“Good afternoon, as of this week, Microsoft has activated a function in Vista called ‘Reduced Functionality.’ This is a specific function in Vista that effectively disables non-genuine copies of Windows. Therefore anyone who has a pirated copy of Vista will experience:

A black screen after one hour of browsing
No start menu or task bar
No desktop

Please communicate this antipiracy initiative from Microsoft to your resellers — note this function has only just been activated in Vista worldwide and therefore any issues with nongenuine versions will start to arise from now onward.”

So goes an email by a local Microsoft representative which makes it clear what Vista pirates can expect to happen to their unlicensed installations. Microsoft has just turned on Reduced Functionality mode worldwide, and also sent a letter to OEMs explaining the consequences of Vista piracy.

[ Via Computerworld ]