Pirated builds of Windows: pros and cons. Pirated Windows builds: pros and cons What happens if you update pirated Windows 10

Have you ever thought about looking for “criminal” ways to activate Windows 10? I can please you, Microsoft has taken care of this. Apparently they realized that it was pointless and there was no strength to fight the hackers who constantly hacked the company’s operating systems. Therefore, the company took a different route. In the new Windows 10 operating system, Microsoft has made it so that it can be used for free, but of course with some restrictions. The Redmond-based company allows anyone to download Windows 10 for free and install the system without a product key. I want to tell you how to do this and give you some tips on how to get around some of the restrictions.

How to download Windows 10 and install it without an activation key?

We'll need an ISO image of Windows 10 itself. You can download it directly from Microsoft, and you don't even need a product key to download a copy of the system https://www.microsoft.com/uk-ua/software-download/windows10. The Media Creation Tool utility will help with this.

To create the media, select “Create installation media for another computer” and click “Next”.

We choose a language, naturally Windows 10 Pro (walk, walk) and architecture, preferably x64.

Then select the media on which the installation files will be written. If you select an ISO file, you will need to specify a location to save it; if you select a flash drive, then select the appropriate device. All data on the flash drive will be deleted. In a few minutes you will have the official version of the Windows 10 image downloaded.

If you're ready, just start the installation process. By following simple system prompts, you will install Windows 10 as usual. One of the first screens you'll see is Activate Windows, which will ask you to enter your product key. However, you can simply click on the "I don't have a product key" option at the bottom of the window and Windows will allow you to continue with the installation process. You may be prompted to enter your product key later in the installation process, but you skip this step.

A little more and Windows 10 will be successfully installed on your device.

What's wrong with this Windows 10?

Once you have installed Windows 10 without a key, it will not actually be activated. However, there are no special restrictions on using non-activated Windows 10. Since the days of Windows XP, Microsoft has used the famous Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) activation key verification tool. It seems that in Windows 10 the company abandoned its use and limited it to cosmetic methods only.

From the beginning you will barely notice. Everything works, everything is updated, everything is installed, everything works. Over time, you will see a warning watermark in the lower right corner that you need to activate your version of Windows 10. It cannot be removed or cut out. But for many, it is unlikely to interfere with their work, much less distract them.

If you decide to go to Settings, you will be greeted at the bottom with the message “Windows is not activated. Activate Windows."

I don’t think many people look here often, and this inscription will somehow bother you. If you click on the inscription, you will understand the essence of the second limitation of non-activated Windows 10.

It concerns the ability to change the interface and appearance of the Desktop and lock screen. You will not be able to change the desktop screensaver,

select the main color of the system and taskbar. All buttons are simply inactive.

You will also not be able to change the Lock Screen picture, set sound settings, mouse settings, or arbitrarily place icons on the Desktop. In other words, the system itself will decide which label can be placed and where. Some cannot even be created at all, for example My Computer.

How then? It turns out that there is a solution to the problem and it is very simple. To bypass these restrictions, you simply need to turn off your network connection to the Internet. Then you will have access to Personalization. You can change everything: wallpaper, themes, upload your own image on the Lock Screen, change sound and mouse settings, even place shortcuts at your discretion. Then you turn on the Internet and you will see that the system will not fix anything.

But there is still one more way to change the desktop background image. To do this, select an image from your collection on your PC, click on the right mouse button, you will see the usual “Set as desktop background image” function. This feature was not blocked even in non-activated Windows 10.

Beyond these limitations, your system will function normally. Of course, from time to time it will ask you to activate it; you will not be able to disable the privacy settings. You won't pay a penny for that.

What if I still want to activate my Windows 10?

It is possible that over time you will want to activate the Windows 10 you like. Microsoft has taken care of this. If you look at the point Activation, you will find here the option to either enter your product key if you have one, or simply buy a licensed version of Windows 10 from the Store.

By the way, the licensed version of Windows Pro in the Store now costs 4,599 UAH. In Ukraine and 13,900 rubles in Russia.

It seems that the desire to attract maximum attention to Windows 10 has a special place in Microsoft's strategy. Maybe they are right, because if you can’t defeat the enemy (hackers), lead it. They're probably pretty good at it.

Company Microsoft made a gesture of goodwill by allowing all Windows users, including those with pirated copies, to upgrade to Windows 10 for free. Be that as it may, it is possible that the company's management actually planned a trap for pirates.

