Hacking the Windows Vista activation process is the latest trend in cracking procedures for the Microsoft operating system. Just today I distinguished yet another crack method that stands up from the amorphous mass of hacks, cracks, workarounds and tricks designed to circumvent, disable, skip, postpone or mirror the Windows Vista activation. From the "frankenbuild" crack to a spoofed online KMS server and to a local KMS server, the activation hacks aim to extend, rearm or copy the genuine Windows Vista activation process.

The latest crack method involves permanently stopping the countdown timer integrated in the operating system. Microsoft delivers Vista as a fully functional product for a 30 day trial period. Following that, an inactivated operating system will go into reduced functionality mode.

"The Time Stop Vista test crack works on all 32-bit x86 Windows Vista edition such as Vista Ultimate and Vista Home Premium. Success rate in 64-bit (x64) environment is likely to be low. The crack will make the time left to activate Vista to become always 43200 minutes (30 days), and will not countdown or reduce," reads a fragment of the crack.

Unlike other alternatives, this activation crack does not require the user to introduce a product key. "It's possible to access Windows Update if you install Windows Vista with default product key (no product key entered when installation). During the first 3 days of activation grace period after installing Windows Vista, Microsoft has designed it in such a way that Vista will allow greatest flexibility for users to install required drivers and application during this period, so Vista won't prompt any reminder message for activation. After crack, Vista OS will always run with 30 days left for activation, thus there will not be any watermark or reminder to activate," is further explained in the crack.

According to the Time Stop Vista activation crack, the method will bypass Windows Genuine Advantage validation, because Microsoft will not be able to differentiate between genuine inactivated copies of Vista and those that have been cracked.

UPDATE: Softpedia does not provide links to cracks or illegal sources of pirated software!