Unlicensed Windows or Windows genuine?

[Losing_grip]

I was thinking if we should really all go for pirated Windows OR the licensed Windows? The computer at our sala is licensed , same goes to my dad and sister laptop's , but the computer at my room is pirated windows. I mean , why pay that much if you can really get it for free and just use some tools that would make your computer recognize as genuine so you can download updates and stuff. It's like warez , the internet set me free



Just my 99 cents.

[G-Brain]

Hell, why use it at all?

[ayu]

Hell, why use it at all?

Amen

[floodhound2]

True you can run all the hacked shit on your box you want, but now it is getting more difficult to run 3rd party features.

for example:

Netflix. You cant watch instant movies on Firefox, or a pirated copy of windows "for now anyways". So your in the dark until some other person gets you a solution.

From my point of view - I bought a real windows copy because for twelve or so years I have been cracking and re-cracking the dam systems. Plain and simple "I got tired and gave in for 80 dollars", one hour worth of work that will last me years.

[isapiens]

fuck that. Chances are i am going to loose that CD in a year or two. Is Microsoft gona give me a copy for free?

Plus the fact that there so many hacks out there makes those lazy bastards improve their shit.

As of now the only thing i dont have working is windows media player 11. Its kinda silly that my hack bypasses the security but not the media player...
Whatever, i dont use windows media player anyway- its a peace of shit.

I have a question about legit windows. When you fresh install it are you able to properly play DVDs and different DivX files that require bunch of different codecs?
I had to get Nero to play DVDs and "something.. Codecs" to be able to play any videos of any formats... Both of those programs are not free (not for me obviously) Is there a way to do this for free?

[Stavros]

Well, that depends on what kind of pirated Windows you're talking about. Are you talking about the retail (or OEM) version found in stores where there is one key for every computer or are we talking about a Buisness (VLK) version of windows?

I'll give you an example of VLK version: Let's say you are a business owner that has x number of computers (all of which will be used). Instead of buying x number of retail copies (and x number of keys) you can order a business version of Windows where there is 1 key for all computers. These are mostly used in large corporations and computer repair shops.

When I was first learning about piracy I learned that the best version to obtain is the Buisness version. It is much easier to find a working key for a buisness version than it is to find a [working] work around for a retail version.

That's from my experience, anyway.

[isapiens]

I got Microsoft Windows XP Professional.

Is that business or not really. I feel pretty professional with it ...

It aint Home Edition pfh... thats for noobs. I only use XP Professional because it has lots of proffesional tools like.... .... ... Multi-Language Support???

But in reality i read this, some info about the difference:

http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/wi ... me_pro.asp

[computathug]

Hell, why use it at all?

I also agree as this cuts down the risk of running pirated software unless you do so via wine etc. Some people get a feel for something then have no intentions of changing. I remember being the same with windows 95. I was quite happy to upgrade from 3.1 but when windows 98 came out i refused to even contemplate the change for quite some time and then never changed again till XP was released. The same goes for Vista and i actually quite like it that people want to use it. More work for me when they cock the system up XD. The same situation i suppose when i delved into linux. Although i never listened to advice and go for the more beginners friendly option of ubuntu and dived straight into debian, I have never looked back. I have looked at other distro's but have stuck with debian as i have become more accustomed to it. At one point every pc at my disposal had xp on it but now i have only one with windows on and that's set up for gaming even though it is dual boot with Etch. The other pc i use in the same workspace also has debian on it and is dual booted with BT. I have a laptop with debian running and also a laptop with XP on as i need this for work. I wouldn't even consider windows for a server with all the exploits out there.

I have a windows xp home sp2 original and i don't think i have ever used it on any of my systems. I have installed numerous systems with (broken versions) of xp pro and haven't any problems with the updates and dont use any crack at all for this. Ok if you want to add media player 11 then its going to ask you to validate so i don't use it for this reason. To update a system on windows go to

Start > control panel > windows security center > automatic updates

and tick the box that says

Notify me but don't download or install updates automatically.

When you see the yellow shield in the bottom right of your screen click it and click custom and it will tell you what updates are to be installed.

Untick the WGA Tool when it appears and click the option to ignore on future updates. The rest just keep checking the same way as previously and it shouldn't appear again. Ok this wont let you download device driver updates but they can be found from the vendors websites and you can also check other software here http://secunia.com/ to see if your system is up to date.

thugz

[uid0]

I'm agree with that of "why use it at all", however, to be fair, it all come down to user's needs, I'm talking about those odds software that run "well" only over windows, yes, there exists wine, crossover and so on, but there's always a chance that one or more really needed feature is missing...

As for using licensed or not, again, it all comes down to users and their needs, companies (at least mayor ones) "need" to have licensed software since they can be audited by some taxes' entity, but if you're a normal user, and while you know that there's a lot of things haging around on the net about having something "legal", the need of payment can be trivial.

I know that actually M$ or the feds won't come to my home because I'm having a pirated version of windows, they don't care about me at all, they don't even know I exist, and AFAIK, even where there's a lot of pirated windows' version runing in many systems, M$ still get its profits from companies.

Of course, we can all be in the moralist side and think "oh my...I'm stilling from them", but I guess I'm not the moralist type, at least not in that aspect.

If you "really" need to have licensed windows, then go for it, if you don't then use your pirated version, as we've seen, M$ doesn't have really good methods to divide licensed from not licensed ones



Regards

[Still_Learning]

"I got tired and gave in for 80 dollars", one hour worth of work that will last me years.

wow, you have a REALLY good job

I also agree with the why use Windows at all, but for some people *me* have no idea how to use linux unless I have a OS like ubuntu or maybe something with a GUI installed like gnome. I tried to install FreeBSD one day and had no idea on how to install new applications lol I am good with ms-dos but barely know anything about linux command prompt commands. I installed gentoo on VMware and am trying to learn now. I also just got knoppix with some linux magazine i bought today (trying to read up on it)

[DNR]

I guess one reason I stayed with MS products was because they are still heavily in use by the public. So when someone says I got a problem with my computer - and its the same OS I have used since 1984 - then I just am more familiar with it. I do admire those that can run their networks on LFS, but I would not ask them for help on fixing a PC running MS.

I am more of a professional car driver (think The Transporter), I rather drive the car and shoot the guns, rather than tinker under the hood. Computers/hacking is many things, you can be a network tech - one who builds boxes and installs cables, you can be the sysadmin, who will install the NOS, OS, and setup the tree, or you can be the coder that writes the codes for the sysadmins to install.

So the OS is just a small part of who I am and what I do.

DNR