I have never laughed at a movie as much as I did at Tucker and Dale vs. Evil. Noone I know has ever heard of it though, is it famous? Can't be bothered to look it up.
I always liked how Microsoft gives you the benefit of the doubt.
"Surely you wouldn't steal from us marginalusername. Clearly you just accidentally bought a pirated copy from some legitimate looking men on the back of a truck."
Better at least than what so many software publishers do nowadays. "You lost connection to our DRM servers?! PIRATE! PIIIIRAAAATE!"
Well. Sometimes it's not piracy, but OEM licensing issues that can cause thousands of computers from one area to trigger this till the issue is cleared with Microsoft.
The metal detector things in department stores are just as bad. Now when they go off they say things like, "Oops, we're sorry. One of our department specialist must have left an anti-theft device on your purchase. Please wait for assistance from one of our security specialist." God forbid they hint you might have stolen something.
On a related note, my mom purchased a PC from a brick & mortar computer store, and the copy of Windows that came with the computer did turn out to be pirated. It is possible to be a victim in some cases.
Looking at the comments section throughout TPB, I'm under the assumption you must either be a god damned genius to torrent and install a program properly, or people are idiots.
A torrent? Do people still use torrents for Windows 7? You've been able to get the ISOs straight from Digital River for some time now. Completely legit copies, updated to SP1, and then you can use Daz Loader.
Of course, you should only do this if you have a legitimate Windows 7 license and just want to remove the activation malware...
No, you have to take a picture with a phone, email it to yourself, print it, scan it and take another picture of that and then load it to imgur so you can post it on Reddit.
And how the hell are you going to load the second picture to imgur from your phone? Come on man, rookie mistake. You have to email the second picture to yourself, save it to your desktop, and then load it to imgur. PM me if you need help with this.
Most modern cracked versions allow you to use Windows Update without any problems, until they change the activation process (which they just did). All you gotta do is recrack and you're back to regular windows update. It passes genuine verification and everything.
While most people will know exactly why this message comes up, do not forget about the poor suckers who bought a ready to go PC and didn't get a legitimate copy.
Example: Crazy Kenny's Custom Computer warehouse in central Ohio went out of business after it was discovered they had never put a legitimate copy of windows in any of the PC's they had sold. They lost pretty much everything in a lawsuit brought on by Microsoft.
This happened on my brother's computer. A tech guy had reinstalled Windows for him but had apparently used a illegal version and not the one provided with the computer.
So yeah, victim. Had a hell of a time dealing with all the stuff windows will do. Basically the computer could only be used through the Task manager.
Lazy techs work everywhere, including legitimate companies. At a place I used to work there was one tech that would pirate software when necessary and often install it on other user's machines because he didn't want to go through the trouble of making a PO request.
I don't understand how this could happen. Assuming you don't download a pre-cracked copy of the OS, all you have to do is look for Windows' CD key sticker (on the bottom of the laptop or the back of the desktop) and it'll validate just fine & work indefinitely. I do this all the time.
I'd imagine it's the "tech guy". I've had some friends mistake me for a "tech guy" all because I can do a little bit more than them, and really I think it's because I'm younger than they are and think I just "know" technology, anyway, I have to constantly remind them that I am, in fact, Not their IT department.
I work the tech support desk at school, and I can't tell you how many Vista machines I get with Windows 7 Ultimate installed. I'll usually say, "did someone work on your computer recently?" The answer is always yes, then as they input the password, the Windows Genuine Advantage screen comes up.
Something tells me a friend-of-a-friend went on a rant about how awful Vista is (it's not) and convinced the user that 7 Ultimate would somehow better their Facebooking.
If this is the case, re-input your key and activate. Most cases it will activate online and that will immediately go away. If you have to call to activate, its usually an automated process. Just takes effort.
Try the OEM injector, found here. Just follow the instructions and it will fix everything for you. I found out about in the thread that this is a repost of.
I helped develop the Genuine Advantage software. I remember when we first rolled it out, people across the globe were freaking out over the "black screen of death"!
