Hackers have one up on Microsoft when it comes down to the distribution of the latest iteration of the Windows client. Pirated copies of Windows 7 RTM are not only available for download in the wild, from various BitTorrent trackers and warez websites, but also sold in bootlegged DVD packages, and according to the latest reports, even pre-loaded on USB Flash drives. It is the case of Windows 7 10-in-1 Ultimate Steve Ballmer Signature Edition, obviously a counterfeit copy of Windows Vista’s successor. Chinese website Tech.163 (via WinFuture) claims that the USBs preloaded with the pirated version of Windows 7 Ultimate Steve Ballmer Signature Edition, passed as a new, but also inexistent 10-in-1 SKU, is available for sale in Shenzhen, SEG Plaza. It is clear that the packaging is a rip of the genuine Windows 7 RTM Ultimate Steve Ballmer Signature Edition which Microsoft shipped for free to users that hosted launch parties for the operating system around the October 22nd General Availability date. However, the 10-in-1 reference is not associated in any way with the Redmond company’s latest version of Windows. As you can see from the images included with this article, the Windows 7 10-in-1 Ultimate Steve Ballmer Signature Edition comes on an 8GB USB Flash drive from Netac, which is also pirated. What the package actually offers is a bootable USB with the Ultimate 10-in-1 pirated copy of Windows 7. Customers can simply stick the USB drive in their machines and boot from it in order to install Windows 7. Reports indicate that the Windows 7 10-in-1 Ultimate Steve Ballmer Signature Edition and Netac USB packages are being sold for just 98 Yuan. In this regard, the pirated copy of Windows 7 along with the bootlegged USB cost approximately 9.5 Euros, or a little over $14. At this price, the counterfeiters offerings are unmatched by any of the genuine Windows 7 editions Microsoft is offering for Chinese customers in terms of price.
Jeez', why don't they just BUY it legally in the shops? I think Microsoft will come up with something to stop this!
Microsoft have, activation. Vista / 7 can be activated with a hacked bios or a bios emulator which makes it impossible to block as millions of legit laptops / computers ship with that bios and key too. XP was a lot harder to pirate as you needed a valid key to pass windows genuine advantage which used to be hard to come by. Anything can be hacked given enough time, look at whats happened with the Xbox 360.
Thats actually true, ive seen all those genuine cracks for xp where as for Vista and Windows 7 i know people who have cracked it and never had to worry about it again.
Yeah XP can be a massive pain to pirate if you don't have a valid VLK. And to combat distribution of Volume License Keys, Microsoft would just re-issue a new key to the customer and then blacklist the key. So keys you'd find online would normally stop working after a while. But with Vista and Windows 7, use a OEM bootloader hack and you're done forever.