Microsoft to OEMs: Ship legit Vista, or the OS is toast
Infoworld blog claimed to have received a copy of Microsoft certified letter to its OEM partners telling them as to what happens if they dare to ship a system with a “non-genuine†copy of Vista.
The blog posted portion of the said letter as:
- All versions of Windows Vista must be activated with a genuine product key, either by the OEM or the end customer.
- If non-genuine Windows Vista is detected during activation, the system enters a 30-day grace period where some features will be disabled, important updates and downloads denied, and a constant message on the screen will remind the customer that the operating system is non-genuine.
- Following the 30-day grace period, the system will go into a reduced functionality mode until a valid key is entered. In reduced functionality mode, the user will experience:
- A black desktop background with only a browser icon available
- No start menu or task bar
- Limited Web browser availability
The certified letter could be the result of Microsoft observation that some (if not most) of its OEMs opted to ship a system with a “non-genuine†copy of Vista. Personally, I see nothing wrong with it.
Microsoft should leave it to its OEMs whether they ship the system with activated genuine copy of Vista or not. For sure, OEMs know what they are doing and basically there is no need for Microsoft to write such letter unless the company failed to warn its OEMs about the “diminished user experience†in the first place but I doubt.
If there is a rightful recipient of that certified letter, then that could be the end customer. But then again there is no need for doing so. Because Vista itself will remind customer that the operating system is non-genuine and the system will go into a reduced functionality mode until a valid key is entered.
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June 4th, 2007
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