Microsoft: Pirates Won't Get Windows 10 for Free, Stop Dreaming

[Karamjit]

Watermarks will invade your desktop, the company says

Statements that were released by Microsoft officials in the last few weeks created more confusion among existing Windows users who planned to upgrade to Windows 10, with some believing that the new operating system could be offered free of charge even in the case of non-genuine copies of Windows 7 and 8.1.

In a blog post today, Terry Myerson, head of the Windows division at Microsoft, finally confirms that Windows 10 won't be offered free of charge to pirates, pointing out that in case your copy of Windows 10 won't be genuine, watermarks will invade your desktop until you buy a license.

Myerson explains that those who purchase a new device that comes with that non-genuine watermark warning on the desktop are recommended to return it and request another one with a genuine copy of Windows.

“Non-Genuine Windows has a high risk of malware, fraud, public exposure of your personal information, and a higher risk for poor performance or feature malfunctions. Non-Genuine Windows is not supported by Microsoft or a trusted partner,” he said.

Special offers for pirates coming

OK, so Windows 10 won't be free for pirates. But that's not the end of the world, Microsoft says. Those who won't continue using a pirated copy of Windows 10 and want to go genuine will be provided with special deals to purchase licenses for the new operating system.

“In partnership with some of our valued OEM partners, we are planning very attractive Windows 10 upgrade offers for their customers running one of their older devices in a Non-Genuine state,” Myerson explained.

Details are not provided right now, but expect discounts for those who are already on a pirated version of Windows, although it's pretty hard to imagine how such a program would work. A pirate would have to admit he's a pirate to get a genuine license of Windows 10, which is pretty difficult given the fact that it's legal, but time will tell if Microsoft's plan's going to work.

From: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-Pirates-Won-t-Get-Windows-10-for-Free-Stop-Dreaming-481360.shtml

[someone there]

We heard the same story before they released windows 8.

[jimbojet2011]

Keep on dreaming Microsoft <_< No watermark will invade my desktop ( do you wanna bet? )

[lookmann]

I concur with both the comments above,

It is only a matter of time before someone comes out with (non-MS) Genuine validation software, usually within 3 to 4 months max.

[virge]

If Windows 10 is $19.99 for a full version, then there will be no reason to pirate it.

[CODYQX4]

If Windows 10 is $19.99 for a full version, then there will be no reason to pirate it.

$20 for Pro right out of their app store, and no more product keys sounds good to me. End the HW checks and just bind the license to your account. We'll make sure you don't have it running on 1000 PCs, but you'll get at least 5 uses.

I kinda like the App Store model (Not the restrictions though. The day all apps are store only with restrictions will be the death of computing as we know it) as far as getting auto updates, lifetime licenses, etc, right through one place.

[banned]

Microsoft's goal is to have Windows 10 on a billion devices within a few years. Considering half a billion Windows XP users still, making it inexpensive will probably go a long way. The problem of course is that Microsoft has to pay all them code monkeys, and newer versions of Windows have demanding system requirements (DirectX9+, 1-2GB of RAM, and NX-capable processor for instance) with virtually non-existent performance on anything but new hardware.

[CODYQX4]

Microsoft's goal is to have Windows 10 on a billion devices within a few years. Considering half a billion Windows XP users still, making it inexpensive will probably go a long way. The problem of course is that Microsoft has to pay all them code monkeys, and newer versions of Windows have demanding system requirements (DirectX9+, 1-2GB of RAM, and NX-capable processor for instance) with virtually non-existent performance on anything but new hardware.

It isn't so much XP, but the crippleware many run it on.

I had bottom of the barrel junk laptops in 2007 that met all the specs you threw off. Would it run 10 like a champ? Doubtful, damn thing ran Vista/7/XP like crap, but it would probably run 10. They've actually got things running better from 7-8, but any full blown PC with 1-2GB RAM is going to suffer still. I don't even see them sell stuff under 4GB anymore (especially since Netbooks failed hardcore).

I think many of the spec blocking has been a bit arbitrary, as you can still run the OS on a slow machine. But I don't think I've touched a PC without NX in much longer than I would have any understanding of it. I mean every 8 year old device I've used has had it, cheap or not.

People running 15 year old dust clogged towers? Forget about it. Damn if I didn't diagnose someone having a shot motherboard on one, and I offered to reinstall stuff free and that they could get a newer used PC that would run circles around the old one for less than the cost of repair. They chose to sink $200+ to have the POS motherboard fixed/replaced on it, still tied to a PC from the 90s, because some people just know better than everyone else.

That PC will never run anything newer than XP, and it will run XP so awfully I'd blow my head off with a shotgun if I had to use it for productive purposes.

I don't see MS ever getting back into phones. Windows Mobile doesn't have the apps, and they know it, so they just want to slurp them up with emulators (yeah BlackBerry totally came back after doing this to Android), and they won't care about looks or performance. MS doesn't care. At least Apple is smart enough to know that nobody wants to use a scaled iOS app on a 27in iMac. MS doesn't give a damn and they force the Metro app turd down our throats thinking they can put a gun to Desktop users to somehow win at mobile.

All the meanwhile they blew their shot to let go of IE. Microsoft Edge? Seriously? With a crappier looking E icon? We know better. It's going to suck a whole lot less than IE8, but it will continue to be inferior to Firefox and Chrome.

I don't know how much is not wanting to upgrade vs not wanting to replace HW. 7 was a good upgrade. I can't blame anyone for not mass deploying 8.X though, and I'm still not sure 10 will get it right, but at least MS is stepping on the right path in some cases (but the Start Menu is still garbage, I'm using a custom one guaranteed).

[avinash_44]

My OS 8.1 activated by Novemeber_rain in this forum,

Will it get win 10 genuine or they will need keys

[player]

My OS 8.1 activated by Novemeber_rain in this forum,

Will it get win 10 genuine or they will need keys

don't you feel lame by pushing an illegal copy that far?

[dcs18]

:tehe: :lmao:

[avinash_44]

My OS 8.1 activated by Novemeber_rain in this forum,

Will it get win 10 genuine or they will need keys

don't you feel lame by pushing an illegal copy that far?

so we not getting it ,,,,I wish I could have gone for XP but XP is dead

[player]

so we not getting it ,,,,I wish I could have gone for XP but XP is dead

ok here's a non-personal objective respond: november_rain either provided phone-activation / MAK-key for your OS.

Phone-activate=serial already widely leeched

MAK-key=Volume License=Enterprise EULA. M$ officially announced no free update for Enterprise edition of OS. Personally, I think that apply to all MAK-key licensed machine which means some of Pro edition would get no free update either. It only makes sense that way.