Anti-piracy

 

 

Software piracy is  unauthorized reproduction and illegal distribution of software, whether for business or personal use. Protect yourself from the risks of software piracy with helpful tips how to identify counterfeit or other misuse of software.Pirated software hurts everyone—from software developers to retail store owners, and ultimately to all software users. Furthermore, the illegal duplication and distribution of software has a significant impact on the economy.

 

 

Too good to be true?

Microsoft is working to educate partners and consumers about the risks of getting software from suspicious sources. We are investigating the sources of these Spam and counterfeiting operations and are doing everything in our power to stop this kind of activity. Purchasing from known and trusted sources and avoiding “too good to be true” deals are the best ways to avoid wasting valuable time and money on counterfeit or infringing software.

 

How can you tell?

Always look for a Certificate of Authenticity (COA). A COA is a label that helps you identify genuine Microsoft software. A COA is not a software license – it is a visual identifier that assists in determining whether or not the Microsoft software you are running is genuine. However, without it, you will not have a legal license to run Microsoft software. A COA should never be purchased by itself without the software it authenticates.

 

Know the facts

It is important to understand the real risks associated with software piracy. By using counterfeit, unlicensed or pirated software you are putting yourself at risk of having potential desktop licensing issues. Read the Microsoft Know the Facts section so you can protect yourself from the risks associated with software piracy.

 

Product Activation

Product Activation is a simple, straightforward process. In most cases, the only information required to activate is an Installation ID created by the software. No personally identifiable information is required.

Product Activation takes less than one minute when completed over the Internet. If activation is completed in this way, the product will take care of most of the work and will require very little user participation

Windows 7

There is a lot of hype and talk about the release of Microsoft Windows & that should be released later this year.

I hope these FAQ’s help

What kind of computer do I need to run Windows 7?

These are the Microsoft minimum hardware recommendations for systems that will be running the Windows 7 Beta. These recommendations are specific to the Beta release and are subject to change.

Windows 7 Beta recommendation:

§                    1 GHz 32-bit or 64-bit processor

§                    1 GB of system memory

§                    16 GB of available disk space

§                    Support for DirectX 9 graphics with 128 MB memory (to enable the Aero theme)

§                    DVD-R/W Drive

§                    Internet access

Note: Some product features of Windows 7, such as the ability to watch and record live TV or navigation through the use of “touch,” may require advanced or additional hardware.

 What can I do with a system with the minimum hardware recommendations

The hardware setup we’re recommending for the Windows 7 Beta is meant for average computing tasks, such as web browsing and word processing. If you plan to play games or run other hardware-intensive programs, you might need to test the Windows 7 Beta on a more powerful computer.

It might also be possible to run the Windows 7 Beta on a less powerful system than the one we recommend, although we can’t guarantee the results

 What are the upgrade options from XP to Windows7

There were apparently rumors of  upgrades but nothing concrete.
Update: A Microsoft spokesperson delivered the following statement: “We are not announcing anything new at this time.” That’s what is known in the biz as the “non-announcing announcement.” We’ll let you know if anything changes.

 

Information about Windows 7 is preliminary and subject to change. Some product features of Windows 7, such as the ability to watch and record live TV or navigation through the use of “touch,” may require advanced or additional hardware. The features and functionality you find in the pre-release product may not appear in the final version of Windows 7.