14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has yanked a tool designed to streamline the creation of bootable Windows 7 RTM DVDs and USBs from its online commerce outlet. The Redmond company had offered the utility as a free standalone download via Microsoft Store, in an effort to support customers that buy Windows 7 licenses online and need to deal with producing the bootable media themselves. However, after just a few weeks of availability, the Windows 7 RTM USB/DVD Download Tool was pulled down from Microsoft Store, after reports emerged that code from an open source project hosted on Microsoft CodePlex had been lifted and introduced in the utility, breaking the license associated with the original software in the process.
The Redmond company has officially confirmed that it discontinued the availability of the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool, acknowledging the open-source code swap problem. “Microsoft is looking into this issue and is taking down the WUDT tool from the Microsoft Store site until its investigations are complete. We apologize to our customers for any inconvenience,” a Microsoft spokesperson noted for Mary Jo Foley.
At this point in time, the Redmond company has not shared any additional details on the matter at hand, nor has the company indicated whether open source code was misappropriated in order to create the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool, while violating the GNU General Public License version 2, an open source license. It was Rafael Rivera who reported the problem initially, indicating that the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool shared code with the ImageMaster project, a project hosted on and offered via Microsoft CodePlex.
As ImageMaster is an open-source project, its source code is available for download alongside the tool, and can be leveraged in additional tools. However, in accordance with GPLv2, if a third-party used the code, it is automatically bound to the same open-source license, and forced to share the source code to any tools created. Microsoft did neither.
Windows 7 RTM USB/DVD Download Tool continues not to be available to end users with Microsoft focusing on investigating whether the allegations of code swap are legitimate or not. The Redmond company said nothing about future plans for the tool.