MS are well aware of this loophole but do not plan to close it.
"People without a licensed copy of XP that use this workaround are violating the terms of use agreed to when they purchased the upgrade version of Windows Vista," a Microsoft spokesman told vnunet.com.
"As such, we believe only a very small percentage of people will take the time to implement this workaround, and we encourage all customers to follow our official guidelines for upgrading to Windows Vista."
Microsoft added that it does not have any plans to disable the workaround at this time.
http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/21...on-patch-vista
The enthusiasm greeting the eventual release of Vista is somewhat muted, to say the least.
By winking at this unofficial upgrade path MS are desperately hoping to increase the sluggish uptake of their latest games-unfriendly, DRM-ridden behemoth.
"Then, slowly, and with hardly a whisper of sound... out of the huge cleft in the mountain peak there slowly emerged... a tiny little mouse." Aesop