12 ms·

Given that Windows 7 _Ultimate_ was installed on what is essentially an OEM machine, it's very likely that it's a pirated copy with a "home brewed" license key.

Given that Windows 7 _Ultimate_ was installed on what is essentially an OEM machine, it's very likely that it's a pirated copy with a "home brewed" license key. I think the most reasonable explanation is that either the OS was sourced already infected, or the crack tool they used was infected.

mark_l_watson 5y ago
A bit off topic, but the last time I needed a Windows laptop for business reasons (a long time ago) I bought a laptop directly from Microsoft and it appeared to be secure and also not loaded with advertising junk. The price seemed OK, fairly competitive.
- wlesieutre 5y ago
  When buying a Windows machine, you can purchase "Signature Edition" versions through Microsoft which will come with only the crapware selected by Microsoft, and not by the manufacturer https://www.microsoft.com/en-gd/store/b/signaturepcs https://www.microsoft.com/en-gd/store/b/signaturepcs
  - gigaflop 5y ago
    It looks like that isn't available for those in the US, since the redirect takes me to a 'not available' page. Are the 'Signature Edition' versions at all available in the US?
    - wlesieutre 5y ago
      Hmm good question, I just took what came up in Google which is apparently the "English (Grenada)" site. Maybe they've dropped this in the US.
      - gigaflop 5y ago
        It looks like they no longer offer it: https://www.howtogeek.com/402888/looking-for-a-microsoft-signature-edition-pc-heres-what-to-do-instead/ https://www.howtogeek.com/402888/looking-for-a-microsoft-sig...
  - truffdog 5y ago
    https://www.howtogeek.com/402888/looking-for-a-microsoft-signature-edition-pc-heres-what-to-do-instead/ https://www.howtogeek.com/402888/looking-for-a-microsoft-sig... looks like they dropped the program
- emiliosic 5y ago
  I had Surface 3 Pro and it was a nightmare. In the end, the SSD died and the way the machine is glued together, it's impossible to open without breaking the screen. Before its final death, it had problems with sleep/wake functions. A standard reinstall wouldn't fix it. Eventually had to take it back to Microsoft for a full re-image. That did the trick.
raverbashing 5y ago
Or it's just malware that's "around" the company since nobody cares what they download, which USB keys they plug, etc Autorun USB malware is very common
- gruez 5y ago
  >Autorun USB malware is very common that hasn't worked since windows xp sp2.
  - raverbashing 5y ago
    Doesn't mean machines with malware won't save files to attached USB drives
- fpgaminer 5y ago
  > Or it's just malware that's "around" the company since nobody cares what they download, which USB keys they plug There's a fun story documented on Darknet Diaries (https://darknetdiaries.com/transcript/22/ https://darknetdiaries.com/transcript/22/) about a wind farm that got hacked. The "malicious" actor had found his way into their infrastructure and installed some idle cryptominers. But he was also taking the time to maintain all the infrastructure; applying updates and patches on a regular basis in an effort to keep other would-be hackers out. The security consultant discloses all of this to the company. Well, the story ends with the company making a business decision to leave things as they are. They were effectively getting free IT.
3pt14159 5y ago
You know what? I don't care anymore. When this type of thing happens it's almost always China. Whether it's intentional malware or a lack of QA, how could one tell? They have such a reputation for both I don't know why we still let their electronics into our countries.
- Aperocky 5y ago
  > When this type of thing happens it's almost always China. It could only happen in China - because the author bought dubious stuff from unknown third party on AliExpress. Craiglist scams happen mostly in US because people don't use it elsewhere. Sort of like how you shoot the arrow first and then draw a target around it, 100% bullseye.
- WesolyKubeczek 5y ago
  - DrBazza 5y ago
    > "efficient" MBA eloi outsourced everything to morlocks a long time ago. This is the biggest weakness of the West - and it all stems back to "share holder value". Companies, US ones, in particular, seem to have some absurd drive to pay endless dividends to shareholders, and drive 'value' via share price, by appearing to be profitable. In other words, get stuff from the cheapest provider. It didn't help that at the same time people like Carl Icahn came along and stripped a company that was cheap to buy, but also sat on a pile of cash. And again, if he could 'drive value' for the share holders, said company was a target. Eventually state-level politics appear - artificially low-prices Chinese goods because the CCP fix the exchange rate, or subsidise an entire market to corner it globally. Rinse repeat, and that's where we're at now.
    - Workaccount2 5y ago
      People don't realize that the US defense budget is practically the only thing keeping American manufacturing alive.
phendrenad2 5y ago
Alright let's think about this. If equipment was entering the US with pirated Windows licenses, wouldn't Microsoft ask customs enforcement to block them until the manufacturer stopped pirating? Also why would Windows Ultimate indicate piracy? Wouldn't it be weird if "Windows Home" flashed up on the screen while booting an industrial machine? It's more likely to make sense that Windows Home isn't licensed for use on industrial machines.
- Sirened 5y ago
  > wouldn't Microsoft ask customs enforcement to block them until the manufacturer stopped pirating Well, they would if they knew. I have purchased a variety of random computing hardware from Chinese suppliers and despite the product pages claiming they had no on-board OS installed, they came with cracked versions of Windows. They do it because customers want an OS but don't want to shell out for a license. It costs them nothing to pirate software (especially when they lie about it) and getting caught and actually blocked is very hard. This isn't like them intercepting a shipment of counterfeit purses where you can clearly tell by looking at the item. You'd have to boot the computers and then verify that they have an OS installed and then that it's properly licensed, which is well out of reach for a random customs officer. > why would Windows Ultimate indicate piracy? It's a very expensive license and, if you have any experience pirating Windows (I cough don't) that's usually what you find since if you're going to steal something, why steal the shittier, less featurefull version?
- klondike_ 5y ago
  >why would Windows Ultimate indicate piracy? Microsoft sells an embedded, stripped down version of Windows with extended support life for industrial machines like this. Ultimate is intended for workstations and power users.