Despite the company's best efforts to combat piracy, revenue from Windows and Microsoft Office fell from 23 to 16% of the company's total profits. According to the site, Microsoft representatives decided to take a different route to get their users back. For example, in China, about 30% of users use pirated copies of Windows. In other words, offering a free upgrade to Windows 10 would bring millions of users back to Microsoft. In fact, the company is offering an amnesty for all owners of a pirated copy of Windows and thereby completely depriving pirates of their earnings.

Obviously, users of pirated versions of the new operating system will not receive the same support as owners of licensed copies. Microsoft is not going to give Windows 10 to everyone for free and is only offering a free update for users of Windows 7 and Windows 8. However, after the release of the new operating system as a free update for owners of the pirated version, the vast majority of users will take advantage of Microsoft's offer. Pirates will have no choice but to retire, since it will be easier to download and install Windows 10 from the official website than to search for a pirated version in the wilds of the Internet.

In the future, Microsoft hopes that users of the pirated version of the new OS will sooner or later decide to purchase a licensed copy. More and more often, users decide to pay for a license rather than put up with emerging problems or wait for a pirated version of new updates with some new features. And with the lack of people hacking the software, updates for pirated versions of the product will also disappear.

According to the site, Microsoft representatives do not hide their intention to turn users of pirated software into users of licensed copies of their products. Thus, by taking advantage of the company's offer, pirates will find themselves trapped and will have no choice but to purchase a license for the new operating system.

The concept of pirated Windows 10 actually means installing a licensed copy of the operating system, but without a key. Let's look at this concept in more detail.

1. What does “pirate” mean?

This does not mean that you will download the installation file not on the official website or some kind of “broken” file. You will be dealing with a completely official version of Windows.

The secret is that during installation the user simply will not enter the key. For some reason, the developers allowed users to completely freely install the OS and use it without any restrictions without a key.

Now let's look at the installation process step by step.

2. Installing a pirated copy

Important! This process involves creating bootable media, that is, a flash drive or disk, from which the operating system will be installed in the future. Therefore, immediately prepare the shooting storage device, preferably empty at once. If there is anything on it, it will all be removed.

So, to install and use the operating system without an activation code, do this:

Download the official Windows 10 installation utility. You can do this at microsoft.com. Launch it and on the start screen select the “Update this PC now” option. To do this, check the box next to it and click “Next”.

The next step is to select the operating system language, release, that is, version and architecture. Choose the edition you want, and as for the architecture, choose the one that matches the parameters available on the computer. At the end, click “Next” again.

The next step is to select the media that will subsequently become bootable. That is, then you will insert it into the appropriate connector and install the OS from it. If you took a flash drive, check the box next to the “USB flash memory device” option, and if a disk, then “ISO file”. Traditionally, to move on to the next step, click Next.

Advice: It is better to use a flash drive. It's much more convenient. If you take a disc, you will need to burn the created ISO image onto it using additional programs, for example, Daemon Tools.

If you selected the removable storage option, you will need to select it in the next step. Insert the flash drive into the appropriate slot on your computer and select it from the list. As usual, click “Next” at the end.

A recording will occur. You will clearly see this process, or rather, how it is performed, as a percentage. When the recording is finished, you can click the “Done” button and the program will close. Now you have a bootable USB flash drive, which is needed for installation.
Next you have to load the BIOS and select the flash drive as the first boot priority. How to do this depends on the BIOS version and the operating system as a whole. To launch it, in most cases, you must press the “Delete” button repeatedly when starting the OS. When the BIOS opens, you need to find the partition responsible for boot priority. For example, in the AMI BIOS there is a “Hard Disk Drives” section, which has a “1st Drive” subsection. That's what we need. Read more about this step in this article (Step No. 2).
When the material is loaded from the flash drive, you will first need to select the language, time format and keyboard layout. Do this and move on to the next step.

Next, read (or not) the license agreement, check the box, click “Next”. After that, choose an update or a custom installation - the option that suits you. If you do not need to radically reinstall the operating system, the first option will do.

Now the fun begins! The next window requires you to enter an activation code. But you don’t have it, so click on “Skip” in the lower right corner.

Next, select the hard drive partition on which the OS will be installed, watch the installation process, read about how to increase operating speed, create an account and that’s it!

As you can see, the installation is quite standard, you just skip the step of entering the key. What does this mean?

3. Consequences of installing pirates

In fact, there is nothing wrong with this. It’s just that annoying “Windows is not activated” messages will appear in some places. Also in the lower right corner of the desktop there will be an inscription “Windows Activation”.

