Remixed versions of Windows abound on file-sharing networks, supercharged with the latest security patches, tools and applications.
Pirated copies of Microsoft's operating system have existed as long as chintzy PC owners themselves. But now pirates are doing more than just cracking Windows -- they claim to be improving it.
There's a lot of extra space on a standard Windows XP CD, especially if the downloadable disc images (the standard format for distributing pirated operating systems) are designed to be burned to DVD. That leaves room to add a whole library of complementary software -- even multiple versions of Windows.
The Super WinPE Ultimate Boot CD 2004 Pro, readily available on file-sharing networks like BitTorrent, offers seven different versions of Windows XP on a single DVD.
In addition to two Chinese variants of Windows, the Super WinPE disc includes dozens of boot-time utilities for troubleshooting system snafus. One is an experimental "pre-installation environment" that uses a "mini-Windows XP" for system scanning and file recovery, similar to the popular Knoppix LiveCD version of Linux.
Some Windows remixes are continual works in progress, with new editions showing up almost daily from the same "author," who makes changes based on feedback from downloaders.
Minimalism defines many tweaked versions. Windows XP SP2 Corporate Edition is 580 MB in stock form, but can be pared down to as little as 235 MB, the size of the so-called "WinXP SP2 Lite Edition."
The Lite Edition strips out everything but the very basics: no Windows Media Player, no documentation and a far smaller library of drivers. It also forgoes the standard check for minimum system requirements, shortening the overall install process.
In fact, many cracked editions feature an install process that dispenses entirely with the standard setup dialog. Pop in the system burned to CD, reboot, and a few minutes later come back to a freshly installed, custom copy of Windows.
Some of the remixes are even simpler, offering "slipstreamed" service packs and patches from Microsoft to bring the OS up to date with the most recent security fixes.
The process of slipstreaming -- inserting newer code in place of old -- isn't illegal in and of itself. (Microsoft advocates the process for system administrators.) But distributing modified versions of Windows is just as illegal as distributing unaltered copies.
"Our patches are not redistributable, but are free for our customers to download conveniently from Microsoft.com," said a Microsoft spokeswoman. "The reason for this is there is a risk of tampering. Users should always look for patches directly from the software publisher. In this case, Microsoft."
Which begs the question: What's to stop OS tweakers from installing spyware and other malicious software?
For example, one version of the "Scene Edition" Windows remix required downloaders to visit a website in Germany to acquire a missing piece of the disc image, prompting users to accuse the pirate of sleazy site-promotion tactics.
The fly-by-night nature of many users of file-distribution networks makes it difficult for a particular remix or cracker to earn a bad reputation, although popular torrent-tracking websites like The Pirate Bay allow user comments, which may reveal less-than-egalitarian motives.
Microsoft has offered low-cost versions of its own operating systems in the past, such as "Windows XP N" in Europe or "Windows XP Starter Edition" in parts of Asia. For those who can't or won't pay for a legit copy of Windows, though, these juiced-up copies may be the last refuge of the security-conscious.
Microsoft no longer allows cracked versions of Windows to receive updates and security patches (although the system's check mechanism was quickly cracked), forcing people with cracked copies to slipstream security patches in themselves.
Or -- with much less effort -- they can download a pre-modified version.
Attempts to interview OS pirates were unsuccessful. Only one replied to more than half a dozen e-mail queries, and that individual declined to comment.
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