14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft confirmed a few days ago that Windows 10 would be offered free of charge only to customers who own a genuine copy of Windows 7 or Windows 8, so pirates would have to either purchase the operating system or stick to their current version of Windows.
If they do upgrade to Windows 10 and use the operating system on a daily basis, a watermark is displayed on their desktop, thus reminding them that an upgrade to a genuine copy of the operating system is required.
But even though it was supposed to clarify the “free Windows 10 for pirates” saga, Microsoft’s post still leaves a few questions that concern the behavior of a non-genuine copy of the operating system unanswered.
A watermark will indeed be displayed on the desktop, but if that watermark is the only thing that pirates are going to see, there’s no doubt that they can live with it or turn to little tools that can remove it completely.
More limitations coming
And yet, Microsoft will most likely also implement other restrictions on non-genuine copies of Windows 10, but the company is yet to details these, saying that the watermark is possibly the only thing that would make a difference between a legal and an illegal copy of the operating system.
If the software giant adopts the same system as for previous versions of Windows, expect the desktop to turn black every 60 minutes, thus removing your wallpaper, and to be blocked from installing specific Microsoft software until Windows is activated.
“If your copy of Windows isn't genuine, you won't be able to install many updates that are exclusively for genuine Windows customers, including Microsoft Security Essentials. Microsoft strongly recommends that you get genuine Microsoft software immediately to help ensure a safer computing experience,” Redmond explains in documentation for existing Windows versions.
Again, Security Essentials is one of the apps that many avoid installing anyway, and Windows 8 and Windows 10 would come with Windows Defender pre-installed, so this piece of security software wouldn’t be required.
On the bright side, a non-genuine copy of Windows would still get security updates and fixes, so it should work just like any other legal version of the operating system.
Needless to say, there’s more to clarify on this and Microsoft should do that as soon as possible if it really wants to convince pirates to buy Windows. Otherwise, a watermark is the kind of thing they can live with.