There may be problems with some settings. For example, in some cases it is not possible to change the desktop screensaver.

Secret: You can bypass any prohibitions and restrictions associated with activation by simply turning off the Internet.

Actually, that's all. Agree, you can live and work with all this in complete peace. So take advantage of the stupidity of Microsoft developers to your heart's content!

In addition, there are ways to activate the OS without a key. One of them is described in the video below.

Even before the release of Windows 10, Microsoft announced that even users who have a pirated version of Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 will be able to install the OS update to “ten”. However, there are several pitfalls here. The first feature: even after updating the “seven” or “eight” to Windows 10, the latter will be considered pirated. The second factor is the increased vulnerability of the system and in the hands of the corporation (history of Internet navigation, Wi-Fi passwords, list of installed applications, history of correspondence and calls, data from equipment sensors and much more with the right to transfer information to third parties). And the difference in stability between a licensed and pirated version will be significant.

Before you upgrade your operating system to Windows 10, you need to make sure that your computer meets the hardware requirements:

central processing unit with a frequency of 1 GHz or more or a similar system-on-a-chip;
RAM capacity: from 1 GB for x86 and at least 2 GB for the 64-bit edition;
disk space volume is about 20 GB;
video adapter supporting DirectX 9;
monitor with a resolution of at least 800x600.

What's new in Windows 10:

a system of total tracking of the user with the right to transfer personal data to third parties;
a new “Start” that combines a classic menu and a tiled interface;
optimization of functioning in multitasking mode;
redesigned Metro interface;
biometric user identification function;
voice assistant Cortana (not available in Russia);
work on mobile devices;
updating numerous functions;
support for interactive notifications.

Installing “ten” is possible while preserving all installed applications, personal data, configuration parameters of programs, games and system settings. You can upgrade to Windows 10 using several methods, which we will discuss in today’s article.

Through participation in Windows Insider

After the release of the failed Windows 8 (as practice shows, every second operating system from Microsoft is a failure: is it corporate policy or an accident - it’s hard to judge), developers, in order not to lose the trust of users, provide the opportunity to perform a free upgrade to “ten”, the outdated Windows 7 and the useless G8. Even the release of edition 8.1 did not change the situation, and the “seven” remains the most popular operating system developed by Microsoft at the moment. Probably, in order to avoid repeating mistakes, the corporation has developed the Insider program, in which anyone can participate. The essence of the project is as follows: the user was provided with a functioning Windows 10, which it will actually see the light of day. People taking part in testing left comments or detailed feedback about their impressions, wishes and shortcomings noticed. This is all done after installing the operating system in the Windows Feedback application, integrated into the preliminary editions of the “tens”.

Those who became program participants got the chance to install the update on their computers and laptops completely free of charge in the form of a sequence of updates. There were no difficulties here. However, other users who do not want to pay for an OS upgrade to “ten” are forced to use one of the two proposed options:

perform an update through the “Update Center”;
download the official ISO image with the OS distribution.

In the second case, there will be a clean installation of Windows 10 without saving user data.

Update Center

I am glad that the developers provide the opportunity quickly and without much effort on the part of the user.

First, make sure your computer meets the system requirements. However, if the 7th and 8th editions worked properly, there should be no problems here.
Keep in mind that Media Center will be removed if you use its functionality, and the new standard WMP does not support disc playback.
Windows 8 users cannot receive the update; to do this, you must have Windows 8.1 on your computer.
Without SP1 pre-installed, owners of the "Seven" will also not receive the update.

This applies to both pirated and licensed copies of the OS.

In the “seven” or a special tray icon that will appear after installing the KB3035583 update on Win 8.1.

Click on the icon, which will open an information window.

In it, click: “Reserve a free update” and enter your email address.

All that remains is to confirm the reservation.
After the queue arrives, the files will be downloaded to the computer in the background, after which you will be prompted to install the update.
Once the reservation is complete, a similar information window will appear.

Due to the fact that hundreds and even thousands of computers are updated per day, the queue may not even reach you in a few hours, be patient.

How does the update process work?

Sometimes, after long waits, no notification about the completion of downloading files is received.

In this case, you will have to delete the “Download” directory from the “SoftwareDistribution” folder located in the “Windows” directory of the system partition. Then launch the command line and execute in it: “wuauclt.exe /updatenow”.

After this, the update to Windows 10 will start , if you click “Install”.

