A windows 8 offline KMS method could use random file, service names like the DAZ loader does today. Makes it hard for MS to ID as the name of the KMS service would be different for every PC. Just a thought.
I have a method that will need no loader, KMS or key. Just leave windows in notification mode but disable Water Mark and enable the start menu customisation. This could be done by messing around with the system files (so yes another WPA style crack that needs to be updated) but it works, I was working on this type of "crack" when windows 8 hit RTM and i had some success in managing to remove water mark and stop notification pop-up. With a bit more work enabling the locked features would be possible. I might type up a how to on this at some point maybe someone could use my work to produce a simple patch? I just don't like the idea of another WPA style crack and the nagging to keep it updated. Windows 8 is cheap enough anyway and for the time being the KMS solution is more than enough for me until OCT when its released.
So it seems like we need to rely on MAK. Too bad I am not in school anymore and I do not work for a tech company anymore either. This is going to suck. The other option is to do what I did for Windows XP. Head to the store and copy the COA product key from the bottom/side of the computer. And finally, I foresee a BIG problem with repairing computers. Laptops and Desktops that have their motherboard replaced through extended warranty are going to magically NOT be activated, or furthermore will NOT activate if restored. Or did I miss something?
Replacing a motherboard is like buying a new PC according to M$ so yes if you replace it your comp ID will change and your need a new key as your old key would be used on the old machine ID
This will pose a big problem with many repair facilities. Even under manufacturer's warranty, motherboards are replaced and have to routinely be "tattooed" so they would pass SLP. It seems now it won't work at all. Anyone have an ideas if COA will still be viable?
You might need to read some previous pages on this thread. If all existing information is correct, then Windows 8 doesn't use COA channel and COA keys, OEM machines won't have COA stickers on bottom or side of a case, just a "Genuine" label, like "Intel Inside" sort of a thing. If an end-user needs to replace mobo or processor or whatever else under warranty, the OEM should do it, report to MS it's unique key that got invalid, receive the new one and perform entire OA3 procedure from the start like on a new machine.
Hi everyone, Could the following be possible? - From a fully activated OA3, backup all the activation file (backup the activation), dump the table from the Bios and copy all the data required to make the unique hardware hash of this particular computer - Restore the activation file on target computer and create a custom driver that will "fool" Windows making it "think" it runs on the original computer. Since the computer was already activated on M$ server, Windows will not try again to activate itself. Could this work? Just asking.... thanks!
Using the same MAC address is very problematic if you put the computers in the same local area network. And using a driver to fool windows about the true hardware IDs would be really complicated. I think Microsoft would blacklist such a driver quickly. Probably flag it as malware also. PS: Remember that you have to digitally sign your drivers for them to work in x64 versions. Microsoft can blacklist all the drivers signed by a specific "rogue" certificate easily.
No, the keys alone would be useless. The entire CBRs (database of the reporting server) must have to leak... To mimic the hardware IDs when trying to activate, it would be a way. Anyway it would be a software solution at OS level and M$ could flag the driver as malware and deactivate / remove it. And there is still the MSDM table with the serial which should be already at its location before the OS loads.
For the MSDM tabe, can a loader "emulate" it? And for the driver that would mimic the hardware ID, whould it be possible to have it encrypted (or similar) to make each version a little bit different? As for the 64bits os, there is alway the option to disable driver signing (and live with the test mode watermark). Thanks.
In my opinion that's unacceptable. Driver signing is a very important tool to fight rootkits. And it's been very successful so far (Look at the huge amount of rootkits available for 32bit windows and compare it to the very small amount of rootkits for x64) I would prefer to schedule a simple batch file that kills explorer.exe every 3 hours rather than disabling driver signing!
Well why not simply let all do that the loader or a BIOS / EFI modification? There would be still the issue left that we have unique serials / machines which are cloned then...OA3 mimicking is no option. It is interesting for technical reasons, though. It all depends on if there is a flaw. All w8 keys? And then you ask if they would have a severe problem? Lol. For OA3: I guess there is no server where all valid keys for OA3.0 are stored. The OEMs key server calculates valid OA3.0 keys on demand. Even a keygen who could calculate valid OA3 serials would be of no use, because to a OA3 license there belongs the MSDMTable which holds the serial plus the CBR with hardware hash that has been sent to M$ for the online activation later. During manufacturing process and licensing with the OA3tool the particular generated serial becomes associated to a particular machine-->CBR sent to the OEMs reporting server. The OEMs reporting server then contacts M$ server. At that moment the OEM has to pay for one license, not when requesting for a serial already. Problems only occur if one could license the machine by oneself, or if all the already licensed machine's CBRs would leak.
Are you sure about this? My impression was that OEM's key server only generates MSDM BIN's out of the keys, previously received from MS by request and just stored on the key server? Can't imagine MS would share a keygen to generate genuine keys even with trusted OEMs, that would mean also giving away algorythm and private key... And how would they pay only after sending CBR? I thought, an OEM makes a deal with MS for a certain amount of licenses, pays for them, then receives corresponding bunch of keys and labels/stickers, and then builds machines... And if it was possible to mimic full hardware then why to stick to Oa3? That would mean "cracking" all other HW-hash-dependend activations - Retail, MAK, KMS, we would only need to restore other's activation backups on our machines... But i don't think we can ever learn what exactly to mimic besides MAC address and processor's serial...
There should be no problem with replacing the mainboard. For OEM systems the regular customer sends it RMA anyway. So the OEM can then say to MS to invalidate that pc's buildreport and in return validate the one from the pc with new mainboard installed.
From what I've read so far, I wonder why even bother with OA3 activation at all. The KMS approach seems to be the way to go with this release, cracking OA3 won't be easy, and assuming that anyone who bought a computer within the last ten years that was shipped with a OEM version of Windows owns a XP, Vista, or 7 product key, I think the $40 upgrade offer is cheap enough to not refuse it. Heck, a lot of people spend more money for "coffee & cigarettes" a month, and buying a genuine OS instead is a lot of healthier! But I got it... people want to crack it just for the sake of cracking, to prove that they can do it.