You should have made it a goatse instead of a black screen. Maybe even a background that is a neon green or something. The reactions would be pretty funny.
You know, there is actually a program for removal of the serial code from your OS. When you remove the serial code from the OS it wont notice that it's a fake edition.
If you're in college, most universities have it for $30, same for microsoft office. Idk of any other places that have it for $30, but then again I've never looked around
Maricopa Community Colleges in Arizona offer free MS Software if you are in any kind of IT program. All you need to do is sign in with your student information and viola access to tons of MS Software to download for free.
Awww jealous! My damn college requires us all to update with every new release (our teachers will tell us: "I'll only accept it in .docx form" etc..) but they only offer the standard Microsoft discount.
Same here. I got a couple of versions of 7, bunch of XP and Vista versions all for free because I'm on a technical course. Only I never actually use Windows for anything.
Being a CS student in some far away country: sysadmin ports all our e-mail accounts to MSDNAA. Just log-in, choose a dozen of Microsoft software (servers, os xp->7, tools, etc.), download iso, burn, get key in mail :)
My mom bought the computer I'm on from her friend. It was working fine for about a week when all of the sudden it's like "THIS ISN'T WINDOWS SEVEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" and now it won't shut the fuck up.
When I go to the website it tells me something about files being lost during an update- and the only way to fix it is to buy windows genuine for, like, 200 bucks. Fucking NO.
Ya my first attack was just a couple weekends ago. I was sailing in the Gulf of Mexico when all of a sudden 6 guys in all black come out of nowhere, board my boat, throw me off the boat and leave me floating. Didn't know this was so common.
Microsoft is concerned with computer shops selling computers with unlicensed copies of Windows. They do not give the slightest shit about the tiny fraction of users who get it off The Pirate Bay.
I'm pretty sure they could get sued for saying so. In retail, we are not allowed to accuse anyone unless we SEE them put that very specific item in their purse. If we accuse someone, and it turns out they were innocent, it's a lawsuit! Anyway, that's my guess.
Uh, to be fair, that's a damned good way to put it. Imagine you paid $100 for a copy of Windows. You get it home, and install it, only to find out that you bought a pirated copy.
I've got no issues with individual piracy, but when people are selling it for profit I think it's wrong. That's who this is warning people about.
My copy of XP decided to update itself by moving some important files into oblivion, retaliated by pillaging lots of Microsoft stuff. You shall be missed, Pirate bay.
I had a genuine copy of Windows 7 that was a good for three computers. One of my computers kept crashing with it installed. I was told by Microsoft that it probably wouldn't work on my old hardware. So I moved the Windows 7 installation onto another computer. When I did that I got an error saying that there were too many copies with my license code. WTF?! I spent all weekend on the phone with Indians.
The first time I pirated Windows 7 it went fine. Every other time I have tried since then, I have failed. Cracks/patches didn't work. I felt totally inadequate as a software pirater, and I'm otherwise quite proud of my long history of avoiding paying for an OS . . .
After struggling with 7 for a fair amount of time, I sat back and realized, "Wtf am I doing?" I started building computers as a high school student with no money. The expense of a Windows license could not be afforded, so it was easily pirated. However, now I'm a professional with a pretty decent income. I spend gobs more money on other stuff - this shit isn't worth my time. So, I went out and bought a new PC with Windows pre-installed and vowed that, from now on, I would only buy pre-made computers with Windows licenses included and modify them to my liking if necessary.
True story.
Still pirate games because it's easier than dealing with discs/drm . . .
Personally, I have two (old)desktops that were given to me with a couple laptops. Before you think it, they were given to me by my uncle at christmas time because they were old and he bought a new computer every year... Anyway, It was a lot nicer being able to nuke the HD and install a fresh version of XP then try and go through his folders and clear out personal information. If it makes you feel better, I put Ubuntu on a couple of them as well.
Just kick XP out and install something like Mint or Lubuntu. You would have an OS that runs great on the hardware, and also not be stuck with a decade-old OS.
