this post was submitted on 28 Sep 2023
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Piracy: ꜱᴀɪʟ ᴛʜᴇ ʜɪɢʜ ꜱᴇᴀꜱ

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Time of death: 4:22 PM UTC September 26th

Notes, please read:

For those of you who don't know, HWID was the holy grail for Windows activation, letting you generate licenses straight from Microsoft licensing servers, being registered as fully legitimate in microsofts servers and letting you keep the activation permanently, even after windows reinstalls being completely undetectable and with nothing on your system being modified. If you're still using outdated activation methods and you missed out on this, I'm sorry

Existing HWID licenses are left unaffected. Only new requests are blocked, no licenses were revoked.

By the way, MAS still works and is the best option for Windows/Office activation. For permanent Office activation use it's Ohook method (supports subscription products such as 365 as well) and KMS38 for Windows

ALL OTHER ACTIVATION METHODS ARE STILL WORKING, ONLY METHOD AFFECTED IS HWID.

All HWID activators are affected, not only MAS

Around that time, Microsoft servers unexpectedly started blocking the licensing requests HWID activation method sends to Microsoft. This was a slow rollout that spanned over a few hours, at the moment the exploit is completely dead. The best options for Windows activation now is KMS38 or vlmcsd.

Patching this would boost illegal key reselling websites which causes more harm to Microsoft than HWID exploit. We can only wonder why they patched this.

{"code":"BadRequest","data":[],"details":[],"innererror":{"code":"PermanentTSLRejection","data":[],"details":[{"code":"113","message":"avsErrorCode","target":null}],"message":"The Purchase Service rejected the provided TSL; the client should destroy the TSL.","source":"PurchaseFD"},"message":"The calling client sent a bad request to the service.","source":"PurchaseFD"}

TLS=Temporary Signed License=The tickets HWID activation sends. Microsoft servers are now just responding with "kill it."

Transferring existing HWID licenses to other computers using Microsoft account is broken too.

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[–] redcalcium@lemmy.institute 62 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I always thought microsoft allowing HWID activation was a deliberate move to get as many people to use windows and got them enrolled into windows updates, which bolster their market share and allow them to push ads/promotion for their various services to windows start menu. I think microsoft got a lot more to lose from ending HWID activation.

[–] mr_MADAFAKA@lemmy.ml 35 points 1 year ago (9 children)

Good thing i switched to linux

[–] Polar@lemmy.ca 15 points 1 year ago (3 children)

How do you know if someone runs Linux? Don't worry, they'll tell you.

[–] SkyeStarfall@lemmy.blahaj.zone 28 points 1 year ago

Good. Free and Open Source Software should be the standard.

Hopefully I don't need to point you towards the endless list of enshittification for why.

[–] Appoxo@lemmy.dbzer0.com 12 points 1 year ago

How do you know someone participates in pirating?
Don't worry, they'll tell you.

[–] redcalcium@lemmy.institute 9 points 1 year ago

I also use linux btw

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[–] FuckyWucky@hexbear.net 30 points 1 year ago (2 children)

enshittification continues. windows activation is such an annoyance more than anything. one part change and your activation is gone.

[–] astraeus@programming.dev 34 points 1 year ago (3 children)

This is why I’m very happy with Valve’s efforts to port Windows functionality to Linux/GNU kernel. The clock is ticking for my main desktop to become a Linux desktop, my only holdouts are games and some of my music production plugins. I could probably abandon some if I had to honestly.

[–] OverfedRaccoon@lemm.ee 15 points 1 year ago (2 children)

People have been saying "the year of the Linux desktop" for 20 years now. I definitely think it's closer than ever now that gaming (aside from some anticheat stuff) is mostly there thanks to Valve putting in the work, for sure. Once Win 10 hits EOL, this being the last Windows holdout I have, it'll get Linux like the rest of them.

[–] HRYDJPCHNMNDGBLTFIYA@lemm.ee 4 points 1 year ago

It's definitely the year for me! I'm able to pirate Windows and Linux games alike. Just need to buy an AMD GPU to lock in my choice.

[–] Melody@lemmy.one 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

More major software developers should be doing this and porting everything to Linux as fast as they can. Microsoft is getting greedy these days; and pretty soon we will find ourselves in a world where too many users can't and won't afford Windows anymore.

[–] astraeus@programming.dev 3 points 1 year ago

It’s like people are beginning to realize they shouldn’t have to pay for an operating system just so they can use their hardware

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[–] r00ty@kbin.life 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Tell you a weird thing. I activated with a £5 Windows 7 ultimate OEM key on my old system. I upgraded from Intel 9th gen to AMD ryzen 7 (AM5), new mobo, ram, CPU.

Still enabled and active. I fully expected to need to activate again.

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[–] lukas@lemmy.haigner.me 27 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I guess Microsoft didn't like that their support staff cracks Windows with HWID activation using MAS when their infrastructure breaks down for legit licenses.

[–] ensignrick@startrek.website 25 points 1 year ago

K38 still works. But yeah just switch to Linux.

[–] AndreTelevise@lemm.ee 19 points 1 year ago

Now, you can't perma-crack your new PC with a "real" HWID key, then years later reinstall Windows and keep your "real" license anymore! And you can't upgrade anymore on that new PC either! You have to patch Windows every time!

[–] user224@lemmy.sdf.org 18 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Sorry for possibly a stupid question, but what's the point of activating Windows?
I never seriously used Windows, but I have a Windows 7 VM that's not activated, and it works. Just the wallpaper is black. Also most of our school computers don't have activated Windows, yet it seems to work fine, there's just the watermark. And on some it shows the "You may be the victim of..." message. Same seems to be the case for Office 2016 installed on those. Other than the "non-genuine" message, it works.

