The Science of Activation

Download The Science of Activation | 2 MB

The Science of Activation | 2 MB

Chew7 is the only activation solution that disables the loathed "calling home" feature (spyware) that is embedded into the software protection platform of Windows. In Windows XP days, when WGA was first released, it quickly became apparent to the more self conscious technologically inclined users, that Microsoft was retrieving personally identifiable information from its users without notice on a daily basis (every time the system boots up and then on a 24 hour interval after that). Now they have switched to a robust "software protection platform" built into the framework of the operating system itself, and they've changed this 24 hour grab interval to something much less conspicuous — 14 days, so it's no wonder most people haven't caught on to what's happening. Even with a firewall installed, most of us are inclined to simply ignore notices about Windows components connecting to the internet without apparent cause. Private information like names and internet protocol addresses, browsing history, and sometimes even files that they deem to require further investigation, are being sent over the internet. What do they do with all this information? It's anyone's guess, but the way we see it, it's certainly an invasion of rights to privacy. Will they admit to it? Probably not; it's spyware after all.

Compatibility

Windows 7 Starter
Windows 7 Home Basic
Windows 7 Home Premium
Windows 7 Professional
Windows 7 Enterprise
Windows 7 Ultimate
Windows N Premium
Windows N Professional
Windows N Enterprise
Windows N Ultimate
Windows Server 2008 R2 Foundation
Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard
Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise
Windows Server 2008 R2 Datacenter
Windows Web Server 2008 R2
Windows HPC Server 2008
Windows Server 2008 R2 for Itanium-Based Systems
Windows Home Server V2 (codename: Vail)
Potential False Positives

File Hashes (Chew7.exe)

Disclaimer

Chew7 is a software tool intended for educational and security research purposes only. The authors and beta testers take no responsibility for the way you use it or any problems that may arise as a result of its use. If you decide to use it, you may be breaking your Microsoft Windows license agreement. Do not access, use, or in any way utilize this software if it is in conflict with any of your state, federal, or local laws. By obtaining or possessing a copy of this software or a derivative of its original package, you are acknowledging that you are personally responsible for its use and possessorship.

Changes since v1.0

2010-07-28
added patch for Initial Configuration Tasks and Server Manager for R2, but it does make patching take longer
2010-07-27
changed logging to not report a SKIP for files not present
removed SKIP result status altogether from logging since it became essentially useless
improved system architecture check by referring to the registry, directory structure and environment variables
2010-07-26
added wlms patch for the Windows License Monitoring Service on Windows Embedded Standard x64 and x86
fixed a small glitch where reinstall would give OKAY status on wlms, caused by a missing exit call
2010-07-21
added a file size check for cwlog.dtl, so that upon boot if it is greater than 500KB, it is emptied
changed installer to delete existing cwlog.dtl file upon patch initialization
removed resource hogging file comparisons to determine patched status
incorporated crc32 hashing to determine if target is already patched
added chew7 registry key deletion upon install / uninstall failure
2010-07-20
attempted to correct windows update conflict by only preventing disruptive anti-patch transactions
fixed version reporter applet (winver) expiration notification issue
fixed explorer crash caused by an incorrect binary string replacement on system cpl x64
2010-07-19
fixed dynamic patching for System CPL to always show activated regardless of existing status
added registry entry to specify last attempt
2010-07-18
removed scheduled task for running hale, and for periodic emptying of detail log
removed exit and added a reprocess loop (prevents repeated unpacking, and adds better protection)
interval now defines wait time between runs instead of forcing a schedule
changed IntervalMinutes registry value to IntervalSeconds
changed default interval to 30 seconds (was 3 minutes)
changed minimum interval to 0 seconds (was 1 minute)
changed maximum interval to 600 seconds (same limit, was 10 minutes)
changed detail logging to only store the latest run
2010-07-14
removed extraneous random number generator for registry entries
changed to not add a new runonce registry entry when unnecessary 

Below is a link to Chew7 v1.1, which is FREEWARE so if you're reading this from a website claiming that you need to buy it or do something special to obtain it, then you're in the wrong place.

DOWNLOAD HERE