Days before the official sale of Windows 7 for retail, the article by PC World found that pirated copies - genuine or not, as Microsoft prefers to call them - could be found for sale on the streets of Sao Paulo .

What few people know, however, is that the anti-piracy mechanisms developed by the company and inherent to the new operating system may frustrate those who decided to save money and "invest" in the product.

The final and complete version of Windows 7 was completed in late July and copies were sent to PC makers could test the new operating system and also install them on machines that would begin to be sold from 22/10, the date of official launch of the software. In early September, corporate users of the platform also received copies for testing.

Each copy has a number of activation volume contract (each number represents the activation for a given number of machines). The activation key is ensuring that the user purchased a legitimate product.

With the new security technologies that were developed for Windows 7, Microsoft is now capable of better control and also those keys which may have been diverted (or even stolen) during this period and thus prevent the operating system can atividao be. "Even if the software appears as enabled, sometime during the first uses will be necessary to validate Windows. From then on, the system will not function properly, "explains the director of consumer products and online Microsoft Brazil, Osvaldo Barbosa Oliveira.

But the battle of cat and mouse does not stop there. One of the techniques used by anyone who sells non-genuine copies of Windows is to change some functions and make the OS believe that the copy has already been activated.

However, the newly created technology validation, allows Windows 7 to make a self-check to ensure that the code has not changed. If any discrepancy, the software will automatically change your status to "not genuine" and will not work correctly.

Encouraging the legality
To purchase the original Microsoft Windows 7 shows two ways. Who owns an older PC with Windows XP installed and whose configuration is incompatible with the requirements of Windows 7, it is best left for a new product that brings the new software preinstalled. And in case the equipment support migration, remains to be output to just buy the software , taking advantage of the facilities available in split large retail stores.

"In a new PC, Windows 7 represents 10% of the total. Not worth buying a machine without an [operating], which will only be 10% cheaper, buy a pirated software, having to run all security risks and cope with an unstable system, "said Oliveira.

The question of safety, appointed by the executive, is related to the fact that illegal copies of operating systems (and other applications) can bring malicious software like spyware that steal passwords, malware that degrade performance and make the system unstable. Furthermore, the user of a non-genuine version of a software can not rely on extra features and updates that may disclose the manufacturer. Microsoft publishes these monthly updates, a process known as Patch Tuesday.

Another advantage that only the original Windows user has is the ability to use, free, antivirus Microsoft Security Essentials, support services for the installation of the new operating system and the option, in the case of users of the more complete versions of software, the mode XP, that rotates in a native environment for applications developed XP and that otherwise would not be compatible with the new software.