My Windows 10 is pirate copy!

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xyeovillian

220 posts

Master Geek

# 259763 20-Oct-2019 16:10

I bought a Windows 10 Home 32/64bit × 1 $119.99 NZD from Software City NZ 28 Nov 2017 .
I have used it several times on an Intel NUC to re install, today it won't accept my key, been in touch with Microsoft and they have told me its a pirate copy!. And to go back to my supplier which is no more.
So I guess i'll have to another licence which is a bummer.

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1375 posts

Uber Geek

# 2341054 20-Oct-2019 16:12

2 people support this post

yeah not surprised there, if you have any Windows 7 or Windows 8 licenses you can try using those when you reinstall Windows 10. If it doesn't accept it during installation or when you boot in and change the license key you can as a last resort install Windows 7 or Windows 8 and upgrade to Windows 10 using the media tool https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

sqishy

244 posts

Master Geek

# 2341066 20-Oct-2019 17:20

I have a W10 Home key you can try, let me know and I'll PM you one.

robjg63

2990 posts

Uber Geek

# 2341071 20-Oct-2019 17:37

Did you actually have to enter the key?

Windows 10 is pretty smart. Once you have installed it and activated it correctly, you can usually do a reinstall at a later time and it does a check and recognises your device/install and reactivates by itself.

Seems a bit strange that you have installed it a few times on the same box and now it's 'pirated'.

Maybe your previous installs have triggered something at Microsoft....??

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

nathan

5196 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Microsoft

# 2341075 20-Oct-2019 17:46

robjg63:
Did you actually have to enter the key?

Windows 10 is pretty smart. Once you have installed it and activated it correctly, you can usually do a reinstall at a later time and it does a check and recognises your device/install and reactivates by itself.

Seems a bit strange that you have installed it a few times on the same box and now it's 'pirated'.

Maybe your previous installs have triggered something at Microsoft....??

Known stolen product keys can easily be disabled

freitasm

BDFL - Memuneh
64803 posts

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Geekzone

Lifetime subscriber

# 2341101 20-Oct-2019 19:29

If you install amd activate with your Microsof account then it wouldn't ask for the key again on same hardware. Something for next time.

My technology disclosure | Digital Transformation | Enterprise Content Management | Customer Relationship Management | Data Insights, Business Intelligence and Advanced Analytics

nathan

5196 posts

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Microsoft

# 2341113 20-Oct-2019 20:05

freitasm: If you install amd activate with your Microsof account then it wouldn't ask for the key again on same hardware. Something for next time.

Pirated/stolen keys would still be disabled when discovered. MSAs don’t change that.

freitasm

BDFL - Memuneh
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# 2341135 20-Oct-2019 21:26

True. I am just commenting on the daxr rhe OP kept entering the key.

My technology disclosure | Digital Transformation | Enterprise Content Management | Customer Relationship Management | Data Insights, Business Intelligence and Advanced Analytics

1101

1928 posts

Uber Geek

# 2341223 21-Oct-2019 10:06

xyeovillian:

I bought a Windows 10 Home 32/64bit × 1 $119.99 NZD from Software City NZ 28 Nov 2017 .

Just that low price alone should have been ringing alarm bells that it wont be legit.

1/2 price = fraud .

1101

1928 posts

Uber Geek

# 2341231 21-Oct-2019 10:12

nathan:
Known stolen product keys can easily be disabled

Is MS going to disable/de-activate the win7 to Win10 ~free~ upgrades that were done after the free upgrade period ended ?
Thats still very common , MS must surely know whats going on.

Just wondering .
Its hard to justify(to customers) doing the 7-10 upgrade the legit way, when so many still are doing that upgrade "free using the win7 key "

Jogre

114 posts

Master Geek

Microsoft NZ

# 2341367 21-Oct-2019 13:53

1101:

nathan:
Known stolen product keys can easily be disabled

Is MS going to disable/de-activate the win7 to Win10 ~free~ upgrades that were done after the free upgrade period ended ?
Thats still very common , MS must surely know whats going on.

Just wondering .
Its hard to justify(to customers) doing the 7-10 upgrade the legit way, when so many still are doing that upgrade "free using the win7 key "

We are aware of it and I've raised threads on these forums internally to make sure Microsoft are aware of it within our region at least. Personally, I doubt we'll fix it as it also allows users/orgs to update to Windows 10 via M365 without any technical involvement/engineering effort.

My advice would be to advocate doing it the legitimate way as if something comes down in future, you'll be the one who didn't advise your customers appropriately (and they'll still have to purchase whatever to become compliantly licensed). Over time it will resolve itself with new devices coming with the correct licensing as the old devices get too slow.

JaseNZ

1509 posts

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Lifetime subscriber

# 2341374 21-Oct-2019 14:07

I have bought quite a few windows 10 pro keys off of Ebay for $4.99 au , Never had a single issue with any of them , They were for fresh install's on various builds I have done for myself. MS have never complained about any of them.

Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding : Ice cream man , Ice cream man

1101

1928 posts

Uber Geek

# 2341386 21-Oct-2019 14:34

If you do a google search of Upgrade to Windows10 for free (or win7 to win10 upgrade etc), you'll see thousands of websites and YouTube sites still claiming
that you can ug to Win10 for free.
Even some well known tech websites are still plugging that the upgrade is free . Heres one of many .
https://www.zdnet.com/article/heres-how-you-can-still-get-a-free-windows-10-upgrade/

Yet zero official rebuttals from MS, only one line in a hard to find MS website page ( basically saying activation doesnt mean you have a valid lic )
MS have yet to Officially, publicly, unambiguously come out & say , "NO , you CANNOT upgrade for free" (?)

So , whats really going on :-)

xpd

Chief Trash Bandit
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# 2341394 21-Oct-2019 14:46

One person supports this post

1101:

Yet zero official rebuttals from MS, only one line in a hard to find MS website page ( basically saying activation doesnt mean you have a valid lic )
MS have yet to Officially, publicly, unambiguously come out & say , "NO , you CANNOT upgrade for free" (?)

So , whats really going on :-)

I got into a "discussion" with someone from MS on here recently (Not sure if it was nathan), and their response was basically "do you steal from someone because the door is open ?"

My response was that they should shut the door then to stop the confusion and stop the temptation to "steal".......

XPD / Gavin / DemiseNZ

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1101

1928 posts

Uber Geek

# 2341431 21-Oct-2019 16:14

One person supports this post

xpd:

I got into a "discussion" with someone from MS on here recently (Not sure if it was nathan), and their response was basically "do you steal from someone because the door is open ?"

My response was that they should shut the door then to stop the confusion and stop the temptation to "steal".......

I 100% accept that the free ug period is over , and installing Win10 with a 7 key wont give a vaild license
But yet the pressure is there to keep doing it, because of all the false info out there, false info never corrected by MS .

I want to know why MS is so damn quiet on this. I had to go hunting to find anything on MS's website , its hardly easy to find any official statement .

Throw us bone. Please .
Many IT companies are still doing this ~free~ upgrade, so those doing the right thing are penalized by charging for what others charge nothing for (except labor)
Its hardly a level playing field for those who choose to be legit with win10 upgrades .

dt

535 posts

Ultimate Geek

# 2341441 21-Oct-2019 16:43

sad to see when people try and do it legit and get scammed this way, unlucky OP

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