Windows Vista Volume Licensing
 

I'm not sure where to post this but I just wanted everyone to know that we received our Volume Licensing for Windows Vista today and it requires activation, unlike Windows XP Volume Licensing.

There are two ways to do this:

VA 2.0/MAK - Volume Activation 2.0/Multiple Activation Key: this key will activate Microsoft Windows Vista through the internet or telephone, and have a limited number of activations associated with them. Computers can be activated on an individual basis or by a central computer which can activate multiple computers at a time. If you require a MAK please click on the Request Multiple Activation Key(s) link.

VA 2.0/KMS - Volume Activation 2.0/Key Management Service: this key will be used to enable a new service in your environment that will automatically activate Windows Vista computers. You must have a minimum of 25 Windows Vista computers connected together to use the KMS, and all computers will be required to check back to the central service twice per year to stay activated.

Not to say there won't be any workarounds to bypass activation but it looks like Microsoft is taking a harder stance on business owners.

Considering that Windows XP Corporate Edition was extensively pirated, who can blame them? It apparently did not require activation, and so was the pirate's OS of choice.

We should all just wait until the consumer editions come out. Not only will there be many more piracy/activation workarounds by then, but we will also have a more stable and tested OS by then.

Early adopters always get the shaft be the legitimate or pirate.

I have way to Activation your WinVista RTM (6000) if you want.

Hm, guess any halfaway experienced user who hasn't seriously considered switching the OS by now is in it for gaming, mission-critical apps or the pain. There will be the usual stability and compatibility issues (not all might be resolved, even over time) and then there is this tinkering with cracks ... unless you get your hands on a legit copy of this insanely priced product.

Still, I got a good laugh out of the news regarding volume license activation. The idea of some little gizmo, sitting on one of a company's servers, busily calling home ... well, I'm sure it's perfectly safe.

I, too, used Ryu's way for my Vista Ultimate.

And what way is that, exactly? He sure doesn't explain it. :rolleyes:

Merv posted an activation crack somewhere a while ago, and I've heard it works flawlessly.

Don't know if anyone else knew this, but with the Vista Licensing, your still able to install XP Professional instead of Vista.

Found that out from our supplier along with some interesting info about Microsoft changing some of the names of their products. If I recall, Frontpage is now called Sharepoint.

And that's the one I used.

Frontpage and sharepoint are very different thinks, sharepoint is a dynamic web app that intergrates with Office for group collaboration, front page is a crappy HTML WYSIWYG

They discontinued Frontpage (AMEN!) and released a new website design software called Expression Web. It branches into two parts: Standalone program, and a version that's integrated into Sharepoint itself for those poor saps running Sharepoint over a network.

We will be soon :(

Can someone please post the crack? It'd be interesting to see if it's the one released by PANTHEON; I never got the chance to try it out.

OEM versions of Vista, which includes all the sub-versions from Home Basic to Ultimate, do not require activation and was released quite a while ago. Updates work immediately after install with no fuss at all. Unless Microsoft can block such OEM copies (WGA2 or are OEM copies "watermarked"?) then this will no doubt become "pirates' OS of choice".

Regarding KMS, the activation server was leaked and released before the existance of the timer cracks. It was the only way then to activate the corporate editions of Vista. Although, it was not much of use for those who wished to activate Ultimate.

The one I have now (thx Merv) is by Team Paradox. This is a copy and paste from the readme:



I can still post it.

I hate Vista!
I've just bought my new notebook (asus), overall it's an OK spec but because Vista OS it's very very slow and I've glitched NWN eventhrough I've ATI radeon X2300! I can't even play KOTOR 2 which is really old game!
It's bother me to search for new program for vista compatible as well (I can't use my old Kaspersky).........:( I hate it!

Yeah, I'd hate something too if it gave me grammar as bad as yours.

This would be a problem if, and only if, Vista were worth pirating in the first place right now. We'll see in a while if that remains true.

I think you mean wait until the Service Packs come out. Microsoft has already released Consumer and Business versions, as they did with WinXP, only this time with more options.

I dunno, the only problem I have with Vista is driver immaturity (mainly caused by Nvidias elitism - they barely support anything which isnt top-of-the-line jazz. I had to install WinXP drivers for my nForce 3 mobo to get acceptable performance for my AGP GF7600GS and to fix some nasty crashes at movie resizing.).

Oh and it uses a fuckton of ram. Every app uses a bit more ram then it does in XP, and that can accumulate after a while. But mostly its that I'm using Aero Glass, which is 100+mb easily; not like i care since it doesnt continously dig in the pagefile unlike XP does.
Heck I may as well try that Readyboost function on a spare pendrive I have (uses pendrive as RAM, specializing only in fast, short calls to get the most use out of the pendrive instant access speeds, but only for that cuz usb interface speeds sucks).

Don't flash USB drives have a finite number of write sequences on them? It's only like a few thousand or something, I thought.

Its more like ten thousands. Their faq says that reading happens a lot more often then writing, and to not worry about it. I certainly wont since this is a spare old pendrive.

Does XP have any similar functions or can be tweaked to allow such usage? OR would I have to just go buy a DVD-RAM Disc? I've got a 512 Stick lying around here that I never use.

Yes, there's a readyboost-like program for XP by Microsoft, though the name slips my mind at the moment.

Darn thats cool I need to find it then