Windows pirates figured out how to exploit this hack around the time Windows Vista was launched. If the encrypted licensing information in the preinstalled copy of Windows matches the information in the BIOS, no activation is required. The preinstalled copy of Windows uses a single master product key tied to specific information in the system BIOS that is unique to that manufacturer's systems. OEM copies from large system makers (Dell, Toshiba, HP, and so on, collectively known as Royalty OEMs) use a technique called System Locked Preinstallation (SLP). Retail copies have to be activated using a unique serial number. The other popular approach toward cracking Windows activation takes advantage of the difference between retail and OEM copies of Windows. Here's one example:įooling Windows by tinkering with the BIOS After downloading files from the remaining four sites, I submitted them to, where three of the four samples came back positive for nasty, difficult-to-remove Windows 7 rootkits. Of the first 10 hits, six were inactive or had been taken down. First, I did what any red-blooded wannabe pirate would do and tried some Google searches. My hunt for utilities that bypass Windows 7 activation technologies led me to some very seedy corners of the Internet. If you do intend to try this stuff out for yourself, I recommend extreme caution. But if you're interested in tracking down the tools I tested you should have no trouble finding them using the clues available in screenshots and descriptions here.

You won't find names or direct links here-although these guys seem like genuine enthusiasts, I have no intention of giving them any free publicity.

In this post, I'll share my experiences, including close encounters with some very nasty malware and some analysis on how the latest showdown between Microsoft and the pirates is likely to play out.

Windows 7 activation repair tool