I'm running a pirated version of Windows and can't get caught!

[mouser]

Ed Bott's blog today contains this funny quote:

I'm reluctantly running a pirated version of Windows and can't get caught no matter how hard I try.

I just experienced a Windows Genuine Advantage failure. Only it’s not a false positive, like the horror stories I’ve been hearing for nearly two months now. No, this one was a false negative. The whole story says a lot about how Microsoft is approaching the WGA issue.
..

http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=110

[JavaJones]

This is classic.  I agree with him, WGA seems pretty unreliable. Sure the *percentage* of false positives (or negatives) may not be that high, but in terms of actual numbers of people it seems to be an unacceptable level IMO. Especially if, as the article asserts, there are readily available keys online that are not yet blacklisted!

- Oshyan

[Ampa]

Funny - but can't say I'm surprised.

[Innuendo]

I think the kicker in regards to keys online that are not yet blacklisted the key he used was posted online in 2004. This bit of news coupled with the stories going around that non-pirated copies of Windows are being shut down by WGA make a person wonder what's going on in Redmond.

It certainly makes a case for buying a big-name brand PC from some place like Dell. They ship with specially programed Windows CDs that are tied to the BIOS. In the Dell example, if the Dell-branded Windows CD sees a Dell BIOS when you install it then a pre-activated copy of Windows is installed. You never have to deal with activation or WGA.

[JavaJones]

Except the Dell, etc. install CD's usually bundle tons of useless "trialware", spyware, or worse, and you have to spend literally hours cleaning up afterward just to get your new "high-performance" computer running nicely. *sigh*

- Oshyan

[Rover]

Except the Dell, etc. install CD's usually bundle tons of useless "trialware", spyware, or worse, and you have to spend literally hours cleaning up afterward just to get your new "high-performance" computer running nicely. *sigh*

Agreed.  Been there, done that, didn't like it.  Boo junkware preloads. 

[Innuendo]

Not my Dell. I got two CDs with my system. One was the Dell Windows Restore CD. This just installed a bog standard Windows installation with the addition of one additional icon on the Start Menu linking to the Support area of Dell's web site. Nothing extra from a store-bought Windows CD installation besides that.

All the "junkware", trialware, etc. came on the second CD. HPs, Compaqs, etc. don't have that luxury, I hear. Heck, I hear some of those systems don't even come with a CD at all. You're at the mercy of a Restore Partition on the computer's hard drive. :: shudder ::

[dieferman]

Not my Dell. I got two CDs with my system. One was the Dell Windows Restore CD. This just installed a bog standard Windows installation with the addition of one additional icon on the Start Menu linking to the Support area of Dell's web site. Nothing extra from a store-bought Windows CD installation besides that.

All the "junkware", trialware, etc. came on the second CD. HPs, Compaqs, etc. don't have that luxury, I hear. Heck, I hear some of those systems don't even come with a CD at all. You're at the mercy of a Restore Partition on the computer's hard drive. :: shudder ::

Well, DELLs As The Dimensions (5150 Is An Example) Or Inspirons (6000 For Example) Don't Give You Any CD Either And Rely On A Restore Partition Too!!!!

[f0dder]

Not my Dell. I got two CDs with my system. One was the Dell Windows Restore CD. This just installed a bog standard Windows installation with the addition of one additional icon on the Start Menu linking to the Support area of Dell's web site. Nothing extra from a store-bought Windows CD installation besides that.

All the "junkware", trialware, etc. came on the second CD. HPs, Compaqs, etc. don't have that luxury, I hear. Heck, I hear some of those systems don't even come with a CD at all. You're at the mercy of a Restore Partition on the computer's hard drive. :: shudder ::

Well, DELLs As The Dimensions (5150 Is An Example) Or Inspirons (6000 For Example) Don't Give You Any CD Either And Rely On A Restore Partition Too!!!!

That depends on whether you ordered the install/recovery CD "extra option"

[JavaJones]

Whether you get 2 CD's, 1 CD with junk, 1 DVD with junk, or the hard drive partition with junk usually depends on when you bought your computer and what model/series it's in. The business systems tend to ship with less crap. The newer systems are going for HD partition from what I've seen, with the optional recovery disk, but the disk is usually a DVD these days and does include all the crapware.

- Oshyan