Is Microsoft about to release a Windows "kill switch"?

[Mirob]

Microsoft can't turn off legal copys, the lawsuit could cost too much for even them, but those in violation of the EULA have no legal grounds. So they just stop the freeloaders, maybe send them over to Linux. Who wants to make software for a bunch of crooks anyway?

 

[AMDIsTheBest010]

but there is still the possibilyi for problems

 

[Mirob]

Yes. It happened to me. I had a rather unstable overclock and got the pop-ups. I tried to reactivate but got the message that my copy was already activated. There was a option to buy another Xp home for $99 (half price if it's a retail version.) I restarted, fixed my overclock, and have not seen it since. They have already updated WGA once that I know of.

The biggest deal is that they seem to want to dissable all computers without WGA installed. To do that they must have some other thing to do it.

 

[DelJo63]

As i said b4, what if those computer are linked to Nuclear Weapons, or Aircraft GPS system, you could have a 747 trying to touch down in LA or something and kill alot of people.

Not ONE MS PC is driving anything you mention above. MS itself would not
certify their systems for such applications. Even Sun Micro Systems will not
certify JAVA for these applications.

Systems with weapons OR life support responsibility are not purchase over the counter -- they are written from scratch.

 

[Vigilante]

These tactics hurt regular users just the same.
I've had plenty of PCs come in the store because somehow they did not activate and were shut out with no internet access.

Even my own PC, all I did was some general maintenance and update my drivers etc... and then it pops up saying my hardware has changed and I have to activate again?!

A time will come when Windows will probably use some type of hardware key, rather then huge annoying software hoops. Just stick the little key/plug in a USB port and then XP will work. One plug, for one copy of Windows. No problems.

This would even be bound to fail because it wouldn't work for multi-license schemes, they would still require a "corporate" type of install. And that's what the theives use anyway. But regardless, home users could get a hardware key for retail-purchased versions.
Then they would never have any problems. For multiple-license clients, well, let them deal with gargantuan software hoops. I'd rather have a hardware key and unrestricted software then software with all this "genuine DISadvantage" crapola.

 

[AMDIsTheBest010]

Well Put Vigilante

 

[CrossFire851]

Not ONE MS PC is driving anything you mention above. MS itself would not
certify their systems for such applications. Even Sun Micro Systems will not
certify JAVA for these applications.

Systems with weapons OR life support responsibility are not purchase over the counter -- they are written from scratch.

Nor will Intel CPUs.

 

[Spike]

http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2159537/class-action-lawsuit-challenges

MS are now being sued over WGA. About time too. The first of many I hope.

 

[Mirob]

Microsoft denies WGA kill switch in Windows XP

 

[AMDIsTheBest010]

Well its about time something got done about this rediculous WGA thing

 

[Tedster]

What's even more scary about the "kill switch" is that, not only could they kill your PC IF they think you did something wrong. What happens when that system is hacked and somebody has the button to shut down every internet connected XP or Vista PC in the world?
What happens if the update system is hacked and some virus is force fed to millions of PCs overnight through Windows updates?

Seems to me, just like our government has a finger on a button to let loose nukes. MS has a button now to shut every "law abiding" citizens PC down. But of course, the hackers and crackers who are not connected to the system or have gone around it, will be laughing at all us who paid good money for the software that now turned on us.

MS, through auto-updates, just force fed one of their newest WGA crapwares on my PC at work. I happen to be running SP1, so now I have a "star" icon in my system tray that basically takes up 5megs of space and tells me over and over to get SP2. If you kill the process, it pops back up immediately and doesn't go away. They don't give you any options to close it or "don't remind me" or "hide icon". Not even a "remind me later". No they just slap it on there and there's nothing I can do.
Seems MS has learned some tricks from the spyware creators. Because they are using the same tactics to tell everybody what to do. I'll be hacking out their hacks next time I get a chance.

I propose MS remove all WGA from Vista. And if XP is so dang insecure without SP2 and WGA, then they aught to start a massive recall and give everybody copies of Vista for free.
How many parts of your new car have to go bad before you use your warranty? 1 or 2? And yet we live with a swiss cheese OS with problems on every corner and MS solution is to crack down on pirates by implementing things that don't work, and just hurt valid users. And then force us to BUY more stuff from them?
How would you like Ford to say "oh, your breaks were faulty? Well, you'll have to buy $2000 in new equipment to replace it."

Anyway, rant over, MS bugs me. Um, quite literally

Sounds like a paranoid conspiracy theory to me. I wouldn't worry about that too much. there's more important things to worry about like asteroids hitting the earth or getting abducted by aliens! haha

 

[Spike]

Sounds like a paranoid conspiracy theory to me

Not at all. There have already been reports of genuine users who MS have told to buy a new copy of XP because they've failed validation - possibly old OEM customers perhaps.

 

[MarcFOnline]

Not at all. There have already been reports of genuine users who MS have told to buy a new copy of XP because they've failed validation - possibly old OEM customers perhaps.

That's completely true... and I'll be honest, I agree with those who have said that it's not Microsoft I'm worried about, it's what malicious hackers do with the huge security hole created by the WGA. Microsoft "genuine advantage police" would need to certify themselves as genuine before they did anything to your PC... but I wonder how willing they'd be to live by the kind of rules they're forcing on the rest of us.

Truth be told, usually I don't mind Microsoft, but I'm a bit disappointed they seem to be ignoring common sense on this one.

 

[KingCody]

Sounds like a paranoid conspiracy theory to me. I wouldn't worry about that too much. there's more important things to worry about like asteroids hitting the earth or getting abducted by aliens! haha

Well said tedster, this is indeed becoming a "paranoid conspiracy theory". maybe some people have been watching too many sci-fi future "corporate controlled everything" where big brother sees, smells, and knows every single thing we do and think. but this is not reality, and i don't think it will be either (at least not in any of our lifetimes).

