Microsoft Enables “Reduced Functionality” In Vista

Over the years, Microsoft have launched numerous campaigns and techniques to combat piracy. After all, if you are using Windows, you should pay for it. There’s no disagreeing there. However, some of their methods up to now have not only not worked well, but have been intrusive and poorly designed. WGA comes to mind, as it was a system in particular that had a strikingly high number of false positives. So in essence, their piracy-killing techniques not only affect pirates, but legit users as well.

Microsoft is done playing softball though, and plans to up the ante a little bit further. According to Computer World, a large Vista distributor received an e-mail notifying them that a “Reduced Functionality” function in the OS had been activated. What does this mean to those using pirated versions? “A black screen after one hour of browsing; No start menu or task bar and No desktop”. Well… then. As if Vista wasn’t difficult to use in the first place! Hopefully all legit users of the OS will be able to evade potential false positives this time around.

“If Windows Vista is not activated with a genuine product key, your customers will experience reduced functionality,” according to the ad. “The blocking of nongenuine product keys is an ongoing process, not a one-time event. To help protect honest partners and fight piracy, Microsoft will continue to block product keys that are determined to be pirated, stolen or otherwise deemed nongenuine.”

Source: Computer World