Last September, Microsoft began a pilot program that allowed users to anonymously validate their copy of XP, to determine if it was genuine and not a pirated version. There were no incentives for the user, other than piece of mind. Expecting a total of about 20,000 applicants, imagine the surprise when in a little over a month, over 800,000 had taken the test!
Well, beginning last Thursday, Microsoft has sweetened the offer by giving away free software or offering it at huge discounts, in an effort to promote the "Windows Genuine Advantage Program", up to $390 dollars worth to be exact!
Right now, they are offering PhotoStory 3 for free just for validating your OS. This used to be offered as part of a 20 dollar package of media tools, I am familiar with it and had the PhotoStory 2 version. The newer version has some great transitional effects that have to be seen to believe. You also have several filters that can be applied for effect, not to mention narration and music. It can put a pretty good load on your system to play back if you choose a high resolution. You can also transcode your latest digital escapades and burn a NTSC or PAL compliant version to DVD, to delight your neighbors and friends that have set top DVD players. Other formats are for email, PocketPC and even Smartphones! It truly is an amazing product. It does require of course Media Player 7 or higher. Soon a nice Winter Fun pack will be given away too.
| To participate in Microsoft's Genuine Advantage program '” which is aimed primarily at home and small-business customers '” users need to visit the Microsoft Download Center and request to download one or more of the "genuine" Windows products from that site. At that point, users are asked whether they are willing to validate that their copies of Windows are real. They do this by activating their software, a process via which Microsoft creates a match between the customer's PC hardware profile and 25-character product key. Users who "pass" the Genuine Advantage test will be offered the aforementioned software deals. Thos who find that their copies of Windows is pirated and/or counterfeit are not penalized, Lazar noted. In fact, Microsoft does not know the identies of these users, he said. And they will still be allowed to download the requested items from the Microsoft Download Center. |
Just in case you are worried about your privacy, don't be. Microsoft contracted with TéœV Informationstechnik GmbH, a German auditing firm. They have verified Microsoft's procedures and claim the type of data it gathered during the Genuine Advantage sign-up does not violate users' privacy. If your OS is pirated or fails the test let's say, Microsoft advises you to turn on automatic updates in order to receive critical security updates. Then take the computer back to the reseller, if the vendor refuses to take back the merchandise, fill out a "Report Piracy Now" on the Microsoft Genuine Advantage site. Please visit the Microsoft Watch site for the complete story. You may also wish to visit our Transcoding Software Forum to share your experiences with PhotoStory 3.
Source: Microsoft Watch
