Windows 10 upgrades to be free - even if your copy is pirated

[JJonas]

Interesting

 

Microsoft's operating system chief Terry Myerson explained that Microsoft will be "upgrading all qualified PCs, genuine and non-genuine, to Windows 10." The move is apparently an attempt to "re-engage" users that currently run pirated software, particularly in China. Illegal version of Windows are a huge problem in the country: recent estimates suggest that 75 percent of PCs in the country run pirated copies of the OS.

 

All Windows 10 Upgrades Will Be Free—Even If Your Copy Is Pirated

[hardtailstar]

Thats a bold move.

[LeMarchand]

Interesting that the one of the fastest-growing economies in the world is so reliant on pirated software...

[JRowley]

Makes sense, people will pirate Windows 10 when it comes out, so why not have them be legitimate users instead? Makes the numbers look better and they can market to these people going forward.

 

We need more forward thinking like this from businesses.

[flyinghaggis]

+1 to what JRowley said really.

 

Microsoft have simply realised that they need to move to a business model funded by advertising, app purchases, subsciptions or a similar style of approach as selling OS upgades for £100+ isn't really viable anymore. Given that model it's in their interests to get everyone using that same most up to date version of their software as splitting the userbase by a paywall will only hurt them in the long term.

 

Plus, other than enthusiasts like ourselves, historically very few people bother to upgrade the OS on a laptop/desktop. MS probably makes most of it's revenue from selling OEM bundled operating systems with new hardware so offering free upgrades probably isn't that huge a give-away for them in real terms.

 

It does seem generous of them to allow upgrades for pirated copies but I suspect they're assuming people who pirate their OS aren't going to pay to upgrade to a new version and it means fewer legacy support costs. Also, MS probably figure that at least if they're on the latest version it means they might make some App store / cloud service, advertising revenue from them which is better than nothing.

 

They're probably hoping to avoid another Windows XP where people stay on the OS for a decade by giving away the latest version!

 

I think it's the only realistic option MS have ultimately.

 

That and ....YAY FREE WINDOWS.....

 

Welll, maybe not entirely free as I still think they might try and bring out some kind of subscription based model to go along with Windows 10. Maybe bundle things like Office and other productivity software as part of the subscription. Or even a 'Xbox Gold' style approach where you get access to games/apps/movies by paying a monthly fee.

 

Be interesting to see what happens but MS really needs Windows 10 to be a home run as the competition is getting pretty fierce out there and most people are starting to question whether they even need a Windows OS in light of mobile platforms like IOS and Android.

[mikeyd101]

upgrade from what to what tho? as far as I understand windows 10 functionality you buy the extra features you need (i.e doing away with home, pro, server versions) and cost you money for a license for features like hyper-v as an example.

 

if your upgrading win 7 ultimate or 8 pro (to be honest why would they have pirated anything less) to win 10 they might be hoping to make money from people buying features as I'm sure that they will only give the most basic win10 features to non-genuine.

[Arthur]

as far as I understand windows 10 functionality you buy the extra features you need (i.e doing away with home, pro, server versions)

Not sure where you got that idea?

 

The usual editions will still be available (in addition to some new ones).

 

http://a.pomf.se/yoiaiu.jpg

[Arthur]

www.zdnet.com/article/windows-10-to-launch-this-summer-with-free-upgrades-for-pirated-copies

 

A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed via email that the plan to allow free upgrades for non-genuine copies of Windows applies to all markets and is not limited to China.

[Arthur]

The Windows 10 free upgrade for pirates: More confusing than it seems

 

Early yesterday morning, Microsoft's Terry Myerson surprised everyone—including, I think, Microsoft PR—by announcing that everyone would get a free upgrade to Windows 10, even users with pirated/non-genuine licenses. There was then a fairly long pause while Microsoft PR prepared a response.

 

First, a Microsoft spokesperson confirmed with ZDNet that, "the plan to allow free upgrades for non-genuine copies of Windows applies to all markets" worldwide, not just China. Then, early this morning—more than 24 hours after the original Reuters story went live—Microsoft PR sent out another statement. Here it is in full:

 

The consumer free upgrade offer for Windows 10 applies to qualified new and existing devices running Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows Phone 8.1. Some editions are excluded from the consumer free upgrade—including Windows 7 Enterprise, Windows 8/8.1 Enterprise, and Windows RT/RT 8.1. Active Software Assurance customers in volume licensing have the benefit to upgrade to other Windows 10 enterprise offerings.

 

We have always been committed to ensuring that customers have the best Windows experience possible. With Windows 10, although non-Genuine PCs may be able to upgrade to Windows 10, the upgrade will not change the genuine state of the license. Non-Genuine Windows is not published by Microsoft. It is not properly licensed, or supported by Microsoft or a trusted partner. If a device was considered non-genuine or mislicensed prior to the upgrade, that device will continue to be considered non-genuine or mislicensed after the upgrade. According to industry experts, use of pirated software, including Non-Genuine Windows, results in a higher risk of malware, fraud (identity theft, credit card theft, etc), public exposure of your personal information, and a higher risk for poor performance or feature malfunctions.

 

That statement had one very confusing sentence: "If a device was considered non-genuine or mislicensed prior to the upgrade, that device will continue to be considered non-genuine or mislicensed after the upgrade." We reached out to Microsoft for clarification, to find out what it actually means to have a non-genuine copy of Windows 10. "We don’t have anything further to share outside of the statement at the moment."

 

Where does that leave us? Clearly, if you're running a pirated version of Windows 7 or 8.1, you will get a free upgrade to Windows 10—but it will still be considered "non-genuine or mislicensed." Does this mean that you'll get a nag screen every time you boot up? Does it mean that you can only use your PC for a few weeks before it locks you out and forces you to buy a license?

 

Perhaps more worryingly, will non-genuine Windows 10 users be allowed on the "Windows as a Service" regular update train? The whole point of giving away free Windows 10 upgrades is that Microsoft needs to get everyone onto a single, regularly updated platform. Giving pirates a free upgrade to Windows 10, but then locking them out of the update process, would be a very puzzling move. Microsoft has withheld updates from non-genuine users in the past, though, so there is some precedent.

 

One possible reason for Microsoft's murky messaging is corporate licensing. For a home user, no one will ever know that you don't have a genuine copy of Windows 10—but if you're a company or institution and you get audited or raided, then a bunch of non-genuine licenses could be a problem. If you're a small or medium business with PCs running Windows 7 or 8.1 Pro, then maybe Microsoft wants to ensure that you stay genuine.

 

Still, until we get more clarification from Microsoft, we should remain cautious about the promise of a free upgrade to Windows 10 and an armistice for pirates. We would hope that non-genuine copies of Windows 10 still receive updates and security patches, but it's dangerous to make that assumption.

[JRowley]

Well, scratch all I said about forward thinking.

[Arthur]

Genuine Windows and Windows 10

 

When we can’t verify that Windows is properly installed, licensed, and not tampered with, we create a desktop watermark to notify the user.

 

Microsoft and our OEM partners know that many consumers are unwitting victims of piracy, and with Windows 10, we would like all of our customers to move forward with us together. While our free offer to upgrade to Windows 10 will not apply to Non-Genuine Windows devices, and as we’ve always done, we will continue to offer Windows 10 to customers running devices in a Non-Genuine state. In addition, in partnership with some of our valued OEM partners, we are planning very attractive Windows 10 upgrade offers for their customers running one of their older devices in a Non-Genuine state. Please stay tuned to learn more from our partners on the specifics of their offers.