The process of installing the update on a pirated version is accompanied by the answer to several simple questions: you will have to confirm your intentions to get Windows 10 on your computer after a reboot and accept the terms of use of the new OS (pay attention to the collection of all personal information with the possibility of transferring it to third parties). After checking the system, a window will appear where you can perform one of the suggested actions:

update now;
postpone the update for the selected time;
cancel the operation and delete the downloaded files.

After a couple of reboots of the computer and the process of integrating new functions and features, you will be prompted to perform the initial setup of Windows 10. All personal files, application configuration settings, saved games, and shortcuts remained intact.

What’s noteworthy is that within 30 days from the moment of upgrading to “ten,” you can perform a system rollback if you did not delete the “Windows.old” directory located in the root of the system volume.

Installation Media Creation Tool

A utility is available on the Microsoft website that can help update Windows. Download the application of the appropriate bit size and launch it.
Select “Update your computer now.”

We are waiting for the files to be downloaded and verified.

The Windows 10 update installation process will then begin.

We accept the terms of use of the OS by clicking “Accept”.

We agree to install the OS update while saving personal information by clicking “Install”.

The PC will restart several times during the update process.

Activation

Upon completion of the update process, the installer sends hardware configuration data to Microsoft servers. If the configuration is saved after reinstalling the OS, Windows 10 will be activated automatically when using the license. In the pirated version, the “ten” will remain as unlicensed as its predecessor, with all the consequences: low stability, global collection of user data, constant activation reminders.

Problems

The update process promises the appearance of numerous errors and malfunctions, the elimination of which may require considerable effort and nerves, and the long-awaited update operation will end in failure with a rollback of all actions. To avoid such situations, it is recommended to reinstall Windows 10 from a bootable USB flash drive, which contains the original image with the Tens distribution kit. The ISO file can also be backed up and downloaded from Microsoft servers or torrent trackers. The latter method is very popular among users in our country. But in this case, you will have to install all applications and transfer data manually or using special programs. A partial way out of this situation is to download an assembly based on a licensed copy of Win10 or download various assemblies with software installed automatically.

Peripheral device not working

The cause of the problem is the lack of a driver or the use of an outdated version. Go to the hardware manufacturer or support website and download the latest driver for the problematic device. As an alternative, use programs like Snappy Driver Installer, which can automatically find and download the missing driver, even if it is not in the application's offline driver database.

Error code – 80246007

Go to the "Administrative Tools" menu of the "Control Panel", launch "Services" and check if the "Background Intelligent Service" is active. If not, change the status to “Started” and enable it to start automatically.

Code 80073712

If the file required by the Update Center is damaged or not found, you will have to download the update again.

Code 800F0923

The driver for at least one PC component or key software product is incompatible with Windows 10.

"The update does not affect your computer"

It is possible that SP1 for Windows 7 or the Windows 8.1 update are not installed on your computer.

(Visited 59,269 times, 1 visits today)

Hello admin! I am contacting you as a friend, I need advice. I'm in ninth grade. My parents bought me a laptop with Windows 10, overall I’m happy with it, it turns out that Win 10 is my second operating system, before that I was using an old computer with Windows XP. But I really want to try Windows 7, I don’t know it at all. Our computer scientist at school says that Win 7 is more beautiful, easier to manage, configure, and most importantly, there is no Metro interface unnecessary on the desktop, but the question is - where to download it?

On the official Microsoft website they only distribute , which means there is not much choice, only torrents remain, but again, various assemblies are distributed on torrents, that is, modified (changed by skilled users) images of real Windows 7, I don’t want that, I want to install it for myself on a laptop instead of Windows 10, the original Windows 7 Professional and use it for a month, if everything they say about the “seven” is true, then I will honestly buy it in the online store. If I don't like Win 7, I'll stick with my Windows 10.

I understand that it is not customary to provide links to download operating systems on such reputable sites as yours, but at least help distinguish a real Microsoft original image of Windows 7 or Windows 10 from a non-original one(pirate assembly), say in your own words, what is the difference between a pirated build of Windows 7, 8.1, 10 and a licensed Windows 7, 8.1, 10, what exactly changed there ? Why do you advise all users in the comments to install original images from Microsoft?
And the last two questions, how exactly assemblies of the Windows 7, 8.1, 10 operating systems are created, how the image is disassembled and how it is assembled later?
Why didn’t you yourself, with your knowledge, download Windows 10 with an activator, but went to a simple store and bought a licensed Windows 8.1 Professional 64-bit Rus (OEM) in a box, and then wrote an article about it?

