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Microsoft Warns Against Misuse of Windows 7 Upgrades By Carl Weinschenk October 29, 2009 1:59PM     Microsoft has warned against using a Windows 7 upgrade disk for new Windows 7 installations. Microsoft's Eric Ligman says hacks posted on blogs violate the end-user license agreement. An analyst suggested the solution might be for Microsoft to use a version of its Windows Genuine Advantage antipiracy validation tool.   Related Topics Microsoft Windows 7 Upgrade Hack EULA Windows Genuine Advantage Piracy Latest News Plasma-TV Ban Could Be Costly Barnes & Noble Nook Is Delayed Flat PC Shipments Hurt Dell's Stock Ballmer Says Windows 7 Sales Good New Pogoplug 'Cloud' Gets Social Microsoft has a bit of advice for people using the Windows 7 operating system introduced earlier this month: Follow the law. In a blog posting at the Microsoft SMB Community Blog, Eric Ligman of the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Group wrote that a number of blogs and postings are offering hacks that enable the use of a less-expensive upgrade disk for a new Windows 7 installation. This, Ligman wrote, is against the end-user license agreement to which people buying products agree. "Of course, from the posts I saw, they often forgot to mention a very basic, yet very important piece of information ... 'Technically possible' does not always mean legal," Ligman wrote. The post goes on to explain in great detail what is legal and what is not. An upgrade license presupposes ownership of a qualifying license from which to upgrade from. Using an upgrade license for a fresh install simply is against the law, Ligman wrote. Not a New Problem "To me, this is pretty straightforward," said Michael Cherry, Directions on Microsoft's vice president of research for operating systems. "It is not enough to find a way to install Windows onto a computer. To use the software you have to have the proper license. You can look at the Mac OS and Linux in the same way. You have to decide to agree with whatever the licensing conditions are on the software." The desire to cut corners isn't new for Microsoft customers, who tend to feel that the operating system is fair game. "The problem is that they live in two worlds," said David Perry, global director of education for Trend Micro. "They have their big profit venture built into the cost of a computer, and they also sell into the consumer market. People believe they paid for [the software] when they paid for their computer. People will gleefully try to get around anything." People Must Comply Ligman's posting didn't say how widespread the problem is. "I think the fear here is not initially whether the [unauthorized installation of Windows 7] is big or small," said Cherry. "The point is for people to understand that they do really need to comply with licensing." He said the answer may to introduce a way to differentiate versions of the operating system. "I think you will see them potentially look into making some changes to their Windows product," Cherry said. "They could use something like WGA. I don't know how it will be done, but there probably is some way that they can create some sort of signature or footprint for what it looks like as an upgrade versus a bare-metal install." WGA is Windows Genuine Advantage, an antipiracy online validation tool for Windows operating systems.   Advertisement  Microsoft/Windows 1.   Ballmer Says Windows 7 Sales Good 2.   Office 2010 Integrates with the Web 3.   MS Told To Stop Some Windows Sales 4.   Microsoft Releases Multiple Betas 5.   IE9 Likely To Access PC Hardware Just How Secure Is Windows 7? Sophos, Microsoft have different views. Average Rating: Vista More Secure Than Windows XP Windows 7 security could be expensive. Average Rating: Patch Tuesday Fixes Serious Threats Three of six patches rated critical. Average Rating:

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Network Security Spotlight

House Lawmakers Push Ban on Peer-to-Peer Software Stung by an embarrassing electronic leak revealing ethics investigations into dozens of lawmakers, Congress moved to prohibit federal employees from using the file-sharing software blamed for the disclosure.   GAO: Los Alamos Computer Security Has Weaknesses Security weaknesses uncovered in Los Alamos National Laboratory's computer network increase the risk of a classified-information breach, says the Government Accountability Office.   Computer Security Firm Fortinet Plans IPO This Week Fortinet plans to go public in an initial public offering, giving investors a chance to tap a network security provider with sales that are expected to grow. The IPO could be valued at $137.5 million or more.

Enterprise Hardware Spotlight

Flat Shipments Hurt Dell Despite Increased Earnings Dell's earnings are up and expectations are solid, but the company's stock still took a hit after analysts signaled the company isn't playing a key role in the PC market recovery.   New Pogoplug 'Personal Cloud' Does Social Networking Cloud Engines has released its newest version of the Pogoplug, a small "multimedia sharing device" that connects hard drives to the Internet and allows a user to access the files remotely.   Apple Tablet Rumored Delayed as Publisher Gears Up There have been so many rumors of an Apple tablet that it has taken on legendary status. But now the legend is being revised with reports of a delay and that a major publisher is getting ready.

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Flat Shipments Hurt Dell Despite Increased Earnings Dell's earnings are up and expectations are solid, but the company's stock still took a hit after analysts signaled the company isn't playing a key role in the PC market recovery.   Smartphones: A Bigger Target for Security Threats Smartphones are increasingly prevalent and adept at handling more tasks, including trading stocks, paying bills, and buying stuff online. That makes them attractive to thieves and hackers.   FBI Says Hackers Targeting Law Firms, PR Companies Hackers are targeting law firms and public relations companies with a sophisticated e-mail scheme that breaks into their computer networks to steal sensitive data, often linked to large corporate clients.

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