Pirates from around the world are already taking advantage of the stability of Windows 7 Beta. Jerry Liao from CNet Asia stumbled upon a small shop in the Philippines selling what they claim to be Windows 7 Ultimate for only 70 pesos - the equivalent of $1.44 USD!
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The lady at the shop claimed to be tech illiterate, but when asked whether the copy of Windows 7 was complete, she said yes.
Microsoft has been trying to solve its piracy problem with its Windows Genuine Advantage Program but it has often been the center of criticism. Since the fiasco on XP, Microsoft has toned down WGA in Windows 7 to ensure that the user receives notices many days in advance before the activation period expires. If a user does not activate on time, a notice will appear every 60 minutes to notify the user that activation is required. The background also turns black.
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