Microsoft closes forced activation flaw in Windows 8

Until recently, it was possible to run copies of Windows 8 without a valid license by using a Media Center key. The elaborate and, of course, illegal trick involved activating Windows 8 temporarily with the help of a bogus Key Management Server (KMS). By subsequently enabling the Media Center with a product key, which is currently available free of charge, Windows could be activated permanently without the appropriate license.

Microsoft has now closed this loophole. Neowin reports that attempting to do so now produces a code 0xC004C4AA error message. According to Microsoft, this error code points out that the user has tried to enable the Media Center on a copy of Windows that wasn't "purchased on the Windows website or at a retail store".