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Microsoft sued in China for black screen of death
Channel Register ^ | 10/22/08 | John Oate

Posted on 10/22/2008 7:02:36 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster

Microsoft sued in China for black screen of death

WGA wins more enemies

By John Oates • Get more from this author

Posted in Software & Security, 22nd October 2008 11:42 GMT

A Chinese lawyer has filed a legal complaint against Microsoft for installing Windows Genuine Advantage on his computer. He has asked the Ministry of Public Security to file criminal charges against Microsoft.

Dong Zhengwei accused the company of hacking into people's computers. He said: "I respect the right of Microsoft to protect its intellectual property but it is taking on the wrong target with wrong measures.

"They should target producers and sellers of fake software, not users. The authorities should take action to protect citizens' property and privacy rights," he continued according to China Daily.

(Excerpt) Read more at channelregister.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; Technical
KEYWORDS: blackscreenofdeath; bsod; china; microsoft; wga
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1 posted on 10/22/2008 7:02:36 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
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To: TigerLikesRooster; maui_hawaii; Jeff Head; Tainan; hedgetrimmer; Unam Sanctam; taxesareforever; ...
Man, Microsoft would be leaving many memories behind. They had infamous Blue Screen of Death, now they trot out Black Screen of Death. Sooner or later, they would feature Exploding White Flash of Death.:-)
2 posted on 10/22/2008 7:05:50 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster (kim jong-il, chia head, ppogri, In Grim Reaper we trust)
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To: TigerLikesRooster

What are the odds of ANYONE in China owning a legitimate copy of Windows?!


3 posted on 10/22/2008 7:07:04 AM PDT by astyanax (If you need to wear a mask while speaking your mind, it is probably best you remain silent...)
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To: TigerLikesRooster

I cringed when I read what “Windows Genuine Advantage” was...

It means it checks to see if you have a legit copy of Windows and shuts down your ocmputer if you don’t

Who is this an ‘advantage’ for besides Microsoft? I have all legit copies so I don’t care (much) except for the hideous Orwellian name (double-speak) they adoptied.


4 posted on 10/22/2008 7:09:24 AM PDT by Mr. K (Some days even my lucky rocketship underpants don't help)
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To: astyanax
Basically, Microsoft is waging war on more than a billion folks.
At least, MS is more brave than U.S. gov, which is alway cowering under Beijing overlord.
5 posted on 10/22/2008 7:11:00 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster (kim jong-il, chia head, ppogri, In Grim Reaper we trust)
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To: Mr. K
Well, less blatant than “From Microsoft with Love.” :-)
6 posted on 10/22/2008 7:12:20 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster (kim jong-il, chia head, ppogri, In Grim Reaper we trust)
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To: Mr. K
It means it checks to see if you have a legit copy of Windows and shuts down your ocmputer if you don’t

I'll give you one better - if you have a genuine copy, but then have certain disk errors resulting in any corruption to the file it uses to check - it will shut you down too.

Further, I have heard of folks who have made substantial upgrades to their PC only to get that same black screen.

7 posted on 10/22/2008 7:21:42 AM PDT by TheBattman (A vote for the "lesser evil" is still a vote for evil!)
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To: TigerLikesRooster

How dare you white round eyes stop superior Chinaman from copying and stealing your property! It Chinamans right to steal everything and make infer copy of everything and pass off as glorious triumph of China, we get back you though, we poison the chair you sit on,the food you eat and the medicine you take,..HAHAHAHAH China greatest country on earth!


8 posted on 10/22/2008 7:23:14 AM PDT by redstateconfidential ("Go to the mattresses")
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To: TigerLikesRooster; rdb3; Calvinist_Dark_Lord; GodGunsandGuts; CyberCowboy777; Salo; Bobsat; ...

