No More Free Lunch for pirates of Microsoft Vista

Microsoft will take much harsher steps to curtail piracy than previous versions of Windows, including crippling the operating system in computers found to be running unlicensed copies.

People running an unlisecesed version of Windows Vista will initially be denied access to some of the most awaited Vista features, including Windows Aero, an improved graphics technology, the company said Wednesday.

If a legitimate copy is not purchased within 30 days, the system will curtail functions much further by restricting users to just the Web browser for an hour at a time, said Thomas Lindeman, Microsoft senior product manager.

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