Vista's so bad no one steals it

jmke · 10th June 2008, 13:12

MICROSOFT sued a bunch of resellers for flogging copies of software they didn't pay it for, the Vole said Tuesday. The company said it filed lawsuits against 21 resellers in 14 states. The lawsuits allege that defendants sold copies of Windows XP and Microsoft Office that didn't have unique product keys.

http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquir...sta-bad-steals

Kougar · 10th June 2008, 15:46

Or, perhaps XP is simply much easier to "nick"?

Wolf2000me · 10th June 2008, 21:42

I could have nicked Vista if I wanted, and so can anyone else. I just didn't, which is maybe what the inquirer is getting at

Kougar · 11th June 2008, 03:20

There's a difference between nicking it and being able to use that nicked copy normally exactly as if it was legit.

I use a legit version of Vista but I've had so many issues with the DRM locking down the system because it thought it was nicked or the software licensing service screwed itself up that I'd hate to imagine actually trying to use a nicked copy. Vista is simply bloated with DRM services against this.

This is opposed to XP where anyone can use a nicked copy exactly as if it was legitimate and woudn't have to think twice about Microsoft Update or validated downloads or having the OS lock you out of your own computer.

phlegm · 11th June 2008, 05:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kougar

There's a difference between nicking it and being able to use that nicked copy normally exactly as if it was legit.

I use a legit version of Vista but I've had so many issues with the DRM locking down the system because it thought it was nicked or the software licensing service screwed itself up that I'd hate to imagine actually trying to use a nicked copy. Vista is simply bloated with DRM services against this.

This is opposed to XP where anyone can use a nicked copy exactly as if it was legitimate and woudn't have to think twice about Microsoft Update or validated downloads or having the OS lock you out of your own computer.

What lead to you being locked out? Was it when validating immediately after install or when using Windows Update? Because as far as I can tell the only time it checks for validity is when doing one of those two things. In which case, turning off auto-update may be a good move so at least you can plan for when it might stop working.

I just bought the Ultimate Upgrade and did the upgrade trick instead of even bothering with pirating it. Didn't seem worth the effort. No WGA issues yet.

Wolf2000me · 11th June 2008, 09:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kougar

There's a difference between nicking it and being able to use that nicked copy normally exactly as if it was legit.

I use a legit version of Vista but I've had so many issues with the DRM locking down the system because it thought it was nicked or the software licensing service screwed itself up that I'd hate to imagine actually trying to use a nicked copy. Vista is simply bloated with DRM services against this.

This is opposed to XP where anyone can use a nicked copy exactly as if it was legitimate and woudn't have to think twice about Microsoft Update or validated downloads or having the OS lock you out of your own computer.

You have point there. However note that you mention DRM. That's already one of the reasons I never even bothered.
DRM in music is one of the worst things that ever happened in the scene, imo.

I used Vista Business at my previous job so I know first hand what it's like. That's also one of the main reasons I never bothered to nick it.
But one thing is certain. MS will never see one cent of my money because of Vista and I'm pretty confident that I'm not the only one with that kind of sentiment.

Kougar · 11th June 2008, 15:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by phlegm

What lead to you being locked out? Was it when validating immediately after install or when using Windows Update? Because as far as I can tell the only time it checks for validity is when doing one of those two things. In which case, turning off auto-update may be a good move so at least you can plan for when it might stop working.

I just bought the Ultimate Upgrade and did the upgrade trick instead of even bothering with pirating it. Didn't seem worth the effort. No WGA issues yet.

I've had it happen in all sorts of cases, which is what makes it all the more annoying. One install I did not enter a product code because I did not wish to use my key for that specific motherboard. Everything installed great, Vista loaded great. I noticed the clock was way off due to the BIOS clock also being months out of date, which I fixed. I believe this was the cause. I rebooted again shortly after installing drivers and programs, and Vista promptly told me my 30 days had expired and locked me out. That was a very quick 30 days in 1 hour... In this case, Vista locks you out of the entire computer, you cannot access files or anything.