I do not like the idea of microsoft (or any 3rd party for that matter) to have the ability to control PC's remotely. however I also am not worried about it going further than the targeted pirates.

as far as it shutting down government systems?? i highly doubt that would happen via M$ WGA. the secretary's computers may run windows, but mission critical systems do not depends on such a flawwed operating system as windows.

Nor will Intel CPUs.

huh?? where did that come from? LOL

 

[Spike]

Errrm, I think some people may have their wires crossed! "WGA killswitch" doesn't mean that MS can remotely control machines. It just means that they make the WGA update mandatory, and make it require action within 30 days if it fails (just like windows product activation does).

 

[Tedster]

Well said tedster, this is indeed becoming a "paranoid conspiracy theory". maybe some people have been watching too many sci-fi future "corporate controlled everything" where big brother sees, smells, and knows every single thing we do and think. but this is not reality, and i don't think it will be either (at least not in any of our lifetimes).

I do not like the idea of microsoft (or any 3rd party for that matter) to have the ability to control PC's remotely. however I also am not worried about it going further than the targeted pirates.

as far as it shutting down government systems?? i highly doubt that would happen via M$ WGA. the secretary's computers may run windows, but mission critical systems do not depends on such a flawwed operating system as windows.

huh?? where did that come from? LOL

now if I was in Communist China...... then I'd worry.....

 

[Vigilante]

It doesn't have to be a "paranoid conspiracy", because it already happens.

They DO know what you do. Maybe they don't know what you smell But tracing your spending habbits may let them know what you think about. Sure nobody may be watching you personally, but don't think there isn't massive amounts of data being collected about everything people do, buy, watch, listen to, browse to, talk to, etc...
Given a reason, a detective, FBI, whatever, could dig up dirt on you from preschool days. lol. Right down to the day you visited the nurse because of a scrape on your knee.

It's more scary how careless companies are at protecting our personal data. Hense increase in identity theft and stolen credit card numbers. Not to mention the profit made from collecting data and then selling it around to the highest bidder.

Frankly I'm not so worried about big brother watching, because I'm not doing anything illegal. I'm more upset that these companies only treat us as sacks of money to fatten their already-fatted wallets. We are consumers, we are monitored, watched, recorded. They trace us to find out what we like, they put our actions en masse into software to crunch the numbers and create systems which make them the most money. In other words, I'm tired of being a living statistic.

Does anybody have that feeling sometimes? We get a pay check from the corps so we can turn around and give it back to them in order to live? All the while they analyze us to better our consumerness. Like mice in a glass tank, running our "rat race" for them to watch and record.

Granted, I'm not given to conspiracies, and I don't spend a minute out of my day thinking or worrying about this stuff. But I do believe it IS happening, to a degree. Billions of terrabytes of data isn't being collected about the public for no reason. It's being put to use in some way. And people are profiting off it.

After all, they say the greatest trick the devil ever played is convincing the world he doesn't exist.
Why would "they", the big corps and data miners, admit to foul play or abuse of our personal habits?
Why did suddenly most grocery stores require membership? Absolutely NO reason at all. What's wrong with a person grabing some goods, then pay for it? No, we now need club cards for extra "benefits". Meaning they raise prices and then lower them again for members only. Data mining anyone?

So anyways, I don't want to sound like a nutcase, like I said, I never think about such things, but I know they are happening. To a degree.

 

[sllewe]

it's what malicious hackers do with the huge security hole created by the WGA.

Bingo. My main worry about this as well. If not for me, rather, the large amount of users who wouldnt know if it was genuine MS or not. Think about all of the people who get trapped into phishing scams?

 

[dmill89]

Yes, if MS is really serious about this, they could eventually shut down the whole planet. considering that 95% of the worlds computers run Windows then they could create serious problems. For example, lets say they issue a Kill-Switch for the computers that control the satellites for Nuclear Weapons on the ground. Then we're all going to be in real trouble.

Not realy most computers that control satalites and nuclear wepions use verry utilitarian versions of UNIX (some dateing from the 1960's)and are on isolated grids specifically built for defense purposes and not connected in any way to comercial networks or the internet.

 

[SOcRatEs]

I am convinced, that the day, may one day come, when:

1. out sourced imports pc parts, :knock:
2. meglamaniac OS developers, :angel:
3. rediculous retailers, :grinthumb

will push the red button and everything everywhere will shut down & not reboot :dead:


p.s.: I can see them comming! They think,...... I think,......they're a figment of my imagination. But they aint foolin me, they're right there and they're wearing speedo's!

 

[vdvdvCurtis]

This is stupid. If they kill the Xps off then that will force many to buy Windows Vista. I really diagree about everybody having to buy there own individual XP. If I buy something I then own it. I should be able to do anything i want to with it. If i want to share it whats wrong with that?

They will do the same with Vista. Maybe they should put more money into fixing existing problems on the OS than pouring money into stopping Piracy.

 

[greatman05]

Hey, guys, I got an Idea! Why don't we all go out and get Windows XP Proffessional? It's only, like, 300$. I mean, we're all rich, like Bill Gates, right? And who cares if it fails WGA. Oh well! We can always afford to buy another "genuine copy". Drumroll please.......I DON'T THINK SO! Isn't Microsoft like a monopoly? I thought the government outlawed those a long time ago...

 

[Computer noob]

Nah microsoft isnt, cause MAC OS's and Linux (free) are big too. But I cant even think of any more to choose from, so i guess lack of variety leads to their success.