http://www.techworld.com/applications/news/index.cfm?NewsID=4102
Hope they won’t block critical updates… Yep, hard to confess but my Windows is… not original… :-\
Why not put things like this in the [urel=http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=9252.0]“comp (related) news”[/url] thread? That’s why I started it for. Just to point people to news facts. (not to discuss them in that thread)
Yes it is blocking critical updates, but there is a workaround and hackers have already bypassed the check within 4 hours after MS introduced it.
already found something. It is said that checking is only “for eyes” as Microsoft doesn’t want to have situation like this: fight with piracy costs a lot, moreover a lot of people will be forced to refuse Windows. For Microsoft it is better to have 30% legal users, 68% not legal and 2% Linux users, but not 60% legal copies, 10% illegal copies (it’s impossible to catch them all) and 30% of Linux users.
Moreover, I think that blocking security updates for illegal copies WILL CAUSE a big virus epidemic in the near future. Maybe I’m wrong but… And yes, I’m not very happy to use my “legal” Windows, but what can I do: I don’t have money to buy it… It costs a lot… And I’m only student of high school. :-\ It looks I’ll be forced to downgrade to some kind of LINUX… 
Now guys you know about my pirate life… :-[
PS. Did you know that Windows XP can keep your computer up-to-date automatically with the latest updates and enhancements? You can set Windows to recognize when you are online, search for downloads from the Windows Update Web site, and deliver them directly to your desktop. Genuine Windows validation is not required to use the Automatic Updates feature. (Found it in Windows website, and it’s not very bad news for me…)
I know exactly what you mean YLAP 
Oh i forgot to add something.The only reason i have windows installed is cause i like playing PC games and unfortunately most of them don’t work on Linux.So i am stuck with windows for now :-\
So, they allow Automatic Windows Update like before.
No, it’s not. It just blocks other updates (‘recommended’, ‘software’ and ‘hardware’, etc.). Critical updates could be downloaded through Automatic Windows Update like before.
Yeah… the code is broked again and again… is the eternal fight…
thanks friends , as I’m feeling guilty at the moment for my piracy… :-\
Don’t Microsoft make enough money as it is?Try out linux my friend it’s just great and everything is free(well almost) you can set it up to dual boot with win xp no problem
I have one UBUNTU Linux LIVE CD but I wasn’t impressed very much, but it is not bad.
I also admit that i use not genuine Windows. Heck,what should i say to my parents? Please buy me a software that costs 80.000 sit (slovenian tolars,thats around 320 euros). Yeah right. But i’ll probably buy MS Vista when it comes out because i’ll have my own job by then. At least something…
The same with me. I’m learning and I’ll have to do this for 3 years, but now I have some very good contacts and there is some talks about good job for me! ;D Someday I’ll have legal software, and maybe it won’t be LINUX. ;D
This one is very popular but i don’t like it cause it’s Gnome based.Kubuntu is a little better in that respect(it’s KDE based) :)BTW when Vista comes out linux distros will be so good(by then hopefully all games that come out will work with linux) i feel i’ll dump windows completely
Forget that you’ll ever run Direct3D only based games on Linux…
OpenGL games can be played,but again not all of them…
Rejzor check this out:
http://www.tomshardware.com/business/20041230/linux-04.html
Cedega is getting better and better