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If you've used a hack to circumvent their activation processes, you're a thief. You can't justify stealing.

What about all the honest end users with legitimate copies of Windows7? MS wants to scan their PC's as well. Many individuals are viewing this as an invasion of privacy.

If you have a legitimate copy of Windows 7, what's your privacy concern? To begin with, you don't own Windows 7 - you purchase a license to use their software. If you're uncomfortable with their terms, don't buy their software.

We will see how many people MS alienates over this one.

I'm curious - what do you really believe will happen once this is implemented. Will those alienated stop using Windows 7 and buy Apple? Will the outrage be so severe that Microsoft will be forced to abandon their updates? I mean they're already doing a genuine software review and have been for years, and I haven't seen a backlash yet. Maybe this tactic will push users over the edge - it'll be interesting to follow.

It's very hard to thwart software piracy these days. I don't like the idea of MS snooping around on my computers, but I would "hope" the scope is limited to checking only the MS licensing.

Microsoft as like apple dig into your system more often than most of us would like for a variety of purposes and I'm with Steve in saying that we utilise their service by using a licence as such we agree to their terms of service which most likely will loosely describe their access usage though very few of us read such documents.

Speaking from experience apple and Microsoft are as bad as each other though one more public about the affair than the other, this experience comes from working on a number of programming projects for companies under a variety of contracts including NDA's and due to the data being used and the security steps we had to take, windows had to be assessed down to the ground.

Namely there are a number of subroutines and hidden code that we probably didn't find but those that we did where removed as well as slipping in routines of our own to ensure that all processes and traffic where monitored explicitly. As such you dont even as a programmer known the intentions, locations or the results of the code they use, the mystical backdoor is a good example of this that is yet to be proven or dissproven.

I don't see it as a big deal personally. Personally, I think its a great move and the one they have done before (I believe with Windows XP). They deserve to get paid for their work, just like any other software developer out there who created a product users found worthy enough to use.

I agree with you. They deserve the credits.

Are you willing to open up your computer to any software vendor that you have purchased software and allow them to scan your PC whenever they like?

I agree software developers all should be paid for their efforts. And I do not condone software piracy. But I don't agree with the latest method MS is using. I have seen issues with XP activation that would try the patience of a Nun. The many cases I have seen when Windows XP activation went sour were with completely legal authentic versions of XP. In these situations MS is essentially pointing the piracy finger at their honest paying clients. Not exactly the best way to create positive PR.

It is what it is, and until MS goes the way of the dinosaur there isn't much we are going to be able to do about it. The average user uses a MS product and does't care too much, it's the tech guys that have the issues with it. I personally don't care, I've been using their validation tool for quite some time.

Obviously not any software vendor, but I trust Microsoft, and, after all, Windows is one of the largest applications ever created, so its only fair to support it any way possible to guarantee further improvements and delivery.

I think the answer to this is very simple.
If you don't like the software use agreement you should uninstall it and use a different operating system.

This is an automated system. Microsoft isn't "scanning" your computer arbitrarily. They are looking for a couple of specific files and that is where the update software looks.

Personally I have yet to see a legitimate case of activation going sour.
I work on a lot of computers and have not even heard of an issue with a legitimate copy of windows having problems with validation.

Counterfeit software costs us all more money at the end of the day so I say good for Microsoft for protecting their brand.

I can understand why MS would want to scan, but still an invasion of privacy in my opinion. Also, if it's not subtle in their scanning method, this can definitely turn a lot of people off.