Microsoft's latest Windows client brought to the table in November 2006 (for businesses) and in January 2007 (for the general consumers) a revamped activation architecture.But most importantly, Windows Vista features an intimate connection with Microsoft's Windows Genuine Advantage anti-piracy mechanism, as well as the Reduced Functionality Mode kill-switch designed to cut access to products detected as non-genuine or that failed to activate properly.
But despite the fact that Microsoft was applauding a more flexible, accurate and secure activation process in comparison to Windows XP, the fact of the matter is that the latest Windows client did manage to produce its fair share of frustration to end users
On April 11, 2008 Microsoft has updated a list of no less than 10 frequent error messages which prevented Vista RTM users from activating their copies of the operating system ahead of the delivery of Windows Vista Service Pack 1. KB951287 refers exclusively to error codes and error messages associated with the gold version of Vista, and do not point to any similar scenarios following the delivery of Service Pack 1.
Windows Vista SP1 was released to manufacturing on February 4, 2008, and then to the general public on March 18, via Windows Update and the Microsoft Download Center. In mid-April, the Redmond company will start distributing Vista SP1 through Automatic Updates. One of the most important aspects of the Vista SP1 evolution is the fact that it kills off Reduced Functionality Mode. Microsoft has in fact taken the Vista SP1 non-genuine and non-activated behavior back to the same model it implemented with Windows XP, namely a notifications-based experience.
The Redmond company revealed that the measure was delivered as a way for Vista SP1 to keep up with the antipiracy threat. But at the same time Microsoft has always failed to disclose the exact number of Vista users that had their operating systems erroneously moved to Reduced Functionality Mode. The volume of Vista RTM activation errors is however an indication that Reduced Functionality Mode did manage to impact quite a large audience of genuine copies of the operating system, and that it contributed to the scraping of the kill-switch from Vista SP1.
