Windows Vista Vs. Windows Xp: Piracy

The topic this time in the battle against the giants: Windows Vista and Windows Xp which one wins the anti-piracy battle?

In one corner we have the contender Windows XP, it has been part of this world for more than six years and yet it still remains one of Microsoft's highest revenue sources. In the other corner we have the new competition Windows Vista that has joined us only two months ago.

The antipiracy measures implemented in Windows XP were more or less a joke. It was extremely to obtain a copy. If not for $5 from the store next door then it could be obtained free from the internet. But with Windows Vista, Microsoft definitely seemed prepared for pirates from the start.

Cori Hartje, director of Microsoft's Genuine Software Initiative, said in an interview that: "It's a different game for the counterfeiters...They're having to resort to this full attack on the product."

Take the unique Windows Vista retail packaging as an example. In it self it was a just plastic box, but the box was uniquely designed with a round corner and other little changes that made counterfeiting more difficult. And that's the packaging, we haven't even started with the software!

Now to make a copy of Windows Vista, it didn't just mean ripping the code and getting a working product key, it meant that you had to be part of the actual production.

The exploit "Frankenbuild" which merged bits of the beta versions of Windows Vista with the final product in-order to defeat the validation checks built into Vista, was soon put to waste as Microsoft was able to update the software and prevent this from happening. It even manage to stop systems that passed the initial activation process as illegitimate.

You could say that the anti-piracy effort by Microsoft began when unimaginable amounts of pirated copies of Windows XP was circumnavigating the world. This led to a revenue loss, so the giant corporation began quietly testing a Windows Genuine Advantage program in 2004 which was later expanded, adding some incentives along the way. Even later this check was made mandatory in-order to download most stuff from the Windows website. The places where piracy rates tend to be higher, seemed to be related to the fastest PC sales growth emerging into new markets.

This technology that is built into Windows Vista allows Microsoft to periodically check if the OS is legitimate or not, as opposed to the Windows XP way of doing things - a single product key that is entered at activation.

There are a number of features, including the new Aero user interface, that require genuine validation. As part of Vista, machines that fail validation go into reduced functionality mode if not remedied within 30 days. Basically this means that such systems that are not genuinely validated can be used only to browse the Internet for an hour at a time, thus greatly discouraging pirates.

Microsoft has also tightened the rules on volume licenses, largely eliminating the ability for businesses, even those with bulk purchase deals, to use one product key across an unlimited number of machines. Microsoft has two options with Vista. Companies can either use their own PC or server as a sort of hall monitor to make sure which Vista systems are out there, or they can get a multiple-use key from Microsoft, though such keys have a set number of activations. Businesses can also use a combination of the two approaches.

It's a little early to tell how all of the efforts are working, but Hartje said there are some reasons for optimism as he states: "We see indications from our channel that they are concerned they get genuine product...We're optimistic the technology changes are going to make a difference. The fact we haven't seen any high-quality counterfeits is a good sign."

While engineering is a big part of Microsoft's efforts, the company is also doing other things. One recent move was to change the way copies of Windows are produced. Rather than just license replicators to build as much of the software as they might need, such disc makers are now required to pay a part of the cost of the software when the discs are first burned, discouraging large stockpiles of authentic discs from building up in warehouses.

What's the simple answer of course? Windows Vista owns Pirates. Windows XP fails it though.