo the nuissance of reinstalling everything would be just frustrating
- ziadoz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8Or maybe they bought it from a store thats been using pirate copies so they can increase their profits? I take it you didn't read about Microsoft going after several companies guilty of this in the news?
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8Linkified: http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/purchase/UpdateInstructions.aspx
(actual tool) - Jaymoon, on 10/12/2007, -3/+9RockXP...
It's all over the place. - colemanm, on 10/12/2007, -3/+9This will be the most used "toolkit" Microsoft has ever released.
- zemus, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7if you have a valid sp1 key and cant get it to authenticate on sp2, just call up microsoft and have them give u an activation code. as long as the sp1 key is a legit key they will do it for you.
- SilentBobSC, on 10/12/2007, -3/+9Chris - you've obviously never worked with the public when it comes to dealing with Windows, so I'd advise you to just STFU.
I have personally encountered 20+ users who bought second-hand PC's or white-boxes from local builders, only to find that the key they were using wasn't legitimate, even though they were told the OS that was installed was legal.
Let's also not forget that the WGA program is flagging perfectly legitimate copies as well, so to cast this as "helping people pirate" is myopic and ignorant. - taladon, on 10/12/2007, -3/+9So, anyone have any info on pricing? Are these "kits" cheaper than buying a retail / upgrade copy of XP?
- dragoonv, on 10/12/2007, -6/+11You do realize that this "tool" has been around forever just not one by microsoft.
When i say forever i mean around 3 years ago. It's a little app that you run then it opens up a window you type in your key then you tell it you will be caling in to confirm... then you just never call in.
Viva la security - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5You obviously haven't used this utility....
- maximusdublin, on 10/12/2007, -3/+7@chris
No, it means the there was a problem with the key used by the company that sold the computer. Hence the WGA surprising folks that thought they were legal with their dell, but bcz a tech made an error they now have to pay at least 150$ more dollars to continue to use it. - mike_p, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4I'm right there with SilentBobSC. I don't know how many times I have had people call me (because i'm the "go to" guy to fix PCs) to tell me they have messages popping up stating their copy of Windows is bogus. It's not just the geeks that install a pirated copy of windows. It's the consumers who know nothing that are the victims.
- refujee, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5Hell you don't even need registry hacks, the activation program always had a key changer.
- NJank, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4in fact, not keeping intruders out generates revenue in the form of support calls, and 'reasons to upgrade to the newer, more secure OS'
- Jaymoon, on 10/12/2007, -4/+7Well think of how much they save on not stamping a CD, and printing out the box/book.
So it should at least be $1 cheaper than retail... - Sukino, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3www.autopatcher.com
... - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Pyrates... no this utility (the one from microsoft) doesn't care if you have the VLK version installed and you are trying to use a valid OEM key. I know because I just did it to several machines...
- Terc, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3/gets hacked
mo' problems. - deut, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Yep I bought a license today for my version of XP Pro, cost me 90 quid. Worked fine. Considering a new version of XP Pro is around £244.31 in the UK, I'd say I just got a bargain. :-)
Interestingly although I couldn't get the critical updates from the the "Windows Update" via the browser, windows security center (The thing with the shield in the taskbar) downloaded them and installed them anyway. - warlord, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Its really not worth buying XP right now coz vista will be out soon, well in a couple of years anyway
- apocalizer, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3It won't make a difference... people still pirate WinRAR and it's nowhere near Windows-price.
- thedazman, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I had a bad upgrade CD that I bought from my college bookstore. I emailed Microsoft and they mailed me a Full XP Pro SP2 CD and a new activation key. So I think I have everyone beat at 90 bucks for the full thing.
- snurfle, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Gosh. It's almost like they don't want people making copies of their OS.
- docdocdoc9, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Changing your product key have always been possible before, either by hacking the registry or using the product activation wizard. The main purpose of this tool is to let people use retail or OEM keys on a VLK ("corporate") edition of XP.
- astrotrain, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Amen brother Decepticon!!!
- technotimber, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1i feel bad for the people who thought they bought a legitimate copy of windows through a mom-and-pop but have now found out that it isn't. if you are doing this yourself, you probably know how to get around it. but for the people who went about buying a computer and thought they were buying something legit and now are stuck... that sucks. i understand micorsoft's move and i think it is the best way to do it, but those peopl whoa re getting it through this need to go back to the store they bought the machine from and complain.
- heathenx, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1yup, totally. uninstall wga, stop auto updates and then get the updates manually with firefox and windizupdate. simplae as that.
i just fixed a laptop today for a neighbor that got a warning on every reboot that thier version might not be "genuine". what a crock of ***** that was. took 15 minutes to bypass that (with the help of a microsoft how to). sheesh!
...and if it were me i'd be booting linux. - iam1e3t, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1you could change the key through magical jellybean key finder or through vbscript for a while now
- Terc, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1That will not work once you've sucessfully acticated your version of XP. So... as I understand it this tool enables you to change your Product Key after activation and once WGA has informed you that you're pirating XP.
- heathenx, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1windizupdate (http://windowsupdate.62nds.com)
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1not if you are using XP pro corp edition
- zonk3r, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1This is pretty funny...
One of the reasons why Microsoft tries to sell their baloney (bologna?) regarding "legit" copies of Windows is that pirated versions can have adware, spyware, viruses and what-have you on them. I guess they don't care THAT much once they get your money... - ocram, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Looser than what?
- CharlesV, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3Isn't part of the WGA Error message something along the lines of "Your system may be at risk! You are not running a genuine copy of Windows!" Implying that your pirated copy might have spyware and viruses and all sorts of Generic Nasties? Seems like this flies in the face of that and is more like "Your system may be at risk of costing you some money!"
- boshaus, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1yeah, if you trust installing vista right away.. I'm probably gonna at least hold off 6 months til the biggest bugs are worked out.
- jouissance, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1www.cracks.ru
... - redcard, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Turn off auto updates and that'll stop Microsoft from releasing an update to cripple the end user?
Pretend for a moment that Microsoft does do this evil thing you think they could do. Pretend they install anti-piracy software that covers not just their product, but the RIAA, MPAA, and a few other acronym associations. Or pretend they do something to "cripple your network."
In all that evil that you think they're capable of.. do you think they'd really CARE if you left auto-update on or off? If they're really wanting to do what you act like with their auto-updates, why not just DO it and act like nothing was updated?
How can you on one account distrust a company because they can automatically update your computer... but by the same account feel that turning off their auto-updating will suddenly make it so they can't? Answer.. you're naive.
If MS wanted to do some evil to your computer, the auto-update being on or off wouldn't factor into their ability at all. - sorti, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1This thing is not so good, thank goodness for my access to my MSDN sub and it's working numbers.
Microsoft does not tell you why the number you are entering is not working, and this program seems to change the VL version of windows to the standard XP pro version that requires activation.
I have a Dell with I guess an OEM or OEM VL number and this util would not allow me to use that number. - srudes2, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1So it seems microsoft is getting nicer and nicer to pirates 0_o
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Worked for me on multiple machines with different hardware all now sharing the same OEM key off a sticker.
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