20091112

Don't pay for the full version of Win7

Check out this post from Woody Leonard over at Windows Secrets. In it, Woody talks about using the Windows 7 "upgrade" disc from Microsoft to perform a clean install. Most people think that, they MUST have a fully authenticated, valid copy of Windows running on their target PC in order to use the upgrade disc. If not, they feel they must purchase the more expensive "full version" of the operating system to get Windows 7 on their machine.



As Woody correctly points out, that is not the case. Turns out the Windows installer does not verify if the version of Windows you are starting from is valid or not. Just the version you are going to.

What does this mean? In simple terms, it means anybody can install a pirated copy of Windows on their machine, purchase a legit upgrade version of Win7, and get a fully validated copy of Win7 running on their machine for the price of the upgrade!

Why would MS leave so many "holes" in their process to allow folks to "steal" the upgrade version of Win7? Simple. They don't care. Really.

Think about it. All those pirates out there running stolen versions of Windows. That must irk the guys in Redmond to no end. Then they all chuckle when they "get a deal" by using the upgrade disc instead of the full version.

My guess is MS knows exactly what they are doing and could give a rip if the pirates do this. First, believe it or not, pirated copies of Windows are a small percentage of the total. Secondly, these guys were sliding by, perhaps for years, for FREE. Now they will be PAYING for a legit copy of Windows. This is the best way to bring them into the fold. And MS makes money to boot. It's a great deal for everybody.

There are actually a few different ways to get your version of Win7 authenticated without paying the full version price. See Woody's column for all the gory details. You should also check out Paul Thurott's excellent Windows pages.

Have fun...and get Win7...this time MS is for real. And it's worth it!
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4 comments:

  1. Bill Jackson8:20 AM

    Of course that assumes that you WANT windows....


    (or that you don't have a friend who works at Microsoft who can buy it for you REALLY cheap)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Tom1:34 PM

    Well of course that is true. Believe it or not a lot of people do. And very few know how cheap it can be purchased for at the MS store!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous2:09 AM

    I have NIB copies of Windows XP, and Vista (purchased at the MS store) that I never used. Maybe I should buy a couple copies of the Win7 upgrade (at the MS store) and sell the package on Craiglist to recoup my losses???

    ReplyDelete
  4. Tom7:18 AM

    Why spend more cash you may not get back? If you have NIB, legal copies of XP and Vista, go on eBay and sell them! They are not worthless. People can install them and then go get the Win7 upgrade themselves. It's free money at this point.
    Thanks for the comment.

    ReplyDelete

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