Microsoft Windows Vista will take some little steps to curtail piracy than previous versions of its operating system, including crippling the usefulness of computers found to be running unlicensed copies of the new software. Microsofts said that pirated Vista versions will initially be denied access to some of the most anticipated features like Windows Aero, an improved graphics technology. If a legitimate copy is not bought within 30 days, the system will restricting users for example to use the Web browser for an hour at a time.

Under that scenario, a person could use the browser to surf the Web, access documents on the hard drive or log onto Web-based e-mail. But the user would not be able to directly open documents from the computer desktop or run other programs such as Outlook e-mail software, Lindeman said.

Microsoft said it won't stop a computer running pirated Vista software from working completely, and it will continue to deliver critical security updates.

The company also said it has added more sophisticated technology for monitoring whether a system is pirated. For example, the system will be able to perform some piracy checks internally, without contacting Microsoft, Lindeman said.

Source: Yahoo!