In preparation for the public release of Service Pack 1 in mid-March, Microsoft wants to kill off all of those pesky illegal copies of Vista out there. Next week, the company will send out an update to Vista users (via Windows Update) that identifies illegal copies installed by two cracks commonly used to activate pirated copies, reports Computerworld. The story says that the cracks are able to hide from Vista's counterfeit-detection technology because they spoof installation and thereby sidestep the normal activation sequence.

The story says:

One of the cracks, "Grace Timer," extends Vista's activation grace period, which is normally 30 days, until the year 2099. The other, called OEM BIOS, modifies system files and the PC's BIOS to mimic the product activation done by computer-makers at the factory.

These cracks are said to be blocked in SP1. Microsoft promises that if an illegal copy is identified, the Vista update will notify the user and suggest a solution, although it will not disable the cracks. If a user takes no action after receiving the detection warning, the user will start seeing new warning messages on a black screen.

Meanwhile, Microsoft is working to quickly resolve an issue with a current update that is required before SP1 can be installed. Microsoft yanked that update from distribution earlier this week when it was discovered that the update caused continual rebooting on some machines. Microsoft promises that the faulty prerequisite update will not delay the release of SP1.

With luck, the anti-piracy update scheduled for next week will work perfectly and not mistakenly accuse legitimate copies of Vista of being pirates. But Microsoft's track record with Windows Update is iffy . Microsoft says that the easiest way to validate a copy of Windows is to head over the Vista download center and try to download some software for Vista (such as Windows Defender ) If the download gives the PC trouble, sooner or later Microsoft will want to find the PC and place its black warning screen all over it.

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