9 posted on 10/22/2008 7:24:20 AM PDT by ShadowAce (Linux -- The Ultimate Windows Service Pack)
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To: TigerLikesRooster; ShadowAce

BSOD at Olympics Opening

10 posted on 10/22/2008 7:34:10 AM PDT by martin_fierro (I Am Joe)
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To: Mr. K
...shuts down your computer if you don’t... - Really? The article doesn't say that, just that your desktop gets painted black, with a warning message. If it did actually shut or lock the PC, the user would be truly screwed since there is no way to register a locked-up PC.
11 posted on 10/22/2008 7:36:49 AM PDT by bobsatwork
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To: TigerLikesRooster

Microsoft has 100% market share in China. Oddly enough, they get 100% market share by selling only 1 copy of their software!


12 posted on 10/22/2008 7:38:41 AM PDT by Freds2nd
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To: astyanax

When I was in Indonesia a few years ago, software was selling for a fixed price per disk. I think it was about $1 US per disk. And, of course, no fancy wrappings or boxing.


13 posted on 10/22/2008 7:41:35 AM PDT by E=MC2
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To: TigerLikesRooster

No likee? Install Linux instead.


14 posted on 10/22/2008 7:41:42 AM PDT by TexasRepublic (Brother, can you spare a dime?)
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To: martin_fierro

I totally missed that story. Funny!


15 posted on 10/22/2008 7:42:17 AM PDT by listenhillary (Should we turn Alaska or Texas into our Galt's Gulch?)
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To: TheBattman
I'll give you one better - if you have a genuine copy, but then have certain disk errors resulting in any corruption to the file it uses to check - it will shut you down too.

What operating system won't stop working if you have a hardware failure that corrupts essential operating system files?

Further, I have heard of folks who have made substantial upgrades to their PC only to get that same black screen.

Well Windows actually is licensed to run on a single machine, and if you perform substantial enough upgrades you are in effect then running in on a different machine than you originally loaded it.

However, at worst you might have to call Microsoft, complain, and they will give you a new activation code.

Their purpose really is to keep people from loading the same copy on a number of different machines (in cases of large scale pirating operations thousands of machines) rather than stop individuals from upgrading their machines.

In the case of these people in China, most are probably using pirated copies. Some people may have pirated the software themselves, others may have purchased pirated copies from others. In either case Microsoft is justified in shutting down that software. If they don't shut down the software, then people there will have basically no incentive to purchase a legal copy. Those pirating the software on a large scale will continue to do so as long as they have customers.

If they sell software that doesn't work, their customers will dry up considerably, and the government might even step in and do something about them.

I'm sure Windows is very expensive for most Chinese people. However, they really aren't forced to use it. They can always use Linux, or if their great communist government think it's so essential to their worker's paradise they can use government money to develop an operating system.

16 posted on 10/22/2008 7:51:17 AM PDT by untrained skeptic
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To: Freds2nd; astyanax

LOL! So true!


17 posted on 10/22/2008 7:52:32 AM PDT by walford (http://the-big-pic.org)
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To: untrained skeptic
Well Windows actually is licensed to run on a single machine, and if you perform substantial enough upgrades you are in effect then running in on a different machine than you originally loaded it.

So if I put new fenders, new seats, a new engine, a new transmission and new bumpers on my car do I have to re-register it with the DMV?

Of course not. It's the same car. And if I buy a license to use an OS on a computer and I change parts in the computer, it's still the same computer, no matter what Microsoft's marketing department says.

18 posted on 10/22/2008 8:13:55 AM PDT by Knitebane (Happily Microsoft free since 1999.)
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To: E=MC2
...about $1 US per disk...

Must be that plentiful cheap labor!
19 posted on 10/22/2008 8:51:28 AM PDT by astyanax (If you need to wear a mask while speaking your mind, it is probably best you remain silent...)
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To: Knitebane

Not sure what the laws are in N.C., but here in MN you can’t rebuild a vehicle around the VIN tag and not expect to have it inspected.

So if I buy a Mac I can throw OSX on any box I want?


20 posted on 10/22/2008 9:00:15 AM PDT by astyanax (If you need to wear a mask while speaking your mind, it is probably best you remain silent...)
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