Vista Phones Home to Check for Valid License

Here's a quote from an article over at Cnet that I thought was interesting:

So does that mean that once you install Vista, you have to be connected to the internet at least some of the time? What if you use Vista on a computer not connected to the internet and it can't phone home to validate? Or is this validation process self-contained within the OS? I'd be interested in knowing more about this. Just how does Microsoft "evaluate" whether the OS is good? What happens if my license key gets "compromised" according to MS's records? Any other info or links out there?

The full story is Here.

 

From what I've seen of vista so far (using a legit version since Jan), you never actually see it checking if it's valid or not. I believe it will only check if you try to do system updates or download microsoft products. Of course, if you never connect to the internet, it will never check to invalidate your box.

You do not need to be connected to the internet at all to use vista. There is no like "connect to the internet now!" message. But if you're never connecting yourself to the net... your laptop is kind of worthless to begin with.

 

Funny this should come up now. Just yesterday I noticed I suddenly had a "Genuine Windows Advantage" (or whatever it's called) shortcut icon on my desktop. It didn't show as an available update like it used to in WinXP, it was just there on my desktop. I have a legit copy that came with my laptop, and just for that reason I feel I shouldn't have to be bothered with it. So I just deleted it.

 

Thanks for the responses. I definitely understand the piracy issues and don't have a problem with MS ensuring it's valid. From mimino's post, it sounds like it's the same as WGA on XP - it checks to be sure you have a valid copy when you check for updates. I'm OK with that. The article sounded like Vista would periodically "phone home" without any user prompting. Which I don't like. I'm a control freak - like to know what my computer's doing.

 

Have you considered Linux/BSD? That's the only way you really, truly know what's going on in your computer.

 

I did consider Linux. Once. And, not trying to sound snarky or anything like that, just trying to figure out the terminology to figure out which version I wanted to d/l was too time-intensive. I spent nearly 1/2 hour trying to figure out what the h*ll "distro" meant. If there were a good layman's guide/introduction to Linux and it's terminology (like "we say distro, which means distribution"), I'd be interested in that. Then might consider it on my old Compaq.

Let alone trying to figure out compatibility for certain software and hardware (and the all important games). I don't have the time or the interest required to do it right. I give big props to the folks who can, but I just am not Linux material.

I do have my XP systems locked down. I'm very comfortable with Windows and knowing which processes to kill and how to control outbound traffic on an Win OS.

 

At the risk of sounding like a Linux fanboy, I can say that you really shouldn't feel all that comfortable with Windows Vista. XP I can understand to an extent. But Vista is a whole other story altogether. As far as I'm aware, Vista does not just check your system whenever something changes, it actually does periodically poll the system to make sure it's legit. Even if you don't change anything on your computer, you can still fall victim to WGA. Say for instance a pirate gets hold of your activation key and decides to use it (along with a hack) on their own system. Now, WGA is supposed to catch this and prevent their install, but if they can hack it, does it really work? Now if you go to reinstall Vista (or if it phones home), it may detect the other computer and tell you that your system is not genuine. There are tons of issues with WGA out there, and frankly I'm surprised we've only heard of one serious problem here on NBR. Below are a few links where you can see for yourself:

http://tips.vlaurie.com/2007/vista-wga-problems-just-keep-coming/
http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=221
http://www.windows-vista-update.com/WGA_gets_tougher.html

Oh, and straight from the horse's mouth if you don't believe those (forums.microsoft.com):
http://forums.microsoft.com/Genuine/ShowForum.aspx?ForumID=1004&SiteID=25

 

The above is true, but the odds of a hacker getting your CD key just to try to install windows? Very slim. And even if they do, you could always call microsoft, tell them "hey, what's up?" and they'll usually take care of you. I haven't had experience with microsoft software support, but their hardware support is excellent. When my mouse died all I had to do was call up, tell them the problem, give my serial number, and they shipped me a brand new mouse with no charge.

I mean, use linux by all means, it's too much of a hassle for me to deal with, even though I was a CS major in school.

 

hmmm.. not sure about that part where u will say "hey wats up" and MS will take care of u.. once vista says dat u r a pirate, its not gonna be easy.. we have people with that experience here in NBR itself..

 

Someone talking about me? Their phone home policy is what gave me enough trouble to migrate BACK to XP.

 

Remember too, that Vista also periodically polls your hardware to make sure you aren't running any pirated media. So it's not just your internet connection you have to be wary of, it's those PCI cables...