Microsoft Starts Locking Out Pirates

MICROSOFT HAS started implementing features in upgrades to Windows XP which specifically prevent users of pirated keys from upgrading parts of the operating system.

We reported on Microsoft's plans at the Dublin System Builder Forum a month ago.

Then, Microsoft said its Genuine Advantage scheme would prevent pirated copies of XP from downloading anything but the most critical downloads.

Owners of pirated keys in Western Europe tell the INQUIRER that scheme has now kicked in. What this means, for example, is that if you upgrade the Media Player to version 10, and you're using a pirated copy of XP, you'll lose functionality on your machine.

Microsoft said in Dublin that it would launch the scheme in China at the end of October, and throughout Europe early next year. But it appears to have implemented it early.