Bitcoin Forum

Prelude:

Last night I was installing windows on one of my machines while watching the installation go through a random thought popped in my head. I quickly went ahead and googled People running pirated windows, I couldn't find official statistics from Microsoft which is understandable as it will give bad press to them but I did manage to find some alarming figures... This article^[1] (https://www.indiatimes.com/technology/news/91-of-pcs-sold-in-india-run-on-pirated-windows-10-and-85-of-them-have-pre-loaded-malware-355997.html) from Indiatimes showed up in one of my search results. According to a Microsoft study in Asia around 91% Of PCs Sold In India Run On Pirated Windows 10, And 85% Of Them Come With Dangerous Malware. The story doesn't end here.


This totally blew me away... These people don't earn enough already and if they are becoming a victim of a scam through no fault of their own. The least we can do is warn them. If you are running a pirated version of Windows please do yourself a favour and get at least the Genuine Windows 10 ISO from Microsoft! This guide will show you exactly how you can get the Genuine Windows 10 ISO via a Direct link. Microsoft has been a dick for a few years now and is pushing one of its download tools for downloading windows 10 but this guide will show you how to work around that and get the ISO file instead. Before someone jumps in and says use Linux, Not everyone can jump platforms overnight. There are countless reasons that have been discussed before and I don't want this discussion to head there.

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Things to think over before we begin:

• If you have created a wallet on a pirated windows consider it compromised. I will suggest creating a new wallet after installing the new windows and moving your Bitcoins to your new wallet. Bonus points if you upgrade to Segwit.
• Consider all of your passwords compromised aswell. I will suggest creating new passwords for all of the websites you are registered on. Trust me its worth it. Read this guide  (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5132378.0)from @GreatArkansas.
• Consider investing in an OEM Windows key. They usually go for around $5-$10. Stay away from windows activator. If you can't buy an OEM key try to live with the watermark.
• Consider staying away from Cracks, Look for free opensource alternatives for your needs.
• Consider formatting all of your drives/Previous data. A fresh start will only help.

Have a suggestion to add into this list? Feel free to leave it below.

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Let's Begin, shall we...

1) Goto this URL: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

https://i.imgur.com/xOnjlo0.gif


2) You need to enable the Responsive Design Mode on your browser. If you are on firefox/Chrome/Opera you can do this by pressing Ctrl + Shift + M after opening your console.

https://i.imgur.com/SrHqKug.gif


3) Select an Apple Device from the Dropdown menu and refresh the page.

https://i.imgur.com/G5wWTyS.gif


4) Select the Latest Windows Version and choose your appropriate language. Click confirm.

https://i.imgur.com/d1NWWff.gif


5) Choose the appropriate architecture 64-bit or 32-bit and start your download. Most of the PCs support 64bit architecture these days but you can still make sure your CPU is compatible by googling " ( CPU model ) 64-bit support "

https://i.imgur.com/oFfbPhU.png

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Burning the ISO with Rufus and some thoughts.

Once your download has completed. Head over to https://rufus.ie/ and download the latest version. I won't recommend any other ISO burners as Rufus is OpenSource. Don't use any other shady ISO burners as they can insert all sorts of malware while burning the ISO. I will highly suggest following this video: https://youtu.be/K7SlsJEVSXc?t=60 as it includes everything you need to know while burning the ISO file. I will also suggest putting some time in learning how to install windows by yourself, There are plenty of youtube tutorials/guides around which take you step-by-step through the entire process. In the world of Cryptos, you trust no one except yourself. So don't let anyone install it for you. If you truly believe in Bitcoin then respect the ideas behind it.

^{P.S Microsoft used to publish their ISO's Checksum but for some reason has abandoned it altogether. So if your network is already compromised then there is no way of verifying the ISO you are downloading from Microsoft is indeed legit. In the long run, you should consider moving to a Linux based Environment.}

Note: Feel free to translate this thread for your local board.

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Source:
[1] https://www.indiatimes.com/technology/news/91-of-pcs-sold-in-india-run-on-pirated-windows-10-and-85-of-them-have-pre-loaded-malware-355997.html

I was there once. Years ago, licenses were pretty expensive and most of us had sources to cheap pirated alternatives. Thanks to DreamSpark however, I managed to secure a legit copy and have no worries on updating anytime.

But then why people still don't give a crap on the risks of running pirated Windows? There are two reasons I could think of:
1) Ignorance (i.e. pirated costs a fraction and functions the same, why should I pay?)
2) Hassle of obtaining a legit license (e.g. payment method and activation)
3) Cost. One Home, let alone Pro costs more than an entry-level CPU.

@UserU I believe it's ignorance on most part. As I said in my post People can get an OEM licence at fraction of what the original windows cost. The only difference is OEM Key is locked on a single machine so if you change your system i.e your motherboard you can't move the key to the new one.

