On Tue, 6 Jun 1995 10:26:08 +0200 Bernd Lehle wrote: >Can anybody confirm this ? A little late for April Fool's Day... :-) > >> > Microsoft officials confirm that beta versions of Windows 95 include a >> > small viral routine called Registration Wizard. It interrogates every >> > system on a network gathering intelligence on what software is being run >> > on which machine. It then creates a complete listing of both Microsoft's >> > and competitors' products by machine, which it reports to Microsoft when >> > customers sign up for Microsoft's Network Services, due for launch later >> > this year. >> > >> > "In Short" column, page 88, _Information Week_ magazine, May 22, 1995 >> > No idea about accuracy of any of this, but I saw this yesterday. --------------- Michael Brennen Intecom, Inc. mbrennen@intecom.com 5057 Keller Springs (214) 447-8074 Dallas, TX 75248 ************************************************************************** from The Risks Digest, volume 17 issue 6 at URL: http://catless.ncl.ac.uk/ re: Microsoft plans corporate espionage <ASaunders@aol.com> Wed, 24 May 1995 15:02:16 -0400 cnorloff@tecnet1.jcte.jcs.mil writes: " Microsoft officials confirm that beta versions of Windows 95 include a small viral routine called Registration Wizard. ... Unfortunately Information Week got it wrong. The registration wizard is nothing more than an electronic version of the ordinary reg card that ships with every software product today. Its use is optional, it does not interrogate every PC on a network, and the user chooses what information will be transmitted. I have enclosed a copy of a response we wrote on this, which you can get from ftp.microsoft.com/peropsys/win_news/regwiz.txt if you wish. Alec Saunders, Microsoft Corporation, alecs@microsoft.com -- A recent trade publication article contained inaccuracies regarding the purpose and operation of the Registration Wizard, the on-line registration application in Windows 95. The purpose of the Registration Wizard is to offer an electronic version of the paper-based Registration Card that traditionally comes with all Microsoft products. The Registration Wizard asks for similar information to that listed in the paper-based registration card, such as your hardware configuration and applications usage. Just like with a traditional registration card, providing this information is optional. A customer using the Registration Wizard receives dialog prompts asking them whether they would like to send this information. They must actively click 'send' for any information to be sent. There are lots of benefits to customers that provide this information - such as product update mailings and improved product support because the product support engineer can refer to your exact system configuration information on-line. In the end, though, sending this information is optional and a conscious decision by the user. Microsoft traditionally does not make information gathered during the registration process available to third-parties. If the customer chooses to send system and software information to Microsoft with the Registration Wizard, it is a one-way, one-time occurrence and takes place at the time the customer selects 'send.'