Users will have to validate their OS before using two download sites.
Microsoft in mid-2005 will put a piracy lock on two of its download Web sites, requiring all Windows XP and Windows 2000 users to validate their copy of Windows as genuine before downloading software, the company says.
The lock will be placed on the Microsoft's Download Center and Windows Update Web sites, which offer applications such as Windows Media Player and the new Windows AntiSpyware product as well as security updates for Microsoft products.
Validation is not required for Windows Automatic Updates, says David Lazar, a director in Microsoft's Windows Client group. Automatic Updates is a feature in Windows that is used to download and install security updates to Microsoft software.
|