Official Microsoft support used pirate script to activate Windows, customer claims
facepalm: A South African customer contacted Microsoft Support to activate a legal copy of Windows. An early attempt to fix the problem was unsuccessful, so the Redmond staff had to use one of those hated pirate scripts to activate the OS.
After shelling out for a genuine Windows 10 license purchased from the Microsoft Store, South African full-time YouTuber Wesley Pyburn had to deal with the frustrating fact that he couldn’t activate his Windows installation. He contacted Microsoft, but even the official support team couldn’t get it up and running.
Pyburn tweeted that after the first failed attempt, the technology elevated his help desk ticket, and another Microsoft employee logged into his system through the remote Quick Assist app. The YouTuber was surprised that a Microsoft employee resorted to a very unexpected way to finally activate Windows, namely one of those “pirated” scripts that imitate official Microsoft servers to bypass OS legitimacy checks.
In the new era of Windows 10/11, activation is easy; users can use a digital license or a traditional 25-digit product key to activate the system. Microsoft says Windows activation helps make sure the copy of Windows is genuine and not installed on more devices than the license allows. Upon activation, Microsoft generates a digital certificate that can be easily connected to a Microsoft account or restored after an OS reinstall.
I can not believe this.
My official Microsoft Store Windows 10 Pro key did not activate. The support team couldn’t help me yesterday.Raised today. Official Microsoft Support (not a scam) logged in with Quick Assist and ran a command to activate Windows.
BRO IT’S COD
WITHOUT CAPITAL pic.twitter.com/0vcRGu9PDE— TCNO/TroubleChute (@TCNOco) March 11, 2023
Gone are the days when Windows users had to endure the nasty Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) DRM protection to reassure Microsoft that Windows XP SP3 or Windows Vista are legitimate, but Windows activation still causes headaches for legitimate users, while pirates have no problem at all. . Pyburn contacted the team that manages the server Microsoft employee Massgrave uses.
Massgrave is an unofficial repository for Windows and Office activators. The group has confirmed that this method is neither official nor legal, and that this is not the first time someone has reported official Microsoft support using scripts. Pyburn said he was taken aback as he bought the license to avoid unpleasant surprises such as malware or rootkits. “Then they’ll crack it for me,” Pyburn said.
Microsoft told BleepingComputer that it is committed to “providing best-in-class support for our customers” and that the method used to activate the Pyburn OS is against company policy. Now Redmond is “investigating” to determine who the script-loving support agent is and why he used the script. The company said it will take “appropriate steps” to ensure employees follow the procedures and protocols it has in place for help desk personnel performing Windows activation.