Here is one I found by doing a quick google search and i have seen much cheaper before, So these are always an option to consider.

https://i.imgur.com/7mS1NUe.png

As far as I know, these types of licenses are keys sold only to companies that are misplaced. In practice, for microsoft, using a pirated version or buying a key of this type is the same thing. This tip works for personal use, but if a company decides to use keys of this type and is supervised by microsoft, it will be illegal in the same way.

The terms of Windows 10 OEM are these (at least it’s the versión I found around):
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/Useterms/OEM/Windows/10/UseTerms_OEM_Windows_10_English.htm

But I also found this:
https://devicepartner.microsoft.com/en-us/communications/comm-windows-system-builder-licensing-for-personal-use

Looking around some MS forums, and specifically at the second link provided above, it does seem that the OEM licence is not intended for direct personal use, but rather as part of the end product when building equipment. Of course there is nothing specific (I guess) to control the intent per se.

Additionally to consider, not all OEM licences sold around are legit (obvious) nor OEM really (i.e. some sell Volume Licences as OEM, and encounter exceeding the maximum number of activations when trying to activate theirs). You need to verity your supplier properly before making the purchase.

Or... you can just not activate your Windows and keep using it for free. They let you do that. The only con is that there will be a watermark at the bottom-right corner of the screen telling you to activate it, but everything will work fine and you will have the real Windows installed. _{Or just use Linux.}

It really isn't. Even if you use an ilegal key, you are using it in a Windows trusted ISO. The whole point of not using pirated Windows is not to "do the right thing", but to not download an infected cracked Windows.

Thank You so much,
Now I'm downloading windows10 by following your amazing method.
https://i.ibb.co/bWZbxfP/win10.png

Before I saw your post I used Media Creation Tools to create Windows 10 bootable pendrive.
It is often time consuming and troublesome, now, I'm happy to use your method.

Because of that I wrote "for microsoft" before that sentence. In this case, I just wanted to say that if it is a company, this tip is not valid because it can give problems in an eventual inspection by microsoft.

Of course, if you don't mind "being right", activating via a key is better for you than activating via crack.

There was a news in mid 2015 and even one of my friends told me about this (though I don't know if it's still a fact or not), that if you download a Windows 10 beta – build 10130 – it can be upgraded automatically for free to the full Windows 10 Home retail version. I don't know if this still works or not as I am going to install it too because my current Windows 10 OS is a pirated one and I don't want to risk my coins by using the same pirated OS.

Source - https://www.forbes.com/sites/gordonkelly/2015/06/22/why-windows-10-upgrade-is-free-for-all/#5e209b14e0ec

If u still are running windows 7 like I was till a few weeks ago, there are still ways to upgrade to Windows 10 for free!

The way I did it was following this guide:

https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/how-to-get-windows-10-for-free/ (https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/how-to-get-windows-10-for-free/)

You just have to download one program called: Winkeyfinder (this is the one I used there are many other programs that work but this one worked for me and was easy to use, just google to download) just to make sure you have your Windows key saved.

And just follow the simple steps on the webpage to upgrade your Windows 7 to 10 for free!

@Loganota Who cares about what Microsoft thinks? It is for the users! Just like @TryNinja suggested. It's better to be running non-activated windows from its original source rather than installing/downloading it from an unknown source! This is the whole point of this thread... smdh!!  :-\

@nickenburg that only applies if you were running the original version of Windows 7, this doesn't apply to cracked versions.

So if I'm running a pirated Windows 10 and not an older version and never had any such older version installed on my laptop before, I hold the eligibility to get that Windows 10 beta upgrade for free? Or I won't even be able to use it without any key?

From a 3rd world country, i can confirm that more than 95% of Windows users {including governmental institutions} are using a pirated version. Personally, i don't know any person who has a legit version installed & activated. And by admitting that Linux is not an easy option for everybody, we are all forced to use Windows. And if ever we want to purchase a licensed one, there is no local buyers and we don't have access to online paiement as well so we can't get it from online sources .
The method detailed above deserves a try, so i can recommend it to others in my local. The last problem is even installing the right version, as mentioned above, there always the difficulty to purchase the keys .

It seems rather strange to me that the majority use pirated versions of Windows, because in the public domain you can find a licensed version of Windows 10 for only five dollars.
Previously, for example, 10 years ago, or even less, such behavior could be justified by the fact that licensed versions of Windows were not available to everyone, due to their high cost.
However, now everyone can afford to purchase a licensed version of Windows 10 without any special waste.
Personally, I am the owner of Windows 10 and am extremely satisfied. I recommend buying on Ebay, since in the 3rd world countries keys for $ 5 bought on ebay sell for $ 35.

A pirated Windows 10 is working like a genuine Windows 10 too. Therefore, yes it is possible.

a) To make shortcuts, purchase a genuine Windows 10 key and just update your product key.
b) For no keys required, check your eligibility via consulting our own Windows 10 Assistant. It will guide you from start. It is a long process unless you have a decent internet connection speed and good laptop specs. It will save you from doing it manually.

