clipped from: www.computerworld.com February 27, 2008 (Computerworld) As it promised, Microsoft Corp. yesterday started sending Windows Vista users an update that identifies illegal copies of the operating system installed with cracks that the company will disable when it distributes Service Pack 1 (SP1) in two weeks.
If the update finds one of the cracks, a notice pops up alerting the user, but it doesn't disable either crack. The first, dubbed "Grace Timer," extends Vista's activation grace period, while the other, "OEM BIOS," mimics factory-floor activation. Users whose PCs don't have the cracks will not see the pop-up.
Once installed, the update can't be removed because it doesn't appear in the "Uninstall or change a program" list in Vista's Control Panel.