Windows Update, not as sure. This has occured on multiple installations, the Vista Softare Licensing service somehow corrupted itself, so the OS would load and some things would work, but others would not because the OS was disabling features... such as no Control panel, no Admin Tools panel, no Personalize panel, it locks you out of all screens that allow settings or changes to be made. The only way to fix this was to rebuild the product license datastore with the slgr exe, but the keys would need rebuilding after reboots. So even though Vista locked me out of all setting panels and half the programs, it still claimed to be "activated" and legitimate. Best way to describe it, Vista had developed a Dissociative Identity Disorder.

Gamer · 11th June 2008, 15:33

I've been using Vista for about a year now, and I must say I never had one BSOD.
Running fast, stable, fast,....
It does use alot of ram but it seems Bill has done a great job on this OS.
Servicepack 1 made no difference in performance.

Kougar · 11th June 2008, 16:10

Yeah. Well I get plenty of BSODS, most of which directly involve games such as TF2 and could once be attributed to NVIDIA's poor drivers, now no longer the case. The OS is a joke.

phlegm · 11th June 2008, 17:04

I was getting BSOD's in TF2 for a while too. I eventually switched over to Omega drivers and they went away. I still get them in Stalker, but that's just Stalker doing it's thing.

I just think nVidia can't write a stable and fast driver for Vista to save their lives. But I guess that's the price you pay for having almost a dozen different cards coming out a few months apart.

10th June 2008, 13:12	#1
jmke Madshrimp Join Date: May 2002 Location: 7090/Belgium Posts: 82,497	Vista's so bad no one steals it MICROSOFT sued a bunch of resellers for flogging copies of software they didn't pay it for, the Vole said Tuesday. The company said it filed lawsuits against 21 resellers in 14 states. The lawsuits allege that defendants sold copies of Windows XP and Microsoft Office that didn't have unique product keys. http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquir...sta-bad-steals __________________

10th June 2008, 21:42	#3
Wolf2000me Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Flemmish Brabant Posts: 82	I could have nicked Vista if I wanted, and so can anyone else. I just didn't, which is maybe what the inquirer is getting at __________________ Asus Maximus Formula // Intel Q6600 G0 3.7Ghz // (OCZ 2048MB 1066MHZ REAPER == junk) Asus Geforce EN8800GT // 2x 74Gb WD Raptors R0 Eheim 1048 // Apogee GT // Black Ice GT Stealth 240 XFlow

11th June 2008, 15:33	#8
Gamer [M] Reviewer Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 4,514	I've been using Vista for about a year now, and I must say I never had one BSOD. Running fast, stable, fast,.... It does use alot of ram but it seems Bill has done a great job on this OS. Servicepack 1 made no difference in performance. __________________

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10th June 2008, 15:46	#2
Kougar Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 1,640	Or, perhaps XP is simply much easier to "nick"?

11th June 2008, 03:20	#4
Kougar Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 1,640	There's a difference between nicking it and being able to use that nicked copy normally exactly as if it was legit. I use a legit version of Vista but I've had so many issues with the DRM locking down the system because it thought it was nicked or the software licensing service screwed itself up that I'd hate to imagine actually trying to use a nicked copy. Vista is simply bloated with DRM services against this. This is opposed to XP where anyone can use a nicked copy exactly as if it was legitimate and woudn't have to think twice about Microsoft Update or validated downloads or having the OS lock you out of your own computer.

11th June 2008, 16:10	#9
Kougar Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 1,640	Yeah. Well I get plenty of BSODS, most of which directly involve games such as TF2 and could once be attributed to NVIDIA's poor drivers, now no longer the case. The OS is a joke.

11th June 2008, 17:04	#10
phlegm Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: ABQ, NM Posts: 41	I was getting BSOD's in TF2 for a while too. I eventually switched over to Omega drivers and they went away. I still get them in Stalker, but that's just Stalker doing it's thing. I just think nVidia can't write a stable and fast driver for Vista to save their lives. But I guess that's the price you pay for having almost a dozen different cards coming out a few months apart.