Windows adds 'maybe pirate' category
C|Net | at | by Mike
Until recently, Microsoft's antipiracy technology was pretty decisive: either your copy of Windows was genuine or it wasn't.
With a software update this week, however, Microsoft has added a new "Yellow state" for times when it just can't tell whether a copy is legitimate. According to Microsoft, the new indeterminate reading can occur, for example, when a local error or network error prevents the validation check from being completed.
The message is part of a controversial add-on to Windows XP, known as Windows Genuine Advantage Notification, which tells users whether Microsoft believes their copy of Windows to be legitimate. Validation is required for most Windows XP downloads, though users can still get automatic security updates. With Windows Vista, some features won't work at all unless a machine is validated as genuine.