Windows 10 can disable pirated games and illegal hardware

[Mr. Laz]

http://www.pcauthority.com.au/News/4...-hardware.aspx

Microsoft can disable your pirated games and illegal hardware
Atomic

Friday 14 August 2015 | Comment Now
Microsoft can disable your pirated games and illegal hardware
Updated EULA terms let Microsoft invade your Windows 10 computer in search of counterfeit software.

Microsoft's updated European Licence Agreement terms and conditions let it disable any counterfeit software or hardware and, if you're running a Windows 10 computer, you've just agreed to them.

Section 7b – or “Updates to the Services or Software, and Changes to These Terms” – of Microsoft's Services EULA stipulates that it “may automatically check your version of the software and download software update or configuration changes, including those that prevent you from accessing the Services, playing counterfeit games, or using unauthorised hardware peripheral devices.”

This means that, if you use Windows 10, a Windows phone, or any of Microsoft's other services, Redmond can disable any games you've pirated or devices you've unlawfully hacked.

While it's incredibly clear what Microsoft means by “counterfeit games”, the wording “unauthorised hardware peripheral devices” is a little hazy. Does this mean Microsoft can now block uncertified PC or illegally-modified Xbox One and Xbox 360 controllers? Furthermore, Microsoft's EULA doesn't state if it will also disable other counterfeit software, such as cracked versions of Office or Adobe Photoshop, or if it only cares about pirated games.

I've reached out to Microsoft for a comment about these unanswered questions and will update you when more information becomes available.

Video game piracy, or “counterfeit games” as Microsoft puts it, has been a big issue in PC gaming for a long time. Many developers have sought to circumvent it by hard-coding impossible odds into their games, which are only solved by having a purchased activation code on your computer. The same issue is also now becoming prevalent on Android and jailbroken iOS devices. However, under Microsoft's new EULA, Windows 10 Mobile would be able to combat any pirated software a user loads onto their phone – potentially making it an attractive prospect for indie developers scared of having their work stolen.

Interestingly, Microsoft killed off its incredibly unpopular, DRM-heavy, Windows Live Games in Windows 10, and opted to support Steam instead. But, with these new terms and conditions, Microsoft has practically baked DRM into the core of Windows 10.

This article originally appeared at alphr.com

[DaveNull]

Why not make BackTrack Kali your daily driver?

[007]

Originally Posted by Fish

Microsoft doesn't care if your current Win7 is pirated or not. You're still entitled to a free upgrade. They've already stated that. You can install Win10 regardless of your current Win7 status. But if you are using a pirated version, and the key you used doesn't show as genuine, then Win10 will be put into a trial mode for 30 days.

But that really doesn't matter in the long run, as once Win10 is installed, trial mode or not, you can simply use Microsoft Toolkit 2.5.3 to then activate Windows again and life goes on. They want people to upgrade, and they will overlook a lot as long as you continue to run Windows OS.

I was trying to upgrade my downstairs pc but I can't get any download links on it at all. How did you get it installed on a non genuine?

also, wouldn't using that toolkit just get patched my MS anyway? Last I heard they were not allowing hacked versions to be upgraded. Seems like somebody posted that article in the windows 10 thread.

I did find this...

http://www.askvg.com/faq-upgrading-t...nuine-windows/

When Microsoft announced about this free upgrade offer, the company also indicated that pirated or non-genuine Windows users will also be able to upgrade to Windows 10 for free. This news came as a surprise and caused lots of confusion between people as they were unable to understand why should a pirated Windows user be allowed to upgrade to latest Windows version for free?

Now to clear all doubts, Microsoft has officially provided some details about pirated/non-genuine Windows and Windows 10 upgrade offer.
For your convenience, we are providing the official information in form of a frequently asked questions (FAQ) list which will help you in understanding the whole idea easily. We'll try to cover all possible questions and doubts in this article.

So without wasting time lets start the FAQ list:

Q.1. Is it true that pirated or non-genuine Windows versions also get free upgrade to Windows 10?
Ans. Yes. Its true. If you are using a pirated Windows versions (Windows 7/8/8.1), you'll get a prompt or notification to upgrade to Windows 10 when its released to public.

Q.2. So does that mean I'll be able to use Windows 10 forever like a genuine Windows user?
Ans. No. Pirated Windows will get free upgrade to Windows 10 but they'll not be able to activate Windows 10 using their pirated product key or license. They'll still need a genuine Windows 10 license to activate their Windows.

Q.3. So what will happen when pirated Windows users are unable to activate their Windows 10 versions?
Ans. It'll work like a trial version of Windows 10. You'll get a limited period of time e.g. 30 days to use Windows 10 and to activate it. If you don't activate Windows 10 within that grace period, you'll be unable to use it further and you'll not be able to log into Windows 10.

