Microsoft piracy check comes calling

by admin April 25, 2006 at 11:15 am

Starting Tuesday, the software maker will push out a test tool that checks whether the copy of Windows a PC is using is properly licensed. It will be sent to millions of people in the United States, United Kingdom, Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand, Microsoft said Monday.

Following download and installation of the “Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications” tool, users of a pirated copy will see alerts at startup, login and during their use of the operating system. The alerts read: “This copy of Windows is not genuine; you may be a victim of software counterfeiting.”

Those who use a legitimate copy of the software won’t see any messages, Microsoft said.

People will be able to decline the tool download or uninstall it, said David Lazar, director of the Windows Genuine program at Microsoft. They can also suppress the alerts by right-clicking on them when they appear during the running of Windows.

Full story: CNET News.com