Win2k SP3, the 'snooper' licence, and the workaround

[spy1]

"We've had quite a few emails from Windows 2000 Service Pack refuseniks who propose not to go anywhere near SP3 on the grounds that the installation insists you agree to the new-look Microsoft 'snooper's charter' supplementary licence in order to apply it. The critical clauses seem to be becoming standard for Microsoft products, and although they can be presented as helpful/necessary for updates, they could also be used for DRM purposes, and provide cover for more widespread snooping."

Rest of article here: http://www.theregus.com/content/4/25996.html .

[Mike_Healan]

I've been saying for months that when XP becomes obsolete, the next computer will be a Mac. It might come sooner than that. If M$ is going to insist on its internal spyware as a precondition to installing the patches to fix its sloppy, insecure code, screw them. I'll start saving for that Mac now.

[Checkout]

Microsoft will one day die, of attrition due entirely to their lack of decency.

Tomorrow will be soon enough for me.

[spy1]

"How to defang Win2k SP3's auto updating"

"Last week we told you how to install Windows 2000 Service Pack 3 without having to agree to Microsoft's all-new 'we can steal your stuff but we're not going to, honest' supplementary licence. We accepted at the time, of course, that the exercise was essentially frivolous, in that you'd probably be in breach of your licence agreement anyway if you circumvented the new Ts & Cs, and because just circumventing it wouldn't do anything to block the activities you objected to.

But hey, you could feel good about yourself, even if nobody else knew and you had no proof that you'd actually stood up and been counted (by yourself) for not checking that 'agree.' Naturally, we've had some queries from the more rational section of the readership who don't particularly care what they agree to, but do care about being snooped on and/or having some maniac updating their machine without so much as a by your leave. So, for the benefit of these holdouts, here's how you stop the features added by SP3 doing their business. "

Rest of article here: http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/26750.html Pete