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Microsoft has announced an update which will detect two cracks commonly used to activate pirated copies of the operating system. One of the cracks refered to as Grace Timer, extended Vista's activation grace period, upto 2099. The other called as OEM BIOS, modified system files and the PC's BIOS to mimic the product activation done by computer-makers at the factory. If the sniffer detects an activation hack, it will pop up a warning that includes a link to the removal tool. Although SP1 will block these two cracks, "it's important to note that this update does not disable the exploits it finds," says Alex Kochis "It simply alerts customers that exploits exist." However, MS will release a separate crack-removal tool at the same time that it rolls out the detection update.

Update for Windows Vista (KB940510)

Download size: 3.0 MB

You may need to restart your computer for this update to take effect.

Update type: Important

Install this update to enable Windows Vista to detect software that bypasses product activation and interferes with normal Windows operation.

More information:
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=99255

Help and Support:
http://support.microsoft.com

Its actually does turn out to be a main update, and no hidden installation.I think even if you try to cancel/hide the update it does get installed automatically.I hope pirates do not find a way, but if they do, that would be no surprise!

What happens after downloading the update (KB940510)?

Read More at : Windows Vista Guide