Microsoft is building anti-piracy features into its upcoming Vista operating system that will stop people using all of the software's features.
Microsoft said that after installing Vista, customers will have 30 days to enter a product key for the software. If they don't, Vista will start running in "reduced functionality" mode.
This mode will not offer a start-up menu or desktop icons and people will only be able access the internet for an hour before being automatically logged-out.
Other new Vista features, such as its security features that have caused huge controversy, will fail to run.
Microsoft said it hope the reduced features will encourage people to buy a genuine copy.
The release of Vista has been delayed several times, with Microsoft now promising the home edition will be ready by January.
http://www.microsoft.com
Topic: Microsoft plans to foil pirates (Read 702 times)