thanks to theregister.co.uk for this gem
.....
Microsoft has quietly slipped a Universally Unique ID (UUID) into the ISO of build 2600 of Windows XP, thus giving itself the capability of tracking code leaks back to whoever it was that leaked them. News of the UUID's presence originally broke in the Microsoft beta newsgroups, but the matter has been followed up by Steve Gibson of GRC after postings were forwarded to him.
The UUID is located 9400 bytes from the start of the file, and is a HEX ASCII identifier which specifies the downloader's beta test ID and the IP address they're downloading from. So, all Microsoft has to do is download the warez ISO images of 2600 that are currently spreading through the usual channels. It then knows whose beta ID was used to leak the software, and can maybe figure out a little more of what's been going on from the IP address.
Naturally this only works for copies of the ISO that have leaked before the warez guys and any careless beta testers figured out what was going on. If the UUID is simply a standalone serial number or similar, then it should be fairly simple for them to obliterate it, and carry on happily distributing Microsoft's intellectual property as before.
Microsoft will still have got some useful information about the leaker(s). If the company's viewing the matter with any degree of sophistication, it's going to be interested in figuring out what leakers have in common, and how many there are, rather than in busting the individual culprits (although they can no doubt kiss goodbye to their chances in future beta tests).
But even if it is just an easily removable identifier at this juncture, you can see the potential. Microsoft could put in dependencies so that software wouldn't install if the UUID had been messed around with. It could use the UUID to uniquely identify the software once it was actually installed on a PC, possibly giving itself the ability to identify and break installations that had derived from unauthorised leaks.
It's highly unlikely that anything as extreme has been implemented in build 2600, and Microsoft will surely think long and hard before unleashing this kind of system on users in general. But maybe some day, in the wonderful world of .NET, it might start to wonder how much more it could get away with. And meanwhile, we can all wonder what else might be lurking in there, somewhere... ®

double posts......
thanks 4 the info, though u should give credit 2 the source.. unless u've written this urself?
-Cam

lol he did give credit at the beginning

woopsy
I apoligize, didn't mean to ... yea, sry =)
-Cam

I'll just stick with 2000, thanks all the same.

I think xp looks r4z0r sh4rp!! I wish I could install it on this comp, but if I start messing with anything my mum would go balastic

been thinking of maybe screwing this one up so bad that we have to get a new one, and then I could chip in so we could get a REALLY good one. Then I could make a dual boot, one with her part and one with mine... would this be possible?
like have win98se with all her stupid programs on one partation that is like 3 gb, then the rest could be mine
can it be done?
-CAm

yes you can do that

is there a way to make one disc unaccesible from one partation?
Like I could protect mine when she boots up, and hers would be protected when I booted... can this be done?

humm well you could install your partion as ntfs & hers on fat32 so 98 will not beable to see the ntfs partion but you can see & write to her drive (this set up is keeping it very simple)

yea.. sounds good, I guess the I can live without the access restrictions.. only a bozo would go to another drive and mess up

Now I only need to mess this comp up, without making it obvious
-Cam

take the battery out of the bios lol & unplug for an hour
pc will still be good once you get a new one

Just make sure she doesn't have someone else look at the computer.

Or take the chip out and pull something important off the motherboard.... then you can just purchase another used motherboard or something which isnt the greatest but its a little bit safer plan if she has someone else look at it.

well if she has someone look at it just make sure to leave the battery laying in the case lol

you can alway say damn how did that happen chances are the person that looks at it will try to sell her a new puter anyway

LOL I bet

that makes some sense.

there is a battery connected to the bios? how do I pull this out?
and ... what will this do to it?
-Cam

Your joking right cam?

lol

The bios battery is what runs your motherboard while the cpu and everything is off and unplugged.... it keeps the internal clock ticking at the right time....... it keeps your bios settings in place.....

requirments to pulling bios battery one Eye & one finger
caution careful use of thses tool required. do not put finger in eye ..

ok just joking . Pulling the battery is very easy man
as faar as what it will do just lose track of time & your boi settings all you have to do it plug battery in & do your set up
when you want it right again

so all this will screw up is the clock on the comp? how is this going to project the image of a destroyed comp?

and compact, I wasn't kidding. I'm really a n00b
-Cam

well it will lose all the settings in the bois so when they fire it up they will be taking to the bois screen first cuasing them to freak out seeing something they know nothing about lol just try it ! you just can't hurt anything by trying it .
the only other thing you can do is format the hard drive (only thing I can think of atm)
then when they fire it up nothing is there hehe but I don't recommend that lol

how about taking out the hd and stomping on it?
or take out the processor and using a candle on it for a few min, then putting it back in
naa... I'll c what we can figure out, might not have to go to such extreme measures
thanks 4 the help guys
-Cam

well the way I'm telling you to do it you could fix it right after you guy's buy another one lol
& no data will be lost off the hard drive

Install something like magic folders or folder guard

hehe, ok.. perhaps I'll give it a shot
how do I fix it again?

pop the battery back in & set up the bois very easy man

You really shouldn't have to pop the battery. There's always a jumper right by your bios. It'll be labeled "Clear CMOS" or something simular. Move that jumper over, power on your 'puter, turn power off and reset the jumper. All your settings are back to the default. And your clock is WAY off.

This message brought to you by Pepsi. The choice of hackers, crackers, pirates and copyright infringers everywhere.

this is true

so ... mess up bios = new comp .. hmmm
I'll keep ya updated to what I choose to do

now.... how would I go about setting up that duel boot thing? I know I'm getting a bit ahead of myself here, but I was thinking of having 98se on one boot and xp on the other. ...
-CAm

very easy make 2 partitions install win98se then after that install XP on ther other partion you can boot from cd or even install from 98 when it ask if you want to upgrade chose NO then select the other partion when it ask if you want to change the format chose NO again that way it will instyall on the fat32 you set up ahead of time
should be that easy it's not hard man all you have to do is try it .