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Personal use -  keys via patch, activators, etc.
Business - genuine keys

A usual practice since back then.

The whole point of this thread is to get the ISO file directly from Microsoft and don't use any 3rd party links i.e torrents and other freeware websites to acquire Windows ISO files. By activating a torrented version of windows you aren't getting rid of the malware which it might already have. An activated window doesn't mean it is free from backdoors, malwares, keyloggers etc. You just get rid of the annoying windows watermark and get the option to choose your desktop background.The window remains fully functional even if you decide not to activate it.

As for cheap keys, I really do recommend getting the OEM keys but if you really want to cheap out then you can always get an MSDN Key from the digital section. They usually cost 1-3 Dollars. You can't get lower than that. Keep in mind the MSDN keys can stop working once the Developer's licence expires so think of it as a temporary way of activating windows. I do not recommend getting the MSDN keys.

For sure you not use cracked or pirated IDM when downloaded it, I read an article https://tiplava.blogspot.com/2019/07/dont-use-idm-crack--avoid-idm-full-crack.html, your windows downloaded has affected when using a tool containing a virus.

Yes, This copy of IDM is not cracked by any other third party software,
I'm using Trial version of IDM thus the speed is quite slow & the function is so much limited but good enough than cracked version.

Thank you for alerting me.

What, they're THAT cheap? I did some search on OEM licenses and while they're cheaper than retail, the price gaps have been like 20-ish difference and not all the way down to like 10-ish or so.

Source (https://www.pcworld.com/article/3400840/how-to-get-windows-10-cheap-or-even-for-free.html)

I always thought it would be better to actually purchase a legit Windows 7 or 8 license and upgrade from there.

I have never known about creating ISO file for windows. After reading the topic, I felt that it brings me a lot of convenience if I have a ISO file for use in emergency. Thank you.

Watermark is not userfriendly (annoying) but if someone can not spend small money to avoid watermark and don't intend to use cracked windows, Linux or Ubuntu are better for them.

I see, so they're kinda like the Office 365 subscription things where they sell in the masses.

I used to buy one, until I got locked out of it (wrong password). But that's another story.

Russian translation
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5225182

The not activated Windows 10 have some limitations, like for example you can't change any settings under personalization like color theme, wallpaper, lock screen settings, etc.  You can't change your profile picture nor sync your settings to an another device. There were some reports about sound settings limitations as well. It's not the best solution but still free.
What I noticed when I had to upgrade some laptops to windows 10 back in the day was that all the laptops after the upgrade had the same Windows license key. That was quite weird for me but I haven't checked it further.

All those settings are not that important really and still better than to use an outdated OS like Windows 7, if you prefer to stick with Windows OSs. What is important are the security and stability updates you will get. Whether or not the user is concerned with the impact Windows 10 has on privacy is another topic.

This is new, I haven't heard of this before. What kind of sound limitations are we talking about?

Anyone have an experience using Windows 10 keys, that are bought from Digital goods (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?board=93.0)  ? Will I have any problems if I get a key from there ?

TBH @iasenko, I have almost never cared for the personalization features. Never been into customization my desktops etc. I like to keep things vanilla on windows especially. Just like what @Pmalek said they are non-essential but I have never heard anything about sound limitation or experienced something like it while using a non-activated version... I will look into tho.

@bakasabo I bought a key from @Fakhoury (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=357170) along time ago and it still works... Tho keep in mind MSDN keys can stop working anytime, if the licence isn't renewed by the seller or they get banned from Microsoft. I paid like 5 Bucks I think for it back then. I do recommend getting an OEM key as it isn't linked with any kind of renewal on Seller's end. It is locked for a single machine tho. So whatever does the trick for you go for it...

I read it sometime ago but seems like I can't find the link, I don't really remember where I read it but it was about if you have a few sound devices connected at the same time, some sort of the settings were not acceable due to the not activated windows 10. If I remember correctly it was a Miracast thread, I had some issues with the Miracast back then and while reading other people problems, came across a post about the sound setting and the not activated windows. I'll try to look it back again.

Your thread deserve the merit point I gave it.  ;)  Many of my friends have tried upgrading it directly and it failed because their Internet bandwidth is very slow. A lot of them got hold of a pirated version and they think those are save to use, because they pirated previous versions of Windows and they had no problems.  ::)

Now, I can download the official ISO from Microsoft for them and give them a cheap option to make it legit. Thank you for this information.  ;)

I already told them that they will have issues with Electrum and Windows 7 + Chrome, but they are stubborn and want to risk it. In a way I want to leave them to learn from their mistakes, but on the other hand I do not want them to lose money.  :(

Some of them bought second hand notebooks with a separate partition with the OS for recovery, but they did not receive any legit activation code for the operating system. I helped them to get the activation code from the OS that was installed.  ;)