The so-called “Kill Switch” was especially designed to
prevent users with illegal copies of
In case a user fails to activate its Windows Vista copy
within 30 days, the operating system is automatically switching to a “reduced
functionality mode”, blocking acces to features like Aero Glass, ReadyBoost or
BitLocker. It also limits the amount of time the user can remain logged in to
one hour.
In case a blocked or counterfeit product key, or incorrect
or modified activation binary files are detected, windows
However, the tool has been a source of frustration to some
users, who have complained that the tool sometimes disabled legal copies of
Since April 2006, when WGA started unfolding its wings from inside a "critical update" delivered to Windows users, one in five computers running Windows has failed Windows Genuine Advantage tests according to data provided by Microsoft themselves. More than 22 percent of over 500 million systems that were subjected to the browser-based validation scheme were identified as invalid copies of Windows.
Microsoft said it would drop the activation scheme in the new Service Pack 1, a major update to Windows Vista. Previously, Microsoft explained the updates packed in Windows Vista SP 1 fall into three categories: quality improvements, improvements to the administration experience and support for emerging hardware and standards.
The first beta release of the service arrived at the end of September, but the company said that the finished product would not ship until sometime in the first quarter of 2008.
The new update will help the users to install their legal copy of Windows Vista without having the same problems as before. In case they have an illegal copy of Windows Vista users will get pop up messages, which notify them about the status of the software along with information about how to make the software legal.
The tool can also “lock”
"Although our overall strategy remains the same, with SP1 we're adjusting the customer experience that differentiates genuine from non-genuine systems in Windows Vista and later in Windows Server. Users whose systems are identified as counterfeit will be presented with clear and recurring notices about the status of their system and how to get genuine. They won't lose access to functionality or features, but it will be very clear to them that their copy of Window Vista is not genuine and they need to take action," said Michael Sievert, Corporate Vice President for Windows Product Marketing, in an interview published on Microsoft's site.
Microsoft’s effort to discourage piracy of its software have registered good results lately, reducing fake copies by half-compared to the previous version of the system, called of Windows XP.
In its effort to prevent piracy, Microsoft said it had pursued legal action against more than 1,000 dealers of counterfeit Microsoft products in the last year and taken down more than 50,000 “illegal and improper” online software auctions.
Microsoft’s announcement follows after last month the senior product manager Pete LePage wrote on the Internet Explorer team’s blog that the next update of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer wouldn’t bug us anymore with the irritating “Click to Activate” warning.