mark_l_watson 5y ago

A bit off topic, but the last time I needed a Windows laptop for business reasons (a long time ago) I bought a laptop directly from Microsoft and it appeared to be secure and also not loaded with advertising junk. The price seemed OK, fairly competitive.

wlesieutre 5y ago
When buying a Windows machine, you can purchase "Signature Edition" versions through Microsoft which will come with only the crapware selected by Microsoft, and not by the manufacturer https://www.microsoft.com/en-gd/store/b/signaturepcs https://www.microsoft.com/en-gd/store/b/signaturepcs
- gigaflop 5y ago
  It looks like that isn't available for those in the US, since the redirect takes me to a 'not available' page. Are the 'Signature Edition' versions at all available in the US?
  - wlesieutre 5y ago
    Hmm good question, I just took what came up in Google which is apparently the "English (Grenada)" site. Maybe they've dropped this in the US.
    - gigaflop 5y ago
      It looks like they no longer offer it: https://www.howtogeek.com/402888/looking-for-a-microsoft-signature-edition-pc-heres-what-to-do-instead/ https://www.howtogeek.com/402888/looking-for-a-microsoft-sig...
- truffdog 5y ago
  https://www.howtogeek.com/402888/looking-for-a-microsoft-signature-edition-pc-heres-what-to-do-instead/ https://www.howtogeek.com/402888/looking-for-a-microsoft-sig... looks like they dropped the program
emiliosic 5y ago
I had Surface 3 Pro and it was a nightmare. In the end, the SSD died and the way the machine is glued together, it's impossible to open without breaking the screen. Before its final death, it had problems with sleep/wake functions. A standard reinstall wouldn't fix it. Eventually had to take it back to Microsoft for a full re-image. That did the trick.

raverbashing 5y ago

Or it's just malware that's "around" the company since nobody cares what they download, which USB keys they plug, etc Autorun USB malware is very common

gruez 5y ago
>Autorun USB malware is very common that hasn't worked since windows xp sp2.
- raverbashing 5y ago
  Doesn't mean machines with malware won't save files to attached USB drives
fpgaminer 5y ago
> Or it's just malware that's "around" the company since nobody cares what they download, which USB keys they plug There's a fun story documented on Darknet Diaries (https://darknetdiaries.com/transcript/22/ https://darknetdiaries.com/transcript/22/) about a wind farm that got hacked. The "malicious" actor had found his way into their infrastructure and installed some idle cryptominers. But he was also taking the time to maintain all the infrastructure; applying updates and patches on a regular basis in an effort to keep other would-be hackers out. The security consultant discloses all of this to the company. Well, the story ends with the company making a business decision to leave things as they are. They were effectively getting free IT.

3pt14159 5y ago

You know what? I don't care anymore. When this type of thing happens it's almost always China. Whether it's intentional malware or a lack of QA, how could one tell? They have such a reputation for both I don't know why we still let their electronics into our countries.

Aperocky 5y ago
> When this type of thing happens it's almost always China. It could only happen in China - because the author bought dubious stuff from unknown third party on AliExpress. Craiglist scams happen mostly in US because people don't use it elsewhere. Sort of like how you shoot the arrow first and then draw a target around it, 100% bullseye.
WesolyKubeczek 5y ago
- DrBazza 5y ago
  > "efficient" MBA eloi outsourced everything to morlocks a long time ago. This is the biggest weakness of the West - and it all stems back to "share holder value". Companies, US ones, in particular, seem to have some absurd drive to pay endless dividends to shareholders, and drive 'value' via share price, by appearing to be profitable. In other words, get stuff from the cheapest provider. It didn't help that at the same time people like Carl Icahn came along and stripped a company that was cheap to buy, but also sat on a pile of cash. And again, if he could 'drive value' for the share holders, said company was a target. Eventually state-level politics appear - artificially low-prices Chinese goods because the CCP fix the exchange rate, or subsidise an entire market to corner it globally. Rinse repeat, and that's where we're at now.
  - Workaccount2 5y ago
    People don't realize that the US defense budget is practically the only thing keeping American manufacturing alive.

phendrenad2 5y ago

Alright let's think about this. If equipment was entering the US with pirated Windows licenses, wouldn't Microsoft ask customs enforcement to block them until the manufacturer stopped pirating? Also why would Windows Ultimate indicate piracy? Wouldn't it be weird if "Windows Home" flashed up on the screen while booting an industrial machine? It's more likely to make sense that Windows Home isn't licensed for use on industrial machines.

Sirened 5y ago
> wouldn't Microsoft ask customs enforcement to block them until the manufacturer stopped pirating Well, they would if they knew. I have purchased a variety of random computing hardware from Chinese suppliers and despite the product pages claiming they had no on-board OS installed, they came with cracked versions of Windows. They do it because customers want an OS but don't want to shell out for a license. It costs them nothing to pirate software (especially when they lie about it) and getting caught and actually blocked is very hard. This isn't like them intercepting a shipment of counterfeit purses where you can clearly tell by looking at the item. You'd have to boot the computers and then verify that they have an OS installed and then that it's properly licensed, which is well out of reach for a random customs officer. > why would Windows Ultimate indicate piracy? It's a very expensive license and, if you have any experience pirating Windows (I cough don't) that's usually what you find since if you're going to steal something, why steal the shittier, less featurefull version?
klondike_ 5y ago
>why would Windows Ultimate indicate piracy? Microsoft sells an embedded, stripped down version of Windows with extended support life for industrial machines like this. Ultimate is intended for workstations and power users.