Also a watermark on Desktop will become visible telling you that you are using a pirated Windows version and you should make it genuine by activating it using a genuine license key. The exact text of watermark is not known yet but it might be similar to following:

• This copy of Windows is not genuine.
• You may be a victim of software counterfeiting. This copy of Windows did not pass genuine Windows validation.

Although it'll not be very hard to remove that watermark from Desktop. People always modify system files using Resource Hacker to get rid of such kind of watermarks.

Q.4. Will there any offer for pirated Windows users to buy Windows 10 genuine license?
Ans. Yes. Microsoft will provide attractive offers to pirated Windows victims so that they can buy a genuine license of Windows 10.
So the bottom line is that pirated or non-genuine Windows users will get the offer to upgrade to Windows 10 but they'll not be able to use it for free. They'll need to activate Windows 10 using a genuine license key, thus they'll need to purchase a genuine copy of Windows 10 from Microsoft.

[Fish]

Originally Posted by unlurking

I keep hearing that kind of response a lot. Very similar to the responses many people had about privacy concerns with the PATRIOT Act. It's silly to think the government would care about your data. It's silly.

Asking typical home users to opt-out of these new "features", and then NOT ACTUALLY disabling these features is a bit creepy.

http://arstechnica.com/information-t...-to-microsoft/

Like I said, I haven't researched it directly and I'm sure there is a lot of overblown stuff. At the same time, there's enough evidence out there to cause concern.

But Microsoft isn't like the government, right? So we don't have to worry?

Equating Microsoft with the NSA is just dumb. Don't go down that rabbit hole.

Nearly all of those features can absolutely be turned off by doing a Custom Install of Win10 as opposed to the Express install. Doing a custom gives you several pages of toggles in which you can turn nearly all of those things off.

And again, much of that behavior is happening already, right now, with the version of Windows you're using. Using MS OneDrive in any Windows OS enables the same data synching capabilities. Firefox stores all your passwords by default, available to anyone who sits down and navigates to Firefox\Settings\Security\Saved Passwords. There are hundreds of instances like this with stuff people use all the time.

Believe it or not, when Microsoft says they do not transmit any personal or computer information, we don't have to simply cross our fingers and hope they tell the truth. It's not some pandora's box where only MS engineers know WTF is happening inside.

And that said, you should see some of the stuff Apple does like this to keep their ecosystem all nice and communicable....

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by unlurking

I keep hearing that kind of response a lot. Very similar to the responses many people had about privacy concerns with the PATRIOT Act. It's silly to think the government would care about your data. It's silly.

Asking typical home users to opt-out of these new "features", and then NOT ACTUALLY disabling these features is a bit creepy.

http://arstechnica.com/information-t...-to-microsoft/

Like I said, I haven't researched it directly and I'm sure there is a lot of overblown stuff. At the same time, there's enough evidence out there to cause concern.

But Microsoft isn't like the government, right? So we don't have to worry?

Do you use Chrome? Firefox? An Android phone? An iPhone?

All of these have similar levels of privacy concerns as Windows 10. It's not that they're unfounded, but just that they're nothing new.

[Fish]

Originally Posted by Guru

I was trying to upgrade my downstairs pc but I can't get any download links on it at all. How did you get it installed on a non genuine?

also, wouldn't using that toolkit just get patched my MS anyway? Last I heard they were not allowing hacked versions to be upgraded. Seems like somebody posted that article in the windows 10 thread.

I did find this...

It's the same exact process regardless of whether your current Windows install is genuine or not. The determining factor to having the Win10 upgrade icon in your system tray is whether you're up to date on MS updates or not.

And if you don't want to do all the Windows update crap to get up to date to make the upgrade icon appear, you can always go the manual route. Follow these instructions, and it will tell you how to manually upgrade, and even do a clean install if you want: http://fossbytes.com/how-to-install-...indows-update/

NOTE: If you do a clean install, it will ask you for a license number, or give you the option for trial mode. If you don't have a license key, you can choose trial mode and then activate it using an activator tool like the one I linked above.

And no, MS will not patch that feature, as it's a necessary feature for software developers and such.

[DaveNull]

Last I heard they were not allowing hacked versions to be upgraded.

Catch 22 for MSFT. Either disallow updates or let there be an ever increasing of botnet members.

Personally I think its a lot more distasteful for Microsoft to push ads and require you to opt out of things on installation than requiring network communication to use Cortana. Find a solid firewall, crank the settings to 11 and you'll be amazed at how "talky" lots of stuff in the OS can be.

If you're really that concerned with the privacy of certain information, you ought to be using an air-gapped machine, bootable USB or a disposable encrypted VM anyway.

Or run an email server in your ****ing basement. Works for Hil, right?

