E.T. Phone Home

[Newby]

Or rather, XP phone home!

(I jacked that from one of the comments, but I think it sums this article up perfectly. Go Microsoft.)

http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/06/08/0119253&from=rss

At least every 90 days, the tool also checks again to see if the copy of Windows is legitimate. Lazar said that's because the company sometimes discovers that a copy of Windows that it thought was legitimate is actually pirated.

How does it go from legitimate to pirated?

[BigAznDaddy]

who knows.
ask your dad he works for microsoft

[Sidoh]

XP Phone Home... hahahaha

[Ergot]

who knows.
ask your dad he works for microsoft

Touche.

[dark_drake]

How does it go from legitimate to pirated?

Hrmmm.... I have no idea.  Maybe it didn't see anything the first check, and then it found something on one of the other checkups.

What I found interesting was:

When Microsoft believes a copy of Windows is pirated, the user begins to get a series of reminders that the copy isn't genuine. Such users also are barred from downloading noncritical updates, such as the new version of its Internet Explorer browser. But anyone who has signed up to automatically receive security updates, which repair flaws to prevent Internet attacks, will still get those fixes.

:-\

[iago]

Actually, it phones home daily.  But they weren't planning on telling you that. 

[Joe]

Get my gun.