"exactly how Will MS "POP IN" and check a hard drive not connected to the internet???" Good point, but you're going to have to get the warez somehow, aren't you? That, or you're going to have to get a second computer and park 'em on that. .Net is also moving towards this thing called "application service providers", where the box will be online whether you want it to or not, else the thing will just crap out after a period of time. I never said that warez kiddies would be stopped cold. However, most warez users (average folks who think it's okay to steal software for various reasons) have a single computer, and it is usually hooked up to the Internet. The rest just falls into place from there. Sure, the die-hard punks will still have their illegal goods, but the vast majority of everyone else won't all the sudden, and the punks who do survive will have to put up some serious obstacles and jump through some mammoth hoops (for both software and hardware) to keep MS from snooping but still use pirated MS-compatible software. This will discourage even more kiddies from playing the game and instead go legit. When it comes to popping warez kiddies, 3/4 glass of water is far more refreshing than an empty one, yes? BTW, it's not "fearmongering" at all. DRM is already well underway and is discussed heavily in IT watching circles (ferinstance, search for "DRM" in http://www.theregister.co.uk ), and you have only to read the EULA in SP3 for Win2k or SP1 for WinXP... You don't have to take my word for it - go find out for yourself. /P