Microsoft starts Windows auto-piracy check

[engine]

PCs using Microsoft's automatic Windows update service will be checked for pirate versions of the operating system from today – and dodgy copies will be refused all upgrades except critical security patches.

Users will have the option, in a pop-up box that appears at the start of a scheduled update, to opt out of the validation, but they too will be refused full updates.

Microsoft starts Windows auto-piracy check [pcw.co.uk]

[bill]

You can use Linux (Ubuntu rocks!) and then use the free VMware Player player to run Windows XP on top of Linux.

Don't you still need an XP license to use a VMWare Player virtual appliance like that?

[Elijah]

Don't you still need an XP license to use a VMWare Player virtual appliance like that?

Yes, you do. So I guess one can't "dump XP" completely and "run things like DreamWeaver and Photoshop on Linux", yet.