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.
First up Microsoft has claimed that the “Bill Gates” version is not the final code. In addition they claim that this version may have been tampered with and should be avoided (as you would expect them to say).
Second the “crack” that has been used to activate this version of Vista alters the code from the operating system with those from the pre-release version, or the various release candidates. The user is then able to activate the version with a pre-release product activation key. As I predicted these pre-release keys are temporary, they will be blocked using Microsoft’s Software Protection Platform on the expiry date, which has not been disclosed. Enjoy it while it lasts.
In time I am sure that there will be another hack, crack or whatever for Vista. It remains to be seen exactly how Microsoft handle the further attempts to pirate their operating system.