Want to know why I won't be using Vista? Because Micro$oft treats me like a software pirate, even with software I own, and hardware I purchased. Case in point: James Bannan replaced the video card in his computer to work with DirectX 10, which didn't work on his old card. He got an email from Microsoft saying he would have to reactivate his legally purchased and already activated copy of Windoze. But, because his activation key was already in use, by him, he had to call Micro$oft to reactivate. Turns out, several software updates added up to a changed system, which to Micro$oft, means pirated software.

The problem with using device drivers as the basis for activation information is that a change in the driver model which has the result of changing the way that the hardware information is reported back to Windows can be enough to register as a physical hardware change.

For example, if you install and activate Vista using some Microsoft drivers downloaded from Windows Update (which is a very common practice) but then discover that a manufacturer driver gives better functionality (as is often the case for audio, video, storage and network drivers) you are running the risk that the drivers use different reporting models and will register as a physical change.

So what this essentially means is that keeping your drivers up-to-date is a potentially very risky process, with all changes monitored and changes weighted cumulatively.

. . .

Volume Activation 2.0 has not yet been cracked, but now it doesn’t need to be. There’s an official workaround for OEMs and the result is that anyone with a few minutes to spare can download a fully-functional pirated copy of Vista Ultimate (32-bit and 64-bit versions) which needs neither product key nor activation.

So pirates haven’t been slowed down at all, and the rest of us -- the legitimate purchasers -- are left to live with Windows Activation.

So, Bill, thanks for the new version, but no thanks. I am about to put more memory into my old XP system, and I'm glad it will continue to work after I've finished.

Pic from MacDesktops.net.