We were just sent some details by a reader who said that he just installed Windows Vista update KB940510, which seems to have appeared just this last week or so.
This update is a "sniffer" which detects activation exploits that bypass product activation such as Paradox OEM BIOS Emulator and TimerStop grace period stopper.
There was word going around that Microsoft wouldn’t attempt to stop exploits to its latest operating system but it seems like that has all just changed with update KB940510.
According to the Microsoft update page, "When activation exploits are present on a system, it indicates that a software or hardware vendor may have tampered with genuine Windows to enable the sale of counterfeit software. Therefore, the security and the privacy of the computer are put at risk. After this update is installed, you will know if activation exploits are present on the system." You can read full details about the update here.
Whilst the update is installing, we were told a screen will appear which says "Windows must be repaired". Some blogs have already discovered how to get around this detection by Microsoft which simply involved uninstalling the update – there are details here for those interested.
The uninstall will only work before you restart or turn off your system after the update has been applied to your system. be careful - M$ is after your butt!
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