With Windows Vista, Microsoft took an extremely tough stand on piracy. Computers that were not properly activated within a short period of time went into a virtually unusable state known as “reduced functionality mode.”

In the newly released Service Pack 1, however, Microsoft is softening its stance somewhat. The reduced functionality mode is gone, and in its place, a series of warnings and visual indications that a computer is not running a genuine copy of Windows…read full story
The death of Windows XP may have been greatly exaggerated.
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said the company could re-evaluate its plans to phase out Windows XP by June 30, if customers demand that it stick around. So far, they have not.
“XP will hit an end-of-life. We have announced one. If customer feedback varies, we can always wake up smarter, but right now, we have a plan for end-of-life for new XP shipments,” Ballmer said during a Thursday news conference in Belgium, according to Reuters.
The software giant says it will give free support until March 18, 2009, to those experiencing difficulty installing Service Pack 1.
Microsoft realizes that many who have attempted to install service pack 1 (SP1) for Microsoft Vista have had major trouble doing so.
They have decided to provide support FREE of charge to ANYONE who is having problems installing the Vista SP1. You can contact using email, online chat or phone.
One note I want to point out, that a Microsoft spokesperson said the following: “the user will always be advised if costs are involved. Whether enterprise customers will also receive support without cost will depend on their agreement.” I guess free is not always completely free.
Visit the Vista Solution Center