Microsoft puts limits on updates to fight piracy
Seattle PI | at | by Mike
Microsoft is stepping up its campaign against piracy with a program that requires Windows users to show their copy of the operating system is authentic before they can receive many online software updates.
The program, known as Windows Genuine Advantage, has been in public testing for the past 10 months, but the authentication process was previously a voluntary option for users wanting to download updates. Today, that authentication becomes a requirement in most cases.
People using the Microsoft Update and Windows Update sites will no longer be able to download Windows add-ons and updates -- including security fixes -- from those sites without first going through an automatic online validation process.