Sorry for so many questions, I'm just interested in everything related to computers and I honestly don't want to steal anything, I just want to understand everything. You have a very good site, I visit it constantly, thank you very much in advance for your answers.

Best regards, Maxim!

In this article I will answer your other questions. Should I, a simple computer technician, not know that the original Windows is better than the non-original one? Over the years, I have seen so many abnormal and crappy assemblies that I have lost count.

I agree, not all builds are so bad, but I’m still for the original. Why? I’ll give you a simple comparison example, maybe a little unfortunate, but I think you’ll understand the gist.

You came to the store to buy Levi's jeans, and suddenly they offered you jeans from another company for free, personally, I wouldn't even agree for free, what if they tear at the most inopportune moment right on the street, so I need original jeans from Levi's, Windows from Microsoft, the processor from Intel, and the cartoon “Well, wait a minute” from Vyacheslav Kotyonochkin. Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but so far it's all worked.

The original appearance and state of Windows in such assemblies is rarely preserved, because that’s why it’s an assembly, to have some differences from the original and other assemblies of the system. Windows builds posted on the Internet from enthusiasts are the results of their experiments, where they remove or disable some system functionality, preset certain settings, implement third-party software products, and modify the system interface.

Among the system settings and functionality, this could be:

1. Disable User Account Control.

2. Disabling the page file

3. Removing office equipment drivers that are not used at home.

4. Removing Metro functionality in Windows 8 and 8.1, removing hibernation mode, etc.

5. Windows builds are often equipped with pre-installed programs, and after installing the system, shortcuts for launching the browser, uninstaller, system optimizer, Microsoft Office applications and other useful software are already ready on the desktop.

6. Third-party design themes, gadgets on the desktop, informers and other not so useful, but rather beautiful little things, modify the boring design of Windows.

Introductions to the system that improve its design are especially favored by novice users in the comments on online distributions of Windows builds.

If you come across a Windows build, in the description of which an enthusiast mentioned testing it personally, you are very lucky. Collectors do not always check their creations for functionality before posting them on the Internet. After all, if there are any problems during the installation or operation of such Windows builds, users will definitely write in the comments. And only then will the collector begin to solve the problem.

Sometimes Windows builds may come in Live CD format, as is the case with Linux distributions. Such Live CDs contain a menu in which you can choose to install Windows, or you can use the programs offered to resuscitate the system or quickly access the Internet.

Windows builds are “freed” from the need to pay money for using the system, which is why they are called pirated. Some assemblies are installed with an already installed serial key and are activated automatically, and some provide, after installing the system, the presence of an activator utility on the desktop, which the user needs to launch manually. Windows builds may not contain an embedded serial number, may not be activated automatically, and may not even have an activator on the desktop. In this case, the activator utility can be downloaded separately (very often it is because of the activator curves that the loading of the operating system fails).

Who publishes Windows builds on the Internet for free and why?

Who are these enthusiastic collectors? And what are their benefits? Why do they waste their time and use their acquired skills in order to then give away the results of their work for free?

In many cases, they are driven by the need for their own development and the opportunity to test their developments in the context of feedback from users. Often this is a common desire to show off your technical literacy and gather an audience around you who will thank you, ask questions - in general, increase your self-esteem.

Note: Friends, if you are smart, educated and talented, better spend your energy on creating a real operating system that would be a worthwhile alternative to Windows from Microsoft!

Of course, Windows builders can be ordinary scammers who initially introduce malicious codes into the system for the purpose of profit. These points must be checked in the comments on online distributions of Windows builds to see if anyone has any complaints about this.

Advantages and disadvantages of pirated builds of Windows

Left click to enlarge image

The use of patches to change the system interface and the introduction of third-party software can theoretically negatively affect the stability of the system. But this is a very conditional drawback of pirated Windows builds - after all, you can choose a build where the builder did not apply patches to change the system interface. However, users love various design features and are not particularly worried about the impact of patches on the integrity and performance of the system.

Pre-installed programs in the Windows build are more of an advantage of the system than a disadvantage, even though builders, as a rule, package a set of programs based on their ideas. And often, along with multimedia software for beginners in the Windows build, you can find an advanced system resource monitoring manager or a utility for measuring voltage and temperature on each processor core. However, unnecessary programs can be easily removed from the system, and necessary ones can be left without wasting time searching for them on the Internet, downloading and installing them.

All of the above disadvantages, conditional disadvantages, imperfections and other little things are offset by the two main advantages of pirated assemblies - free use of any version of Windows, any edition of it and a huge variety of choice of assemblies, in contrast to the standard Microsoft set.