It would appear that in a small amount of time that Windows Vista has been leaked and cracked. So much for being more secure! Twenty four hours in the life of the as yet to be released Vista.
Reports are confirming that that Vista RTM has been leaked. That leak occurred directly from inside Microsoft itself, as it has not been made available as yet. November 15th was the date that was hinted at for it to be available to MSDN Subscribers. Not twenty four hours later it is starting to come through that this leaked version has been cracked. A quick Torrent networks search will confirm this. Not a MSDM subscriber myself I could not say if it has been made available earlier or not.
It appears the crack is not simply a download and run affair and involves a few steps [Don’t know how long that link will work]. Interestingly it uses the keys that Microsoft gave away during the beta. Which makes me wonder just how long this will work, for all Microsoft has to do is disable the keys issued as a part of the beta. Especially since Vista has not been released yet. Or then it might not matter what key is used. Or will Microsoft use it’s Windows Genuine Advantage software to cripple software? Maybe, but they will probably upset a few people and how would they know. Then again a beta is not forever. Whatever they do it better be fast, but it looks to me like it is too late. Will it happen again? Yes, so what does it matter what they do.
Seriously though twenty four hours to crack Vista, they should be a tad embarrassed. Really it is beyond funny.
I am not sure if the rumour mill is working over time or not but there are reports that Office 2007 has suffered the same fate. These reports are as yet to be confirmed and it has yet to be cracked, only a matter of time.
With all the efforts that they have made into being more secure and harder to crack and Microsoft saying that it is harder to crack and the whole WGA thing. They may have well have painted a giant “Hack My Software” poster on their arses.
Rooster's Rail 
November 12, 2006 at 7:14 pm
dave, vista beta 2 runs out in Feb 2006 from memory; so does office 2007 beta 2.
let’s wait and see what happens with the crack post that – if you install vista and office 2007 you notice a departue in functionality and UI for the key manager. what I’ve noticed is a clunky looking device that doesn’t quite look right.
I suspect that MS has something else up its sleeve for the rtm.
even if you can crack the keys and use a forged key sitting on a list, MS are going to be vigilant this time around – to get the updates off update server you are going to need a valid software key.
I don’t think this is going to be the big issue that everyone is making it out to be.
November 12, 2006 at 7:49 pm
I agree Provokit that this issue is not as large as people are making out. Microsoft as slow as it has been releasing vista will be seriously watching the release this time around and people with invalid keys will be refused updates, found and their systems would be disabled “reduced features mode” or whatever they called it.
My use of Vista RC2 for review purposes has told me that Vista needed a lot of work before it would be released, Microsoft has been at this business a long time, they are going to put in the time and R&D to make sure no one screws OPENLY, with their stuff.
People who want Vista will be forced to buy it, either as an OS or with a new combo deal PC and honestly I agree with that. I think I have been arguing fair use long enough to realise that being a hypocrite will get me no where.
November 14, 2006 at 8:49 pm
Hoggwash Sebastian ! All this talk about Vista being cracked gets fueled by Microsoft , because it means that yet more people get curious and talk abou their product.
Windows has heavily counted , no, RELIED on piracy to make windows the dominent operating system on the market. If it would not have been so easy to copy windows 95 /98 and even windows 2000, the windows operating system would not be found in every home today. If not for the fact that Microsoft forced legislation to INSIST that computers HAD to be sold with an pre-installed os ( a Microsoft OS ) people would have thought twice before BUYING a version of windows along with their computers.
But now we have slipped into the dangerous situation where everybody is USED to windows. With XP the number of ‘purchases’ of the OS went up due to the whole activation sceme, but even those users are getting nailed in the butt with all the false positives caused by the windows genuine advantage program.
so please, don’t tell me its cause of the hackers that microsoft tightens down their DRM and OS rules. Its purely out of GREED. Somehow consumers get less and less rights for the content they pay for. This is not an economic move. In an open market you have to be BETTER then your competition , so MS should offer people a BETTER alternative then piracy, not clamp down on their own consumers.
Far from it that I promote piracy , but with Bill Gates and the MS company being among the richest in on the planet, i see no reason for them to cry wolf cause of some pirated copies, I’m telling you : they count on it.
November 16, 2006 at 10:41 pm
[…] It was reported on the 12th of November that Windows Vista was cracked. The version of Vista that is floating around on torrents and P2P Networks, dubbed the “Bill Gates” Version can be enabled using this crack, but a crack it is not. A hack to get it working would be more accurate. The time that it is operable under this hack is limited according to a Microsoft statement. […]
November 17, 2006 at 12:01 am
Sebastian with all due respect we heard the same stuff about XP and that MS was going to make sure no one cracked it. Even WGA has been cracked. As long as software is written code, there will always be a hacker to get around it. The bottom line with windows is because MS has to leave holes in it to do their own underhanded crap to your system, it leaves holes for hackers and crackers. That’s the way it’s always been and always will be. While it looks like Vista has been cracked and MS will probably fix that, their fix will be cracked as well. It’s a never ending cycle. To be honest while I personally don’t use cracked software, I can understand peopel who do, especially with Vista’s new activation scheme. As Night said, it’s just plain greed. You have to buy a license for each of your computers. Come on now, what household doesn’t have at least 2 computers nowadays. Greed pure and simple
January 7, 2008 at 7:04 pm
I agree with kennyinbmore, whats more i have to ad is this, there are many that will not want to here this but here’s the real T rust. I activate XP, a paid for OS, my OS are real with a bill to prove this. Before i activate all loaded software runs great, after i activate in a short time it becomes a nigtmare. Some softwre starts acting like it has a mind of it’s own. This i Put to the test and used a stop timer hack on XP, all problems were no more. So after 10 months i removed the hack, so XP looked like the nu 30 day job and had Microsoft activate it. The nightmares started wihtin a month. I did this 3 times in a 2 year period and every the outcome was the same. Now Vista’s a watch dog that bites, and I’ve been bit like never before, without a timer hack on vista I will never run this CRAP OS ever again. not because I’m afraid, but I’m afraid of what i Will do. I pay to Pray a BIG NOTTTTTTTTT. By the way, I’m a astronomer, I Photograh and see a many great deal of things. Let ME think I WONDER if thats why are worlds Tech has gotten so advanced. It I’ll only work for you if your a real good boy. Now Sit a stay The Last WORD.