Thats the point. At present it looks like RTM versions could be released second half 2012. Now Motherboard/laptop manufacturers are still producing BIOS motherboards. Normally this close to a RTM release, manufactureres will release BIOS updates (with SLIC) for any new Windows version when its released. Now will the manufacturers be able to release (or be allowed to) versions for motherboards with Windows 8.?????? Its an interesting question. M$ pull on the industry to demand standards and how they are made is no longer that dictatory. Ipads, tablets etc are making big dents on PC's and Windows in general. I actually wonder if they have the pull this time round to demand ONLY UEFI motherboards for Windows 8. I dont think they can afford to put off side the motherboard/laptop industry this time arround. Maybe Windows 9, but at present, while BIOS gear continues to be made, I wonder if MS can force this. On another note, I just bought a new ASUS laptop, runing Windows 7 and decided to check the options at startup. Low and behold if I dont have in "Boot" - "Boot Configeration" - "UEFI boot", that is currently disabled (and can be enabled if I wish). So that means I guess I can experiment with Windows 8 UEFI work arrounds. Lucky me. It does show that already the disable feature is being built in.
So now things are looking like this: Judging by WDP, Windows 8 isn't going to use both OEM_SLP and OEM_COA channels for OEM machines, instead it will use new OEM_DM channel, which partially combines properties of these two - this activation is system-locked (like SLP, needs some kind of OEM data in BIOS, now apparently oem 's signature of UEFI modules), but will still need on-line activation (unlike SLP and like COA). This way, MS is trying to kill two rabbits - all off-line SLP exploits and stealing sticker COA keys for phone/i-net activation of non-OEM machines. However, the OEM_NONSLP channel is still being left, so there wouldn't be problems for OEMs who would leave BIOS inside their mobos - they'll just use regular non-slp oem keys for customers who want to have win8 on-board, just like small OEMs always did it with windows OS's.
So it seems MS has decided OEM spoofing is the most popular exploit? Because while it does appear to be most popular at MDL, I always thought the "pre-activated" dvds selling in the streets carried Bie or other KMS variants? But who knows, KMS may be next in the line of fire.
Indeed B8 , explain the meaning of this graph please ? To say the loader is on 3000000 machines is a modest guess imho .
I don't understand 1 thing: If MS knows when the loader is installed (how else can they measure the ammount?), why don't they flag those systems as non-genuine? I assume they don't know and this is just a wild guess. @100 in post below: MSE indeed sees the loader as malware, but that doesn't mean that everytime it finds the loader a new system is activated using the loader. If I do a clean install and the loader isn't in the exclusion list yet, that doesn't mean an new system is activated using it.
MS haven't always flagged the executable though, and the actual loader is unique to each users system so theres no obvious traceability. Also looking at that graph what I can tell you is that the loaders not a part of it as it's normally identified as Win32/Keygen by MS. The new information on the OEM_DM channel isn't surprising.
Where all would MS get their data from? -no. of licenses sold via all channels? -commercial 3rd party data? -no. of unique machines that connect to its update/validation servers? -what else? and then mix the math with some paranoia maybe. But how can they possibly know which machines are legit oem and which use a loader when the OS itself doesnt know.
@ canouna Done. @ B8 But that only effects all of the people who use IE and I'm not so sure IE flags the loader either. If it does then it's still going to be Win32/Keygen.
That file is the executable that's often deleted once the loaders been run. It doesn't actually identify anything since the SLIC loader is built off an open source boot loader.
But MS don't flag the loader and when they have done in the past it wasn't to do with anything on any of the graphs. I'm pretty sure the executable also passes most big virus scanners, including MS.
B8, you seem to be shooting from the hip. If MS can see Daz loader, why they not take "remedial action"? Whats the point of knowing everything and doing nothing?
If Microsoft is changing something at the bootlevel to disable the loader and something goes wrong, then all hell will break loose. What if people lost their data on the hard drive? Microsoft can not afford the bad publicity at this time. It is better for them to fix that in the next Windows version. And guess what, they are doing it!
IMO it's false information. MS can't stop the loader on current operating systems and it's not detected. There was once a guy at MDL who said the WAT update would take out all activation methods, but when WAT was released it didn't effect the loader or BIOS mods. He then claimed that it was going to happen at some point and then he said that it would happen with SP1. He was wrong, but it's due to people like him that people still fear WAT. Windows 8 uses UEFI because it's new, it allows OS's to perform better and it slows down activation hacks. Notice I said slows down, because I guarantee someone will find a way
@Daz Even if it is detected, Microsoft would be very foolish to do anything about it on the current operating systems. The risks are too great for them.
If MS can see Daz loader and choose to do nothing, it means marketing product is most important, piracy be damned. Who's to say the same thing wont happen again?
@ Jachra The loader can be installed in too many different ways across different system setups. It's risky for them to do anything about it, plus lets not forget that that's another person using a Windows system instead of Linux or Mac. @ venu I think MS are trying to balance things out with Windows 8. If someone finds a way to workaround the activation system then it's possible that that copy won't have the same "genuine experience" as a real system. Why? Well because you may need to disable Windows updates and you wouldn't be able to use any products from MS that require genuine checks. At least that'd be true for OEM actvation. @ B8 It's really not detected. Remember that each users loader is encryted and unique to their system and that the exe file is just an installer for the actual loader. Also MSE and IE on my test VM don't flag it.