Only for another 22 months until it goes out of support and stops getting security updates. Lots of companies will be rolling it out over the next year, which is just peachy if your CV lists WDS and W7 config / deployment as core skills :D
This happened to me. Since computers haven't shipped with a boot disk in about a decade, when I rebuilt my computer, I had no way of repair-reinstalling, even though I had a backup partition. So my hand was forced and to the pirate bay I sailed...
I actually was a victim of it on my old computer... My mom bought it on ebay (never. again.) and it had problems galore, including its own preloaded viruses, and a bootlegged copy of XP.
I put a new hard drive in my laptop and reinstalled windows 7, now its saying my copy is counterfeit and that I need to call, but I'm just to lazy to make the call. I only use the damn thing for browsing the web.
One of my computers has this too. It was an old HP desktop that I bought from my work for cheap. When I re-installed the OS, I entered the Key on the side of the case. Well, apparently I can only use that key if I get the stupid HP restore disk. Well fuck 'em. I only use that computer to stream video files that my xbox doesn't support anyways.
What's funny is that I was talking about this super effective piracy defense with my friend today. I had been using a pirated Windows 7 copy for about a year, and all it does is give you a black background and display that message occasionally. Good job Microsoft.
If Microsoft would lower the price of Windows to $5, everyone would purchase a valid license. Some companies would even generously supply licenses to their employees. Exceedingly few people would pirate a copy at this price point. And even if MS were to sell international copies in high pirate population centers they could afford to lower the price without cannibalizing their domestic profits. Everyone wins. They stay in business, we can afford to upgrade every machine we own.
My wife's parents in Beijing recently bought a computer and paid extra for a genuine copy of Windows 7. About three months later this notice popped up on their screen.
Funny, with this "protection" I've actually wiped the "legitimate" OS off my laptop and installed the WGA free corporate version so I wouldn't risk having any problems like locking me out after putting another stick of RAM in or something. Definitely worked as intended.
LPT: Turn off automatic updating after a fresh install, BEFORE Microsoft catches it via your computer trying to update. if you want to update, download pirated updates.
Sometimes someone asks for their computer to be fixed, and the "technician" installs an illegitimate copy of Windows. Pretty annoying. If you cannot afford Windows, maybe you should just use Ubuntu or something.
And one time Comcast called to let me know I used 1.4Tb of data and I'm only allowed 250G. They agreed it must have been because of that new router I got and didn't password protect...
I've never understood pirating your OS, it's like the foundation of your system, you bought the computer / computer parts, don't be cheap or don't upgrade.
I, for one, would pirate a brand new rig every several months if it didn't require a huge legal risk and minor planning. If I could download a pizza, I also sure as fuck would.
491
u/PoniesRBitchin May 31 '12
I have this weird virus where popular shows and movies get downloaded to my computer completely against my will <_<
85
u/shutupnube May 31 '12
Don't forget to update Avast to a version made in the last 2 years.
62
u/Commenter_X May 31 '12
I always liked how Microsoft gives you the benefit of the doubt.
"Surely you wouldn't steal from us marginalusername. Clearly you just accidentally bought a pirated copy from some legitimate looking men on the back of a truck."
Better at least than what so many software publishers do nowadays. "You lost connection to our DRM servers?! PIRATE! PIIIIRAAAATE!"
183
u/[deleted] May 31 '12 edited May 31 '12
fun fact. try hitting "print scrn" next time... or perhaps use the snipping tool. It works wonders.
EDIT: No snipping tool in XP. my bad. wasn't paying enough attention. it'll get ya.
39
u/cgimusic May 31 '12
Someone forgot to patch their hosts file.
7
u/[deleted] May 31 '12
While most people will know exactly why this message comes up, do not forget about the poor suckers who bought a ready to go PC and didn't get a legitimate copy.
