14 DAY TRIAL // There are Pleiades of ways to get your hands on a pirated copy of Windows Vista, and Microsoft has taken good care in enumerating them all, in an effort to highlight the methods to end users. The fact of the matter is that pirated copies of Windows Vista, as well as other Microsoft software products are not strictly connected with peer-to-peer file sharing networks. Software counterfeiting is an extremely lucrative underground industry and the main focus of the Redmond company's anti-piracy efforts. As far as end users are concerned, Microsoft regards them all as victims of scams dealing with bootlegged software. And in this context, the company has set up a list on its HowToTell anti-piracy website advising users to stay away from certain outlets typically associated with pirated materials.
Selling re-bundled software is one of the most common scams to push pirated materials. "CDs that are genuine but are not intended for resale are bundled with COAs and EULAs from illegal sources. In some cases, all of the components are genuine, but they were not produced to be sold together, which makes the whole product counterfeit. Look on CDs for text such as "Not For Resale" and on COAs for the names of companies other than those from whom you bought the software or the acronym OEM if you did not purchase the software preinstalled on a PC," Microsoft revealed.
The Redmond company also warns users not to acquire software over Web-auction sites. Auctioning websites are one of the most important sources of counterfeit software. And sellers usually have an imaginative explanation for the low prices of the counterfeit software, even promising a special agreement with the company. Spammed e-mail messages advertising too good to be true software deals should also be taken with a grain of salt. Neither Microsoft nor reputable sellers would use spam to market their products.
"Try to buy locally to avoid scams from other regions. Software is often stolen in one region and sold cheaply in another. In other instances, counterfeiters from another region may offer to let you buy multiple units of a product for a very low price so that you can sell them online, promising you will make a lot of money. Instead, you may find yourself paying large fines for dealing in counterfeits and the real counterfeiters already have your money," Microsoft added.
The company also stated that under no circumstances is genuine Microsoft software handed out to third parties to be offered for download. Only Microsoft.com will deliver the company's software products via the Internet. Yet another method to be scammed with pirated software is hard disk loading. This is when a third party, sometime even an obscure hardware vendor pre-loads counterfeit software on your machine.
And last, but definitely not least, street vendors can also supply users with cheap and pirated software. "In most regions, street vendors sell counterfeit software, either openly or to those who know the "correct" way to ask. Whether or not you have to ask for it in a special way, you can help avoid counterfeits by not purchasing from street vendors," Microsoft added.