even if they gave it away - happy with my (legal) XP and will be for many years to come. It does everything I need

This seams old because this method has been used many times before, its just using exactly the same method as the bios bootstrap loader which I've been used many times even with SP1. Before anyone gets on their high horse about piracy I actually own a legit copy vista came with my laptop, but it never automatically authenticates because I reinstall a lot because I play with and break multiple operating systems for fun, I use this method because its quicker and easier than calling Microsoft up for manual activation once a week.

So now I can download Vista from a warez site, and run it as if it was a fully licensed version without paying a penny..... "free" still sounds too expensive for something which is just a load of tripe in the first place. To install this OS I would want to be paid!

After all, Microsoft must be really desperate to boost sales of Vista....

- Looks like Myth got pwnt!

It's the only way the take-up rate of Vista will ever increase

On the one hand, this could be the very thing that Microsoft needs to boost market share of Vista.

But on the other, I wonder how successful it would really be, since the idea of pirating Vista is about as appealing as trying to steal a turd.

Oliver.

seriously, this has been going on since June 07, probably long before then.

create security system -> rely on security system -> some 12 year old breaks security system

Surely microsoft would have been better off making it infinitely piratable as its gotten them so far in the past.

Reading the SP1 release notes, I seem to recall something about BIOS expliots being fixed by SP1.

Shame Microsoft wasted all that time fixing crack holes, and not fixing the dire performance problems of Vista, even when SP1 is applied.

(Why should it take 2 seconds to show the fucking volume slider, even on a Vista certified laptop with Core 2 Duo and 3GB of RAM)

This article is exactly one year old! And no, it's not a misprint in the date.

Jolyon

Glad to see Microsoft getting this type of press, but does anyone really care? Since the release of Vista, there just hasn't been a huge uptake and, frankly, why would anyone want to pirate that steaming heap anyway?

I vote Paris, because she'll do anything. :D

from the OEM BIOS crack that includes certificate files from ASUS, Dell, HP, and Lenovo which has been available since vista first hit the shelves?

Is there anyway to get micro$oft to pay one for installing this OS? I might be interested in using it if the payment was large enough.

Of course, this is only going to be useful if there are people who want to use the OS!

Ahhrrrr!

you install KB940510?

isnt this the same bios crack thats been about, pretty much Vistas release?? or is this a different OEM Bios certificate hack???

If Vista adoption doesn't increase now then it really is a good indicator that you just couldn't give Vista away...

OEM activation as been arround for a while now. Even for Sp1

Must be a very slow news day

This now means that people who visit Thepiratebay can see for themselves why they shouldn't install Vista, rather than hearing it from someone else!!

This isn't new but has already been addressed by the elusive Vista SP1...it disables hacks such as this.

M$ has always been the biggest beneficiary of pirated M$ software. This is why it took so long for a real competitor to orifice to appear in the market place. The competition to a copy of orifice was a pirated copy, it was free so how to do sell people a legit copy of your own sw.

Once again I see the usual 'who would use this shit anyway' 'vista is shit' type posts from people whom most probably never used vista and just following the other sheep.

@ Mark... I click the volume bar, and it appears! instantly!! not 2 seconds...suggest you have other issues?

Been running vista for a year now, business and at home, theres been a few glitches but no more than xp had pre sp1+2 im sure...

overall its a relaiable, solid, decent OS and hopefully SP1, and future SP's will improve it further!

This just proves how difficult is must be to get a legal copy of XP. in some places.

OJ --nearly right BUT whats to say they didn't post it themselves we're all writing about IT!!!!!!

KB940510 doesnt disable the patch or indeed vista, it just tells you all is not well

the SLIC patches ave been around as long as vista, the only reason this is news is because the KB940510 update has made a lot of people aware of the shafting theyve recieved (mostly "presintalled" ebay buyers)

theres even a few guides around on how to extract the slic key yourself, ive been using a self extracted advent slic file for months to create stable vlited vista installs for my various advent pc's

Ex-fucking-actly. That's why I'm investigating alternatives to Windows, to see if I can avoid it when I need to get a new computer. Most likely Linux, but I'll even consider a Mac.

Neither will be perfect, but they'll be a damn site better than Vista!

A) It's stretching it a little to call this news.

B) I don't know why they bothered, Vista is a marketing ploy, nothing more.

You could not pay me enough to Install it let alone use it!