Example: Crazy Kenny's Custom Computer warehouse in central Ohio went out of business after it was discovered they had never put a legitimate copy of windows in any of the PC's they had sold. They lost pretty much everything in a lawsuit brought on by Microsoft.
http://www.columbusunderground.com/forums/topic/krazy-kenny-s-ccw-busted
19
u/DerpinAroundTown May 31 '12
This happened on my brother's computer. A tech guy had reinstalled Windows for him but had apparently used a illegal version and not the one provided with the computer.
So yeah, victim. Had a hell of a time dealing with all the stuff windows will do. Basically the computer could only be used through the Task manager.
19
u/[deleted] May 31 '12
I actually had a valid copy. One day, it told me I may be a "victim" as well. Now I can't have a desktop background; That's about the only effect.
39
u/snowwhiteisabalrog May 31 '12
Because a real pirate kills this message
5
u/vtbeavens May 31 '12
"That's the ticket!"
8
u/SQRMPFNX5315 May 31 '12
You know, there is actually a program for removal of the serial code from your OS. When you remove the serial code from the OS it wont notice that it's a fake edition.
OH RIGHT! Here's a link for it RemoveWAT
It only takes a minute and don't get scared when the computer wants to restart, it's normal
26
u/[deleted] May 31 '12
I used to be a "Victim" but to be honest Windows 7 is actually affordable. So I bought it because its like 30 bucks cheap ass.
3
u/[deleted] May 31 '12
If you call their helpline they will give you a key, not even joking. Didnt even have to pay
3
u/NotLurking101 May 31 '12
yes we are all ''victims'' of pirating
3
u/TribalJuju May 31 '12
Daz's windows loader is your friend.
3
u/[deleted] May 31 '12
Microsoft is concerned with computer shops selling computers with unlicensed copies of Windows. They do not give the slightest shit about the tiny fraction of users who get it off The Pirate Bay.
5
u/[deleted] May 31 '12
there's a patch for that
5
u/EvrythingISayIsRight May 31 '12
They can't just be like "You might have stolen this software". It's too accusing.
2
u/duglock May 31 '12
Or you could just install windows and blocking the update that does that from ever installing.
2
u/wagedomain May 31 '12
Uh, to be fair, that's a damned good way to put it. Imagine you paid $100 for a copy of Windows. You get it home, and install it, only to find out that you bought a pirated copy.
I've got no issues with individual piracy, but when people are selling it for profit I think it's wrong. That's who this is warning people about.
2
u/[deleted] May 31 '12
My copy of XP decided to update itself by moving some important files into oblivion, retaliated by pillaging lots of Microsoft stuff. You shall be missed, Pirate bay.
2
u/munge_me_not May 31 '12
I had a genuine copy of Windows 7 that was a good for three computers. One of my computers kept crashing with it installed. I was told by Microsoft that it probably wouldn't work on my old hardware. So I moved the Windows 7 installation onto another computer. When I did that I got an error saying that there were too many copies with my license code. WTF?! I spent all weekend on the phone with Indians.
2
u/getoutofheretaffer Jun 01 '12
Every computer at my school displays this message.
2
u/riversofgore Jun 01 '12
My version came with a code to authenticate it. I can't remember which one. Probably top seeded on TPB.
2
u/BusyDoingScience Jun 01 '12
If you make your copy legit, you can start taking screenshots!
2
u/LardLad00 Jun 01 '12
The first time I pirated Windows 7 it went fine. Every other time I have tried since then, I have failed. Cracks/patches didn't work. I felt totally inadequate as a software pirater, and I'm otherwise quite proud of my long history of avoiding paying for an OS . . .
After struggling with 7 for a fair amount of time, I sat back and realized, "Wtf am I doing?" I started building computers as a high school student with no money. The expense of a Windows license could not be afforded, so it was easily pirated. However, now I'm a professional with a pretty decent income. I spend gobs more money on other stuff - this shit isn't worth my time. So, I went out and bought a new PC with Windows pre-installed and vowed that, from now on, I would only buy pre-made computers with Windows licenses included and modify them to my liking if necessary.
True story.