[unlurking]

Originally Posted by DaveNull

Why not make BackTrack Kali your daily driver?

Mint's my preference for ease of use. Running Kali on several work systems and a personal VM. Coin collecting app and Elements are Win7 (yeah, need to find something else, but these two keep me running at least one instance of Windows).

[unlurking]

Originally Posted by Fish

Equating Microsoft with the NSA is just dumb. Don't go down that rabbit hole.

The point is not to compare Microsoft to NSA, but to AT&T. This is not a rabbit hole that hasn't already been traversed. NSA didn't sweep all that call data directly, they got it from our ISP/telco.

Nearly all of those features can absolutely be turned off by doing a Custom Install of Win10 as opposed to the Express install. Doing a custom gives you several pages of toggles in which you can turn nearly all of those things off.

And did you read the article I linked to? Turning them off doesn't seem to actually turn them off completely. And some require enterprise versions to turn off.

And again, much of that behavior is happening already, right now, with the version of Windows you're using. Using MS OneDrive in any Windows OS enables the same data synching capabilities. Firefox stores all your passwords by default, available to anyone who sits down and navigates to Firefox\Settings\Security\Saved Passwords. There are hundreds of instances like this with stuff people use all the time.

Agreed, which is one reason I have arkos up and running and am really hoping to move to it soon as a full time private solution.

Also, I'm not talking about what data apps like Firefox are storing locally. There are other mitigating control factors in place for that. I'm only talking about what the vendor is removing/copying from me.

Believe it or not, when Microsoft says they do not transmit any personal or computer information, we don't have to simply cross our fingers and hope they tell the truth. It's not some pandora's box where only MS engineers know WTF is happening inside.

Again, read the article. After turning these features off, the author still found his PC communicating back to Microsoft, with much of the traffic encrypted. Can you tell what is inside that traffic?

And that said, you should see some of the stuff Apple does like this to keep their ecosystem all nice and communicable....

Oh I know. Not a fan there either.

[unlurking]

Originally Posted by DaFace

Do you use Chrome? Firefox? An Android phone? An iPhone?

All of these have similar levels of privacy concerns as Windows 10. It's not that they're unfounded, but just that they're nothing new.

Not quite. Well, Chrome and Android, yeah, ugh there. Firefox doesn't have the same level of access to my personal data.

Come on Blackkphone v2!!!

Almost pre-ordered at DC23, but will wait for some hands on review first.

[hometeam]

Originally Posted by Fish

It's the same exact process regardless of whether your current Windows install is genuine or not. The determining factor to having the Win10 upgrade icon in your system tray is whether you're up to date on MS updates or not.

And if you don't want to do all the Windows update crap to get up to date to make the upgrade icon appear, you can always go the manual route. Follow these instructions, and it will tell you how to manually upgrade, and even do a clean install if you want: http://fossbytes.com/how-to-install-...indows-update/

NOTE: If you do a clean install, it will ask you for a license number, or give you the option for trial mode. If you don't have a license key, you can choose trial mode and then activate it using an activator tool like the one I linked above.

And no, MS will not patch that feature, as it's a necessary feature for software developers and such.

You do realize that there is still tons of info being sent about you to MS even if you turn everything off right? You do realize that most people dont know how to turn the shit off right?

Im wondering why anyone would defend with micrsoft is doing. Sure, it COULD be innocuous, but as we find out time and time again, it doesn't end up being. Not to mention, this is first draft shit, this is first run shit that they are pushing, unless the consumer steps up, it will only get worse and worse as time goes on.

The license is EXTREMELY broad and allows microsoft to do pretty much anything it wants with your data, INCLUDING give it to any government agency without a warrant, allt hey have to do is have 'good faith' that its needed.

Who are Microsofts 'trusted partners' that they are sharing EVERY SINGLE IOTA OF INFORMATION THAT YOU USE YOUR PC FOR?

I shouldn't have to have a deep knowledge of PC's to get microsoft to stop spying on me with my own hardware.

How many normal people know how to go in and edit the hosts file? How many normal people know how to make registry changes?

None.

And thats what it takes to get win10 to stop spying on you.. not just clicking a couple little privacy switches.

"but but but ive done nothing illegal! Why should I care if microsoft has acces to every keystroke I have ever made on win10 and could give it to the government?"

Well, what you are doing might not be illegaL.. YET. Just wait until TPP passes and they make sharing your netflix password punishable with jailtime. How about when they start putting KODI users into a database for suits to be brought against them. How about when they lock down your PC remotely just because they think you might be doing something 'illegal' in some other country.

Slippery ****in slope.

[hometeam]

Originally Posted by DaFace

Do you use Chrome? Firefox? An Android phone? An iPhone?