[–] yoichi@lemmy.dbzer0.com 20 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I guess it's just a personal thing. I personally cannot stand the "Please Activate Windows" watermark and MAS is such an easy tool that it just makes sense to do it. It's not like this announcement kills MAS, you can still use the other activation methods

[–] BrownianMotion@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

this is even more funny since there are apps that literally target this shit and remove it. Its unregistered, and the watermarks are removed, allowing you to forget the existance you are in. (disclaimer: I didn't do W11, but I doubt they were that good at their job)

[–] viking@infosec.pub 6 points 1 year ago

In Windows 11 they lock down the customization/personalization options, but you can get around that with some registry edits regardless. So I guess it's pretty straightforward to build a third party tool that replaces the internal customizer.

But... MAS was so nice and easy.

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[–] lickmysword@sh.itjust.works 16 points 1 year ago
[–] vildis@lemmy.dbzer0.com 16 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Possibly(?) related official notice https://devicepartner.microsoft.com/en-us/communications/comm-windows-ends-installation-path-for-free-windows-7-8-upgrade

Never spent the time to figure out what KMS actually did but seems like licenses weren't validated when upgrading from 7 -> 8 / 11

[–] Melody@lemmy.one 16 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Microsoft is stupid, someone high up is getting greedy or desperate.

Patching HWID is annoying and doesn't stop piracy. In fact it will break a lot of legacy systems in general; which is probably what they intended and why they are guilty of corporate greed in this case.

I hate Micro$hit but I am REQUIRED to use Windows by too many stupid fucking different idiots, apps, and games to count. Linux is still not there yet for me usability-wise; though it probably is still improving.

No; I will never accept that CLI is an acceptable end-user implementation; GUI is required; along with ease of use and the polish that comes with it. I don't mind CLI interfaces; but I do feel they're not user-friendly enough usually. They REQUIRE YOU to LEARN a few things to get used to them; which is the opposite of an intuitive interface.

NOTE: I am very FLOSS accepting when it meets my needs; but I will not hold back criticism. Do not try to shout me down. You will always be wrong. Windows is factually more user-friendly and application compatibility diverse than Linux.

I genuinely hope that Linux finds more ways to 100% match Windows functionally without forcing the user to compromise. We need to punish Microsoft for all these years of monopoly holding and reclaim computing more effectively.

[–] whodoctor11@lemmy.ml 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

There have been Linux distros that cover 100% of Windows functionality without the need to use CLI (and even add more functionality) for years. I think the only possible way to have problems is with Wayland and NVIDIA. Usability has never been the problem: the problem is that Windows is the industry standard, so most applications and games are developed for it, most workplaces use it, all computers come with it pre-installed...

CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

[–] CeeBee@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I will never accept that CLI is an acceptable end-user implementation

This is a very terrible stance. Anytime you type something into a search engine it's basically like a command-line. Computers used to only be terminals and users were just fine with it then.

Literally every OS (including Windows) has some things that can only be done in a command window. How about each having their appropriate uses and we use the best tool for a task?

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[–] ZeroEcks@lemmy.ml 15 points 1 year ago

By the way you can still use a windows 7 key for windows 11, I just have an old laptop with the OEM sticker on it, works fine on every computer I ever tried. Consider just trying to find one in the trash or just take a photo of one on a computer in public that won't likely get reinstalled.

[–] berserker@lemm.ee 11 points 1 year ago

After reading through the docs on the MAS site, KMS38 still looks pretty robust. I get that it’s not ‘permanent’ but are there any major drawbacks aside from having to re-run MAS after a fresh Windows install?

[–] Draconic_NEO@lemmy.dbzer0.com 10 points 1 year ago

I hope this means we'll finally get activation methods that patch windows itself rather than playing along with their key system. Obviously it can be done since Windows AME has activation Functions completely removed yet it will never try to deactivate itself.

[–] giddy@aussie.zone 9 points 1 year ago (2 children)
[–] Album@lemmy.ca 8 points 1 year ago

RIP. We hardly knew ye.

[–] hogart@feddit.nu 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I tried doing a full swap from Windows earlier this year. I do a lot of local game streaming from my gaming pc to my laptop and I had issues getting this working. Didn't have the energy to keep looking for solutions so I just went back to windows. Next time I try I will probably keep my pc on windows and only swap my laptop to Linux. One step at a time.

[–] Xirup@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Have you tried Parsec? You can download the client as a host on your gamer PC and the guest on your laptop and honestly it works very well in my opinion.

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[–] hunt4peas@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 year ago (2 children)

What's that Ohook method you mentioned for office activation?

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[–] yum13241@lemm.ee 5 points 1 year ago

Does the Lockbox method not work? Normally MAS uses Downlevel.

[–] IzzyData@lemmy.ml 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I should really switch over to Linux full time. I basically have no uses cases that require Windows anymore. Not that this activation patch tipped me over the edge or anything. Microsoft is allowed to fix bugs in their software.

[–] raven@hexbear.net 8 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I think they were for a number of reasons tactically "not fixing" this "bug" up to this point.

Microsoft has always been something of a free nagware business model, like WinRAR.

[–] IzzyData@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 year ago

I've managed to never pay for Windows my whole life despite using legitimate copies since Windows XP. I guess I probably paid for XP through the hardware OEM, but I got Vista from University and then Win 7 and Microsoft has somehow let me upgrade that version all the way to Win 11. 😅

But if I ever actually had to pay for it I'd likely just switch to Linux forever.

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