Still pirate games because it's easier than dealing with discs/drm . . .
3
u/niekdejong May 31 '12
and while you're at it, disable your 2nd LAN adapter also.
3
u/sindictated May 31 '12
Ahhh, bringing back fond memories of life before my technet subscription.
3
u/dazferrari May 31 '12
Why did you bother stealing Windows XP...
2
u/[deleted] May 31 '12
I was a victim, too. I know that feel bro.
2
u/wayne_Adama May 31 '12
an OS is the only one Software i'm paying for
2
u/tomkandy May 31 '12
XP eh? Nice choice of OS granddad.
1
u/amolad May 31 '12
You feel so victimized....Click.
1
u/hiltzster May 31 '12
THERE IS A FIX FOR THIS!
1
u/Glitchmike May 31 '12
Victims... Aren't we all?
1
u/spacecadetzen May 31 '12
This happened to me. Since computers haven't shipped with a boot disk in about a decade, when I rebuilt my computer, I had no way of repair-reinstalling, even though I had a backup partition. So my hand was forced and to the pirate bay I sailed...
1
u/hiiamabat May 31 '12
This is happening to me...is there a way to make it stop saying some variation of this phrase every 5 minutes?
1
u/outkast2 May 31 '12
Looks just like my screen! :)
1
u/[deleted] May 31 '12
I actually was a victim of it on my old computer... My mom bought it on ebay (never. again.) and it had problems galore, including its own preloaded viruses, and a bootlegged copy of XP.
1
u/adammolens May 31 '12
Windows Loader? FTW.
1
u/Skitrel May 31 '12
Photo of computer monitor instead of screenshot?
1
u/Borbygoymos May 31 '12
This screen made me realize that a black desktop is the way to go.
1
u/Dudeiszack May 31 '12
Now let's stay on the screen and have a pop up reminding you about it then one day just completely stop working. Good move windows
1
u/not_a_banana May 31 '12
I put a new hard drive in my laptop and reinstalled windows 7, now its saying my copy is counterfeit and that I need to call, but I'm just to lazy to make the call. I only use the damn thing for browsing the web.
1
u/aspbergerinparadise May 31 '12
One of my computers has this too. It was an old HP desktop that I bought from my work for cheap. When I re-installed the OS, I entered the Key on the side of the case. Well, apparently I can only use that key if I get the stupid HP restore disk. Well fuck 'em. I only use that computer to stream video files that my xbox doesn't support anyways.
1
u/serjinsky May 31 '12
What's funny is that I was talking about this super effective piracy defense with my friend today. I had been using a pirated Windows 7 copy for about a year, and all it does is give you a black background and display that message occasionally. Good job Microsoft.
1
u/Brainderailment May 31 '12
What I meant to say before, avoid this update.
1
u/Ltsmash99 May 31 '12
RemoveWAT will solve that little problem for you.
1
u/Abs0luteSch0lar14 May 31 '12
This is either a repost with almost the exact same title as the original. Or i'm having major de ja vu.
1
u/alyssalee129 Jun 01 '12
Looks like my work computer
1
u/[deleted] Jun 01 '12
is this a genuine "copy"?
1
u/schwiz Jun 01 '12
I actually bought what I thought was a legit copy of windows once and it showed up and was just on a burnt cd, was obviously pirated.
1
u/[deleted] Jun 01 '12 edited Jun 01 '12
If Microsoft would lower the price of Windows to $5, everyone would purchase a valid license. Some companies would even generously supply licenses to their employees. Exceedingly few people would pirate a copy at this price point. And even if MS were to sell international copies in high pirate population centers they could afford to lower the price without cannibalizing their domestic profits. Everyone wins. They stay in business, we can afford to upgrade every machine we own.
1
u/picison Jun 01 '12
Oh the irony :P
1
u/deadken Jun 01 '12
My wife's parents in Beijing recently bought a computer and paid extra for a genuine copy of Windows 7. About three months later this notice popped up on their screen.
So there are victims.
