The pirated Vista comes with a product key that users can enter to activate a version of the products on their computers without paying for them, a report on the Web site of The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper said. A product key is a unique serial number tied to each package of a software product.

A second download, called an “activation crack,” can then be applied that bypasses the activation process intended to guarantee that the Vista OS being downloaded is legitimate, the Herald reported. Pirated copies of Office 2007 can be downloaded just with the product key with no second activation code required.

But Microsoft said in a prepared statement that those pirated copies of the OS won’t work for long.

“The copies available for download are not final code and users should avoid unauthorized copies which could be incomplete or tampered. This unauthorized download relies on the use of pre-RTM [release-to-manufacture] activation keys that will be blocked using Microsoft’s Software Protection Platform. Consequently, these downloads will be of limited value,” the statement said.

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News source: InfoWorld

Not everyone saw it coming… nothing came in Office 2007 for testers but Vista was always a hell of a lot bigger than Office 2007. Windows Vista released to manufacturing last week, and MSDN and TechNet Plus subscribers could get it… and those with Volume Licensing access… and now fellow testers can!

If you’re a Vista tester, Windows Vista Business (by default, Ultimate if you ask for it) is yours - check your email account associated with your Connect profile. If you qualify (if, that is) then you’ll get a free copy in form of a unique Connect invitation to a new sub-page with the build on. You must have submitted one bug at least to get a free copy and be on the technical beta.

News source: msblog.org

“Great news! Today we’re announcing the release to manufacturing (RTM) of Windows Vista.

Yes, you read it right — development of Windows Vista is complete.

Want proof? Watch this video and hear it from Jim Allchin himself.
Watch the video!

And just what is this so-called RTM? It’s the major milestone where we can confidently say that Microsoft is done with Windows Vista and will be handing it off to our industry partners: PC makers, ISVs and IHVs. They in turn will continue to ramp-up in earnest now that the target is locked — for example, by refining hardware drivers — in order to complete the cycle and make Windows Vista available via retail channels on 30 January 2007. On that date Windows Vista and the 2007 Microsoft Office system will be available to customers around the world.

Vista will be available to for general retail availability Jan 30th, 2007.

View: Windows Vista Team Blog

Microsoft Corp. will unlock the digital-distribution capabilities of its next-generation console, Xbox 360, to Hollywood studios beginning November 22.

Xbox 360 gamers in the U.S., totaling at least 3 million, will be able to purchase TV shows and download them to their gaming hard drive as well as rent and watch movies on their consoles.

The first wave of content will include dozens of high-definition and standard-definition offerings from such partners as Warner Bros. (”Batman Forever,” “V for Vendetta,” “The Nine”), Paramount Pictures (”Nacho Libre,” “Jackass: The Movie”), MTV Networks (”South Park,” “SpongeBob SquarePants”), CBS (”CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” “Survivor”) and Turner Broadcasting (”Aqua Teen Hunger Force,” “Robot Chicken”).

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News source: Washington Post

Take a look at how the Windows Vista packaging will open up to reveal the media inside. Also, it is our first peak at what the Windows Vista discs will actually look like.

I like what they’ve done with the disc. The design on the disc is unique and fresh. Microsoft has adopted pretty much the same looking holographic CD/DVD’s since Windows 2000 and its nice to see it be given a fresh new look - which seems to be a reoccurring theme with the Windows Vista packaging in general.

View: Vista Packaging and Disc
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News source: MSTech Today

The Windows Vista journey is about to reach the end of the beginning, with the official launch date of November 30 announced for the simultaneous launch of Office 2007 and the business version of Windows Vista.

A Microsoft spokesperson has confirmed that the planned release dates for Vista and Office are indeed November 30 after all, fulfilling Microsoft’s promise of delivering Vista in 2006.

That said, the general consumer versions of Vista are still planned for a January (30th?) 2007 release. With the rumoured date of January 30 said to be on the verge of confirmation over the next few days.

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News source: iTWire

After Bill Gates, the man whose name is most closely associated with Windows is Jim Allchin. Allchin, the co-president of Microsoft’s platforms and services business, is in his final months at Microsoft. As previously announced, the 16-year Microsoft veteran plans to leave the company in January, following the retail launch of Windows Vista.

I had a chance to chat with Allchin at length on October 18 about everything from why Microsoft decided to christen XP SP2 a service pack (rather than a new Windows release), to how he’d like to be remembered when he leaves the company.

Q: You say you’ve learned a lot from the whole Longhorn/Vista development process. Could you share some of these lessons?

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News source: ZDNet

Microsoft Corp. (MSFT.O) this week will begin a coupon program for personal computer buyers to upgrade to the new Vista operating system when it premiers next year in an effort to avoid a drop-off in PC sales over the holidays and ahead of the software’s release.

Microsoft said on Tuesday the upgrade program will begin on October 26 for its much-anticipated Windows Vista operating system and Office 2007 software suite.

The program allows customers who buy a PC running Windows XP to still be able to upgrade to Windows Vista when the new operating system becomes available in early 2007. A similar program is in place for Office 2007, also due out early next year to consumers.

Most large PC manufacturers, including industry leaders Hewlett-Packard Co. and Dell Inc. will participate in the upgrade program, although upgrade offers may vary depending on the company.

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News source: Washington Post

Microsoft officials obviously believe Windows Vista is ready, given that it is set to release it to manufacturing within weeks, if not days. But what do some of its toughest testers think?

With millions kicking Windows Vista’s tires, just about anyone and everyone is a Vista tester these days. But there is a group – more of the crème-de-la-crème – who’ve been getting access to regular, sometimes weekly, builds and giving Microsoft constant Vista feedback throughout the development process. Many of these testers are Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals (MVPs), authors of Vista books and operators of blogs and Web sites that dissect (and sometimes skewer) Vista on a regular basis.

Typically, they’re not the easiest crowd to please. And while most agree that Microsoft has come an incredibly long way since Vista Beta 2 and Release Candidate (RC) 1, they also are not 100-percent convinced the Vista rollout will be a smooth one.

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News source: All About Microsoft

Windows XP Service Pack (SP 3), which Microsoft officials said in January to expect in the latter half of 2007, now has slipped into 2008.

Microsoft delivered the last service pack update for XP, Windows XP SP2 (which was actually more of a whole new version of Windows than it was a typical service pack) in August of 2004.

And that’s not all that’s slipping: Windows Server 2003 SP 2, until recently due out in the second half of 2006, is now slated for Q1 2007. Microsoft released SP1 for Windows Server 2003 in March, 2005.

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News source: All About Microsoft