All of these have similar levels of privacy concerns as Windows 10. It's not that they're unfounded, but just that they're nothing new.

Do web browsers have access to every single file on my PC? How about any encrypted drives? How about every single keystroke I make? Do they deliver ads to me via the OS?

No?

Not really the same thing then.

Same concept, but not the same thing.

[Fish]

Originally Posted by hometeam

You do realize that there is still tons of info being sent about you to MS even if you turn everything off right? You do realize that most people dont know how to turn the shit off right?

Im wondering why anyone would defend with micrsoft is doing. Sure, it COULD be innocuous, but as we find out time and time again, it doesn't end up being. Not to mention, this is first draft shit, this is first run shit that they are pushing, unless the consumer steps up, it will only get worse and worse as time goes on.

The license is EXTREMELY broad and allows microsoft to do pretty much anything it wants with your data, INCLUDING give it to any government agency without a warrant, allt hey have to do is have 'good faith' that its needed.

Who are Microsofts 'trusted partners' that they are sharing EVERY SINGLE IOTA OF INFORMATION THAT YOU USE YOUR PC FOR?

I shouldn't have to have a deep knowledge of PC's to get microsoft to stop spying on me with my own hardware.

How many normal people know how to go in and edit the hosts file? How many normal people know how to make registry changes?

None.

And thats what it takes to get win10 to stop spying on you.. not just clicking a couple little privacy switches.

"but but but ive done nothing illegal! Why should I care if microsoft has acces to every keystroke I have ever made on win10 and could give it to the government?"

Well, what you are doing might not be illegaL.. YET. Just wait until TPP passes and they make sharing your netflix password punishable with jailtime. How about when they start putting KODI users into a database for suits to be brought against them. How about when they lock down your PC remotely just because they think you might be doing something 'illegal' in some other country.

Slippery ****in slope.

No, there is not tons of info being sent to MS. That's not true. The license isn't extremely broad. The OS manufacturer has very specific limitations to personal data privacy, and it's not up to the manufacturer to decide at a whim what those limitations are. Because of federal HIPAA regulations alone, MS can't simply collect any type of data they want. And there are thousands of other such regulations drawn out and already in the books. What you're describing is just not how it works. The government cannot request anything they want because that kind of data collection is not legal or even possible, and if it were occurring it would be pretty easy to tell. The data they collect, if manually turned on, is innocuous. This isn't first draft anything. And to insinuate so is dumb. Microsoft cannot give any such data to the government because they cannot legally collect any such data to give. What they have access to is legally and publicly acknowledged and has been for some time, and cannot be changed simply because of a new OS. It's incredibly dumb to assert otherwise. Microsoft doesn't have access to every keystroke, and believing such a thing is irrational paranoia.

I'm not defending MS at all. I'm just pointing out that some type of data collection occurs with every single OS/device/app/browser you use. MS isn't doing anything any differently than any other major software company. And they're not really doing anything any differently than previous Windows OS versions even. You just clicked yes to the previous 50 EULAs without giving a single **** about any of this or reading a single line of any EULA you've ever accepted. You have no clue what you've accepted without reading.

You don't have to have a system administrator's knowledge of Windows to simply go through the custom install. Let's not act like that takes some kind of post 9 month ITT-Tech degree or anything to click on Custom Install.

Sharing your Netflix password punishable with jailtime? . WTFingF? . GTFO here with such nonsense......

[DaveNull]

Originally Posted by unlurking

Almost pre-ordered at DC23, but will wait for some hands on review first.

The launch of the first one was a little rough from what I hear.

The tech that's inside of it is pretty cool. Unfortunately based on my address book in Wickr/Signal a black phone would only be a super nerdy way to talk to other super nerds.

[unlurking]

Originally Posted by DaveNull

The launch of the first one was a little rough from what I hear.

The tech that's inside of it is pretty cool. Unfortunately based on my address book in Wickr/Signal a black phone would only be a super nerdy way to talk to other super nerds.

Yeah, the hardware was pretty weak too. The new specs look much better. Strangely enough, I'm not really worried about my call. I already record everything with CallRecorder. I'm am using TextSecure though (**** VZW's MMS/WiFi problems). Still, would prefer a more robust feature set.

Either way, as long as V2 as a smoother launch, I'll pick one up.

[unlurking]

Originally Posted by Fish

...

You don't have to have a system administrator's knowledge of Windows to simply go through the custom install. Let's not act like that takes some kind of post 9 month ITT-Tech degree or anything to click on Custom Install.

...

I just want to point out that IT people tend to have an exaggerated sense of what is "easy" to do with computers. Let's not forget that even with all of the hoopla over Win10 privacy concerns, most end users will never have heard of the problem and will choose the express settings which Microsoft recommends. What non tech person is going to choose custom?