Using Unlicensed Windows

[ArmiLegge]

Is it a sin to used unlicensed Windows? (the one with limited features and watermark in the side).

Is this also piracy?

I don’t want to download a licensed one that is pirated.

Thank You!

 

[adamhovey1988]

If it is licensed by Microsoft, and you went through legal means to get it, don’t worry about it.

 

[porthos11]

Is it a sin to used unlicensed Windows? (the one with limited features and watermark in the side).

Is this also piracy?

I don’t want to download a licensed one that is pirated.

Thank You!

No, of course not. Since it’s not licensed and you have the Activation Required watermark, you are simply using it as Microsoft intended, that is, subject to the limitations it has imposed on unlicensed software. For Windows 10, it’s not a lot, but it’s still crippleware, so you’re simply accepting the conditions Microsoft has laid down.

Do not attempt to pirate licensed software. Without commenting on any moral questions on that, that’s one of the best ways to get malware on your computer.

 

[HomeschoolDad]

Does Microsoft make their unlicensed version available free of charge? (I didn’t know there was an unlicensed version!)

If so, there is absolutely no problem.

Most basic software functions can be obtained free of charge online, perfectly legal and ethical shareware, much of it open-source. Linux works great as an OS if you don’t mind hunting down “canonical this” and “canonical that” as add-ons for Ubuntu (which I find a royal pain myself, but maybe that’s just me). I run Linux on one of my machines. Open Office, while quirky here and there, works just as well as MS Word and Excel, at least for home purposes. I haven’t bought a software suite in years — it’s all shareware. (And do remember to make a small donation to the developers.)

 

[porthos11]

Does Microsoft make their unlicensed version available free of charge? (I didn’t know there was an unlicensed version!)

If so, there is absolutely no problem.

Yes, this is the case with Windows 10. Microsoft has become much more lenient with Windows 10 than with previous versions. Some minor features are disabled and you cannot use enterprise-grade features such as joining an Active Directory domain.

 

[Kaninchen]

Linux works great as an OS if you . . . .

. . . don’t mind having to do a bit of work from time to time.

 

[HomeschoolDad]

HomeschoolDad:

Linux works great as an OS if you . . . .

. . . don’t mind having to do a bit of work from time to time.

Quite right. While it works well, you do have to do a lot of legwork, which is done for you with Windows. I use it on an older machine, but I am thinking of reloading Windows, possibly installing more RAM, and repurposing that machine into a dedicated video server, so I can connect it to my digital TV. Google Chromecast has its limits — good for YouTube, not so good for other video apps.

 

[Kaninchen]

People new to it shouldn’t stray far from Ubuntu or a Mint derivative.

Both of us have Linux machines as well as Windows - we’ve both been fascinated by computers since we were students in the late 80’s/early 90’s.

You can have quite an interesting time playing with the awkwardness of different distros using Hyper-V on Windows Professional. Far less work than installing one on a machine only to find it’s a disaster.

We’ve got LG Smart TVs which do all the hard work for us, thank goodness, plug in the satellite cable, plug in the Internet, plug in a hard drive for recording and off you go.