Attention! An upgrade to Windows Media Center can fetch you a copy of legitimately activated Windows 8. The news has been circulating over the wide world of web like a wild fire. Yes, a security flaw in Windows 8 activation method has been gifting pirates legitimate copy of Windows 8 Pro.
Earlier, activating Windows required using the volume keys. This is not done anymore! Now, each Windows 8 installation requires a unique key. So, folks have been having a harder time getting Windows 8 through illegal ways. However, with very little effort they have now been getting a full copy of Windows 8 through a combination of an illegitimate KMS activation followed by a free Windows Media Center upgrade over it.
The process involves installing Windows 8 Pro with a key first and then activating the product through Key Management System (KMS). The server accepts any key as valid thereby offering you with full Windows 8 installation for 180 days. So, you could just take advantage of the ongoing Windows Media Center promotion and get a free key for upgrading the existing Windows.
The method works since there appears to be no formula available at present with Microsoft for checking the authenticity of the underlying operating system and if the current key in use is valid or not. The entered key is the new product key that Windows uses for activation checks in the future and not the one that was entered earlier during installation of the system. In short, the new key replaces the previous key for a permanently activated copy.
The Media Center keys are being given away for free by Microsoft until January 31, 2013 after which the offer will be closed. So, if Microsoft doesn’t take any action soon, they will find the method being exploited heavily by pirates in the coming weeks.
You can read the full discussion on Reddit.
We trust Microsoft will act swiftly to plug this loop hole!
