Windows 7 cracked

Peter Gill (Buddy J)

July 29, 2009 1:59 PM ET in News, , ,

windows7FCKGW … wait, that’s not it.

It was only a matter of time before this happened. Windows 7 has been cracked for 32 and 64 bit versions of Ultimate thanks to a leaked Lenovo OEM master key, which Microsoft made a big deal about just days ago when they officially presented Windows 7 to the company. Oops. Good job Lenovo. Your leak just gave pirates a free version of the OS that can pass the ever-annoying Windows Genuine Advantage test.

Of course, we won’t link to the information and we don’t condone the illegal activity. It’s despicable and shady and a shame since Windows 7 is proving itself to be worthy of purchase.

19 Comments:

  1. MAGIC
    29 Jul '09, 6:40 pm

    Wow, nice.

  2. Nate_LapT
    29 Jul '09, 6:42 pm

    doh

  3. Mikail Critchki
    29 Jul '09, 7:23 pm

    We already knew this was coming; All we can hope for is that people realize that Windows 7 is worth buying. Support good software otherwise they can't keep making them.

  4. mirage
    29 Jul '09, 7:24 pm

    Reading the original article "Hackers have managed to crack Windows Vista much in the same manner.", appears to me MS did not do anything different in W7 to prevent such cracks. I think Microsoft is satisfied with the current activation scheme and believes it is a high-enough barrier for piracy to support their current price level. After all, copy protection is part of the total cost. As the development costs (or just sale prices) rise, copy protection schemes become more sophisticated (i.e. more expensive) in parallel.

  5. Thrax
    29 Jul '09, 7:44 pm

    Windows 7 uses the same activation method as Windows Vista. It's called System-Locked Preinstallation, or OEM SLP. Mixing the OEM SLP key and a signed licensing certificate with an RTM ISO yields an activated Windows 7 OEM installation.

  6. Komete
    30 Jul '09, 1:10 am

    Seriously, I doubt MS cares. I'm sure the suits and ties care but I bet you even Bill Gates would prefer a hacker to be useing a pirated windows install than a linix or a hackintosh.

  7. Cliff_Forster
    30 Jul '09, 3:36 am
    Quoting Komete

    Seriously, I doubt MS cares. I'm sure the suits and ties care but I bet you even Bill Gates would prefer a hacker to be useing a pirated windows install than a linix or a hackintosh.

    I suppose the one thing that has to infuriate Microsoft is the speed in which this all happend. The RTM was announced about a week ago, and its already busted. One has to wonder, what is even the point of the Genuine Advantage program? It is only adding a step for honest people. What is the point, the honest will stay honest, and the pirates will pirate.

  8. Thrax
    30 Jul '09, 3:37 am

    Just like all DRM. It only penalizes legitimate consumers with extra steps pirates never have to contend with.

  9. Tim
    30 Jul '09, 10:17 am

    It gives the pirates something new to do.

  10. lordbean
    30 Jul '09, 12:19 pm

    Good lord, that was fast. It definitely calls into question the usefulness of copy protection in general.

  11. MAGIC
    30 Jul '09, 12:21 pm
    Quoting Cliff_Forster

    What is the point, the honest will stay honest, and the pirates will pirate.

    Yarrrr!

  12. mirage
    30 Jul '09, 2:47 pm

    Cliff, you really made me laugh. Honests and pirates? This is too dramatic. I am sure Bernie Madoff never pirated Windows in his office or home

  13. Thrax
    30 Jul '09, 2:53 pm

    He didn't say that pirates were honest.

  14. mirage
    30 Jul '09, 3:32 pm

    My point is that one does not necessarily become honest by not pirating Windows. Honesty requires much more than that.

  15. Butters
    30 Jul '09, 3:45 pm
    Quoting mirage

    My point is that one does not necessarily become honest by not pirating Windows. Honesty requires much more than that.

    Cliff used a cliché phrase that simply means that in general, those who usually comply, will continue to comply. It makes perfect sense. Those who do not want to pay for 7, won't; those who will pay for 7, will.

    That phrase however, is an Oxymoron, if person is already honest, in theory nothing needs to keep them honest. However, in context & *theory*, Microsoft Genuine advantage would.

  16. Cliff_Forster
    30 Jul '09, 3:57 pm

    Butters pretty much hit the nail on the head.

    Same argument against gun laws. You still have guns in society, criminals are just going to ignore the law, the only people it impedes are the honest ones.

    My point being that the Genuine Advantage program is pointless, dishonest folks will work around it fairly easily, so the only serves to cause a minor headache for those that purchase and want to activate legal copies.

    Honestly, if Microsoft dropped genuine advantage based on that reasoning, I think it would make fantastic PR for them, and they would probably gain so much support in the enthusiast community for doing it that it would actually result in more copies sold.

  17. mirage
    30 Jul '09, 4:24 pm

    Okay, WGA does not prevent piracy but it is a barrier against casual copying as well. Without any copy protection, many people casually share their Windows copies with friends and family. This should also be a big revenue loss for Microsoft.

  18. DrLiam
    30 Jul '09, 6:30 pm

    Wait what... Genuine Advantage does work at preventing a large amount of non-techy from having a seamless Windows experience. While I'm sure there's a lot of people who can work around it, there's also a lot of others that will become very frustrated by it. Not to mention Genuine Advantage has yet to annoy me with some quick scans or tests. Just my two cents.

  19. Mikail Critchki
    31 Jul '09, 2:14 pm

    Seems like they have blacklisted it now; According to Neowin

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