If all Vista DVD's are the same...

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Soldato
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..does that mean that mean all the illegal versions flying around are just the same DVD, but you then install some sort of crack on top?

i.e. in theory, you could use your retail key on a 64bit illegal copy, instead of signing away for that £8 DVD.
 
Risky ground this thread.

Not all those DVD's are the same. And if you do download one you would still be breaking the law even if you owned a legitimate key. But I imagine if you had a disk just lying around then you could use your legitimate key with it and it would activate. (as long as it is retail and is only installed on one machine)
 
i'd certainly have no qualms about downloading cd/dvds if i lost my originals. the key is the most important thing. :)

but one thing, how do you verify the integrity of what you download. who knows what has been done to it? :p
 
marc2003 said:
i'd certainly have no qualms about downloading cd/dvds if i lost my originals. the key is the most important thing. :)

but one thing, how do you verify the integrity of what you download. who knows what has been done to it? :p
Click to expand...

True. Could be lots of hidden nasties lurking about!
 
marc2003 said:
i'd certainly have no qualms about downloading cd/dvds if i lost my originals. the key is the most important thing. :)

but one thing, how do you verify the integrity of what you download. who knows what has been done to it? :p
Click to expand...

a hash key from microsoft :)
 
I can't imagine there's a lot of nasties in them, tens of thousands of people have downloaded them.
I probably won't though. I just feel a bit miffed over the whole £8 "free" DVD. Does anyone even know how long it takes to arrive?
 
took approx 4-5 weeks for mine to arrive.

I would be very careful. part of the way vista was designed was the ease of inserting (for want of a better word) applications into it.

Ie a bit like a nlite'd xp install.

Its very easy to install other proggys into vista and have them install from scratch.

All it would take would be for someone to put a keylogger into the iso you download and then your in for a fun ride.
 
marc2003 said:
i'd certainly have no qualms about downloading cd/dvds if i lost my originals. the key is the most important thing. :)

but one thing, how do you verify the integrity of what you download. who knows what has been done to it? :p
Click to expand...

Exactly, those who download stuff like that deserve everything they get.

As for 'if i lost my originals' then again you deserve everything you get if you dont backup discs like that. First thing i did when i got my Vista disc was to create a couple of copies and file them away, same as i do for every retail bit of software i buy.
 
durbs said:
As for 'if i lost my originals' then again you deserve everything you get if you dont backup discs like that. First thing i did when i got my Vista disc was to create a couple of copies and file them away, same as i do for every retail bit of software i buy.
Click to expand...

You've broken the licence agreement straight away by making more than one copy.

Burnsy
 
Microsoft allows large hardware manufacturers (e.g. ASUS, HP, Dell) to ship their products
containing a Windows Vista installation that does NOT require any kind of product activation as
this might be considered an unnecessary inconvenience for the end-user.
Instead these so-called 'Royalty OEMs' are granted the right to embed certain license information
into their hardware products, which can be validated by Windows Vista to make obtaining further
activation information (online or by phone) obsolete.
This mechanism is commonly referred to as 'SLP 2.0' ('system-locked pre-installation 2.0') and
consists of the following three key elements:

1. The OEM's hardware-embedded BIOS ACPI_SLIC information signed by Microsoft.

2. A certificate issued by Microsoft that corresponds to the specific ACPI_SLIC information.

The certificate is an XML file found on the OEM's installation/recovery media,
ususally called something like 'oemname.xrm-ms'.

3. A special type of product key that corresponds to the installed edition of Windows Vista.

This key can usually be obtained from some installation script found on the OEM's
installation/recovery media or directly from a pre-installed OEM system.

If all three elements match Windows Vista's licensing mechansim considers the given
installation a valid system-locked pre-activated copy (that does not require any
additional product activation procedures).

So the basic concept of the tool at hand is to present any given BIOS ACPI_SLIC information to Windows
Vista's licensing mechanism by means of a device driver.
In combination with a matching product key and OEM certificate this allows for rendering any system
practically indistinguishable from a legit pre-activated system shipped by the respective OEM.
 
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