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Microsoft will not grant pirates Windows 10 license and support

Even though Microsoft Corp. will let owners of PCs running pirated versions of Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 to upgrade to Windows 10 free of charge, it will not grant them a free license. As a result, users of such operating systems will not get support and will face other limitations.

“With Windows 10, although non-genuine PCs may be able to upgrade to Windows 10, the upgrade will not change the genuine state of the license,” said a spokesperson for Microsoft in an interview with VentureBeat. “Non-genuine Windows is not published by Microsoft. It is not properly licensed or supported by Microsoft or a trusted partner.”

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Earlier this week it was announced that Microsoft will provide an opportunity to update all computers based on all current versions of Windows to Windows 10 absolutely free regardless of the presence or absence of a license in the first year of Windows 10 availability. As a result, users of pirated versions of operating systems will have a unique opportunity to get a new OS absolutely free and without any need to crack it. At present, it is not clear what constraints will the owners of unlicensed Windows 10 face, but it is likely that they will not be able to obtain certain updates for the OS, which will limit their experience.

“We will provide a mechanism for non-genuine Windows 10 PC devices to ‘get genuine’ via the new Windows Store, whether they are upgraded versions of Windows or purchased,” the representative for Microsoft said. “We will have details on this as we get closer to launch.”

Microsoft has already said that it will distribute Windows 10 among device makers for free and will monetize its operating system by selling subscriptions, programs, games and services. Therefore, it is in Microsoft’s best interests to maximize the number of active Windows 10 ecosystem users.

While PC makers will not have to pay for Windows, many other types of customers, including individual end-users (who assemble PCs themselves, want to install Windows 10 on an older PC running Windows XP or on an Apple Mac) and enterprises will have to. The software giant has not announced prices of its new OS for such types of users.

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Microsoft Windows 10 will run on personal computers, tablets, smartphones, Xbox game consoles as well as on various types of devices belonging to the “Internet-of-Things” world, such as wearable electronics. The operating system will address billions of devices, according to the software giant.

Microsoft Windows 10 will be available this summer in 190 countries on 111 languages.

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KitGuru Says: Sometimes Microsoft is a company that is hard to understand. Providing Windows 10 free of charge to current users of the Microsoft operating system is fully consistent with the interests of the world's largest software developer. If Microsoft plans to monetize the OS by selling additional services, programs, content and other things, then it does not need to punish people, who once installed pirated copies of Windows. Nonetheless, Microsoft plans to charge those users for the OS, which will be provided free to others. Hopefully, the charge will not be high.

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14 comments

  1. If people are using cracked versions of Windows 7 and 8, what makes Microsoft think they won’t use a cracked version of Windows 10 (with OS updates) as well?

  2. Even on genuine windows, the main function of windows updates is to break your OS.

  3. Derek Johnstone Macrae

    many will ask “whats the fucking point then ?”

  4. Tis what i’m wondering myself. What’s stopping them from cracking it? And what will it stop? Store access? LOL

  5. Usual Microsoft logic!
    They should stars selling PC like what Apple does, not just half arsery with tablets and phones.
    Thus, OEM would ship more linux distro.

  6. I would just put ads on pirated versions, making money and haters at the same time 😀

  7. I think microsoft should take a leaf out of valves book on this one. If it’s useful make it free.

  8. LOL
    (I know it’s true)

  9. I think (and for me personally) all they have to do it’s just lower the price. I understand that the OS it’s a very important piece needed for a PC, but when it’s as expensive as 2~3 component parts of a decent PC then people will obviously buy those parts with that money and just pirate the OS since it’s free and faster to do.

  10. They’re idiots that keep assuming that “pirates” are idiots.

  11. Justin Kyle Ramos

    Then that would make you lose potential customers (POTENTIAL!!! not customer customers)

  12. Justin Kyle Ramos

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  14. true.. but Microsoft can’t get anything right.. including protecting their own software. BUT.. regarding the updates.. they force you to update. I have noticed many times that my computer mysteriously gets very sluggish, and nothing will make it speed up again until the updates are applied. // regarding Windows 10, don’t expect much. Windows 10 is complete except for one problem.. it doesn’t install! They haven’t managed to figure out how to upgrade Windows 8.1 to Windows 10. So, unless doing a clean install from scratch, you can’t install Windows 10. There are more than enough angry Microsoft employees and ex-employees to ensure that it will always be crackable. In fact, on computers where I had legitmate licensed windows installed, I was forced to install a pirated version, because the “genuine” version would have a problem, and not allow an in-place upgrade that would activate. I’m tired of Microsoft stealing and extorting money from me for their faulty, pathetic software. And then there is this.. when your Windows has a problem.. just try getting tech support for it. Forget it! Their answer to everything is “do a clean install”.