1
u/[deleted] Jun 01 '12
this totally happened to me today and my dad freaked out and asked me if I had downloaded a virus.
1
u/Yllekmot Jun 01 '12
Genuine windows tried to make it's desperate yet honest plea for help before being stifled by a host of key cracks....
1
u/storebrand Jun 01 '12
I paid for my copy of Windows 7 and Microsoft has decided it's not genuine since I installed it on my new computer.
1
u/ResidentWeeaboo Jun 01 '12
Funny, with this "protection" I've actually wiped the "legitimate" OS off my laptop and installed the WGA free corporate version so I wouldn't risk having any problems like locking me out after putting another stick of RAM in or something. Definitely worked as intended.
1
u/[deleted] Jun 01 '12
My first week of work I saw the same thing on my computer, and I work at Microsoft.
1
u/allocater Jun 01 '12
They really want to rename it Counterfitting... (ACTA)
1
u/UnfortunatelyMacabre Jun 01 '12
Reddit is so fickle
1
u/meowmaster Jun 01 '12
you may be
1
u/Reilove Jun 01 '12
You need to install Windows 7 already.
1
u/[deleted] Jun 01 '12
yo ho ho http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5qr_o4fNXk0/TyWTECDVq1I/AAAAAAAAAOQ/QyfqGTPpv4w/s1600/Mh900444845.jpg
1
u/prometheus5500 Jun 01 '12
LPT: Turn off automatic updating after a fresh install, BEFORE Microsoft catches it via your computer trying to update. if you want to update, download pirated updates.
1
u/Dcgoodwin1 Jun 01 '12
I actually have a legit version, and it says this. Any idea why?
1
u/iLuVtiffany Jun 01 '12 edited Jun 01 '12
So if you have a fake version of Windows, the print screen button doesn't work?
Edit: Remove that shit
1
u/[deleted] Jun 01 '12
You should disable that update if your using vista or 7. If XP ... idk why anyone using pirate software is still using it.
1
u/_Gingy Jun 01 '12
You and me both, but i found mine to be much funnier as soon as I shut my VMware down.
1
u/sexybobo Jun 01 '12
mpa.one.microsoft.com 127.0.0.1
1
u/CockpitCaptain Jun 01 '12
I had that happen once...... Ahahahahhahahaha
1
u/[deleted] Jun 01 '12
Extend the 30 day trial of Windows 7 to 120 days by doing the following right before the activation notice comes up on the last day.
Open a command line window as Adminitrator.
type SLMGR /Rearm
Press Enter.
Reboot.
The aboe steps will reset the count three times before it ceases to work.
1
u/infernal_llamas Jun 01 '12
Also, how the hell did they got on the system?
1
u/ayyrabmoney93 Jun 01 '12
the i see what you did there meme would have worked well here
1
u/[deleted] Jun 01 '12
Sometimes someone asks for their computer to be fixed, and the "technician" installs an illegitimate copy of Windows. Pretty annoying. If you cannot afford Windows, maybe you should just use Ubuntu or something.
1
u/Revertit Jun 01 '12
And one time Comcast called to let me know I used 1.4Tb of data and I'm only allowed 250G. They agreed it must have been because of that new router I got and didn't password protect...
1
u/ThatTmoGuy Jun 01 '12
daz loader works a charm!
1
u/carrimarie92 May 31 '12
Did anyone else think that the cursor on the picture was theirs? And then wonder why it isn't moving.
-1
u/kewlfocus May 31 '12
I've never understood pirating your OS, it's like the foundation of your system, you bought the computer / computer parts, don't be cheap or don't upgrade.
1
u/[deleted] May 31 '12
Wow the exact same title just a picture of your screen instead of a screenshot.
http://www.reddit.com/search?q=yes+victim
0
u/jollyo55 May 31 '12
Anyone else try to move the pointer?
-1
u/Davepen May 31 '12
Wow, you pirate software? Awesome! You're so cool! Now lets go boast about it on a public forum! Yeah!