Either I’ve been saying stupid things lately, or people don’t understand me.
I’d better go back to drilling holes in my computer. A therapeutic measure, so to speak.
By the way, Windows Vista has been cracked yet again, and this time very successfully. In short: Windows, sold preinstalled by major computer manufacturers (OEM), does not require activation. The crack fools Windows into thinking that it is installed on a computer made by ASUS or DELL. Microsoft’s problem is that it cannot block this—otherwise computers made by ASUS/DELL/etc. will stop working. And trying to detect that Windows is being fooled is pointless—the hackers will immediately release a new version of the crack. So this method looks like a pretty good long-term solution.
Here is the link (in English, not a particularly simple explanation)