More DRM "advantages". MS WGA servers "down till Tuesday".

[Bouncing Zabaglione Bros.]

More benefits of DRM for the consumer. This might explain why you're seeing your OS as an illegal copy, or you've just lost Aero.

After several email excahnges with Microsoft on validation problems, I just received this:​

[font='Calibri','sans-serif']Thank you for your response.[/font]
[font='Calibri','sans-serif']I’m sorry to inform you that the Windows Genuine server might be down for few days. I have escalate the issue to our Genuine team, kindly try to validate again on Tuesday 28 Aug 2007. [/font]

[font='Calibri','sans-serif']Thank you for contacting Microsoft Technical Support.[/font]

Edit: Looks like someone got off their backsides at MS and rebooted their servers!

 

[swaaye]

A recent "hotfix" has disabled the ability to turn off the requirement for signed drivers in Vista x64. Which really sucks, btw. Can't install any of the non-certificated free apps that use drivers now.

 

[Bouncing Zabaglione Bros.]

A recent "hotfix" has disabled the ability to turn off the requirement for signed drivers in Vista x64. Which really sucks, btw. Can't install any of the non-certificated free apps that use drivers now.

That's one way of putting small freeware/shareware developers out of action, isn't it? I predicted this a long time ago. You have to pay to have a "licence" in the form of expensive certification or your app can't be installed. Next step will be to do all the same for content in order to cut out anyone but the big media cartels.

 

[Mummy]

I assume vista does wga checks every N time ? i thought it was just once and when doing updates ?

Was this the same for XP too ?

 

[Davros]

what happens if you have a pc not internet connected ?
and is it really the case that if ms cant check your o/s they switch off aero ?

I predicted this a long time ago. You have to pay to have a "licence" in the form of expensive certification or your app can't be installed.

I said more or less the same thing in the "i need to replace creative" thread - Great Minds ect

 

[willardjuice]

A recent "hotfix" has disabled the ability to turn off the requirement for signed drivers in Vista x64. Which really sucks, btw. Can't install any of the non-certificated free apps that use drivers now.

Or just press F8 every time you boot up and choose the "Disable Driver Signing Enforcement"; it's not that hard (although it is inconvenient).

 

[Color me Dan]

How is this going to effect open source? Considering Microsoft have been so high and mighty about their open source initiatives like OOXML *cough*, shouldn't they make some kind of validation tool or whatnot to make the process free and easy?

Make program-> run through validation tool-> program validated and approved, uploading validation info to MS server.

That's just and idea but, i mean, there should really be some kind of opening for this! If you lock out everyone you don't like because you don't profit from it no one will use Windows in the long run. I hope.

 

[Malo]

what happens if you have a pc not internet connected ?
and is it really the case that if ms cant check your o/s they switch off aero ?

I'm pretty sure that Vista has an internet connection as one of the requirements.

 

[Rainbow Man]

Perhaps not a requirement. You should still be able to activate it using the phone methinks.

But it suyre loves phoning home a lot. Theres windows update of course but also the new help database and the problem solution thingy and the quality improvement shit built into apps like WMP and Live and undoubtedly a host of other aspects too.

Like Steam keeps track of how much ou play your games and rats you out to Valve about it it would not surprise me if Vista in some way or anothewr keeps track of what you do with your OS. How much web browsing you do and which OS apps are started and whatnot.
Peace.

 

[Davros]

Heres a quote i found about the issue:

" "An unknown problem in a controversial Microsoft Corp. anti-counterfeit process has been fingering genuine versions of Windows Vista and Windows XP as fakes since Friday night, disabling features on potentially millions of machines. "

What exactly gets disabled ?

 

[2senile]

From the WGA blog:

This validation failure did not result in the 30-day grace period starting and no one went into reduced functionality mode as a result. The experience of a system that failed validation in this instance was that some features intended for use only on genuine systems were temporarily unavailable. Those features were Windows Aero, ReadyBoost, Windows Defender (which still scanned and identified all threats, but cleaned only the severe ones), and Windows Update (only optional updates were unavailable; security and other critical updates remained available).

At least it never affected XP. Or Linux.

 

[Color me Dan]

Windows Defender (which still scanned and identified all threats, but cleaned only the severe ones)

...What? Oh i see. It's like some form of strange episode of ER

"He's hemoraging..." "Don't do anything sister, it's not that bad" "His lungs are filling with blood!" "waaaaaaait for it" "DOCTOR!" "His insurance card isn't up to date!" "Oh... well, now he is drowning in his own lungs" "Ok, FINE, sucktion...."

An hour later

"Well Timmy, you'll be glad to know that we have run every test known to mankind and we've found about 20 things wrong with you. But we just fixed one thing that was getting critical.