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January 29th, 2008, 17:35 GMT · By

Whatever You Do, Do Not Download Windows 7 Via Torrent Sites

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Windows Vista Service Pack 1, not to mention Windows Vista RTM, and Windows XP Service Pack 3 are out, and Windows 7 is in! That's right, Windows 7. There is a veritable frenzy over the next edition of the Windows operating system, as it appears that Microsoft has already shipped an early development milestone to key partners. With Windows 7 Milestone 1 Ultimate Build version 6.1 (Build 6519.1.x86fre.winmain.071220-1525) available outside of Redmond, many feel that it is just a matter of time before the next iteration of Windows will make it onto warez or torrent websites.

And in fact, various peer-to-peer file sharing networks now feature
Windows 7 Milestone 1 for download, more or less referencing the official ISO served by Microsoft: 6519.1.071220-1525. Now, such piracy hotspots have long been the cradle of various Microsoft products, and not just copies of its software, but also product keys, hack techniques, cracks, key generators and so on and so forth. But accessing such alternative and illegal resources of Microsoft software is never a good idea. No matter how appealing the end prize might be!

Users racing to be among the first in the world to have a hands-on experience with Windows 7, however, are ready to throw aside common sense and ignore risks, be them legal or otherwise related to malware payloads tucked away in pirated materials. Windows 7 made no exception in this case. However, at this point in time, torrent downloads of Windows 7 are only masquerading as the operating system.

The ISO images available via BitTorrent trackers have proved to be nothing but fake zero byte ISO images. However, attackers could very easily leverage the strong incentive that is Windows 7 in social engineering schemes designed to let users turn themselves into victims and become infected with malicious code. Windows 7 M2 is expected to drop in April/May 2008, M3 in the third quarter. The Beta, RC and RTM versions of Windows 7 are planned for 2009. All it takes is a bit of patience.
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READER COMMENTS:


Comment #1 by: kyle on 21 Oct 2008, 09:48 UTC reply to this comment

there is a way to oficially download windows 7 you just need to sign up for microsoft connect


Comment #2 by: Dand on 11 Nov 2008, 10:16 UTC reply to this comment

The arrival of a new windows operating system is somewhat shocking at the moment as we have not bade our good and faithful XP ! Anyways the world is changing and we have to change according to the changes. I do hope Vienna meets our expectations


Comment #3 by: Ryan on 14 Jan 2009, 22:15 UTC reply to this comment

P2P sharing of Windows 7 is doing nothing but help Microsoft with their server load problem. This beta release is for everybody - so there is no legality issues as per this article.

Any experienced user knows to scan files before installation. This safeguards one from malware. Also, in the torrent community, there is a wealth of user comments on each file. It's very clear what is legit and what isn't.

The version of Windows 7 I got via torrent download is malware free. I went with a torrent because the MS servers were overloaded.

This article is completely incorrect, and is obviously written by a noob.

Comment #3.1 by: Freddie on 14 Dec 2009, 20:57 GMT

Agreed, this is poor information. There is no evidence to back any of it up. It's just scaremongering by people who have no idea of the real issues and advantages of the p2p networks,,

Comment #3.2 by: Philip on 30 Nov 2010, 02:41 GMT

This is totally incorrect. Microsoft would rather people downloading Windows 7 than buying Apple OS.

Comment #3.3 by: hazmat on 12 Feb 2011, 08:30 GMT

any experienced user knows who cares about a virus it doesnt do crap my only worries are the giant magnets who chase me in my sleep and EMP's


Comment #4 by: Craig on 15 Jan 2009, 14:06 UTC reply to this comment

The writer of the above comment (Ryan) is a comlpete moron. As, this article was written in January 2008.

Check the date first you moron!

The released beta is build 7000. This speaks of an earlier one. Read it before making aggressive assumptions.

Comment #4.1 by: wow on 23 Jan 2009, 19:45 GMT

uhhhh, so people just randomly read stuff and post a stupidity comment. Well, I wanna join in too. The version this (over a year old) article states is correct. I still have it. Its better faster and greater in all ways over Vista, but leaves something to be expected over XP. Now the version they JUST released yesterday blows the doors off prevous versions on Windows. Older or new hardware it detects and benchmarks great scores . Do any of you care? No probably. Does MS or anyone else care what YOU think. Probably not. Sooo...


Comment #5 by: Jerry on 16 Jan 2009, 01:04 UTC reply to this comment

Yes windows 7 is officially released. I am a Microsoft Registered OEM System Builder so I have full access to downloads early. I have taken Windows 7 and installed in an my laptop (Gateway Fire Red core 2 duo) all hardware worked out of box at first load. This OS is incredibly fast, might i say even faster that XP? I never was a fan of Vista from the very first beta, right to the final release, SP1 made it only slightly better. That is if you could get it insalled with out a 2 hour phone call to Microsoft in India. OK so it has more "bells and whistles" than XP or Vista which is fine BUT the big change is that it is very fast. I hate when you spend big bucks on great hardware and get a slugish performance from your OS. go ahead and slam me for thie on MAC users OS 10 is a DOG. I accually now look forward to selling Windows 7. Thanks MS it's about time you got it right.


Comment #6 by: taxon on 17 Jan 2009, 10:00 UTC reply to this comment

cine de la cine fura, cuvint cu cuvint?
http://www.windows7.cc/windows7-news/never-download-windows-7-via-torrent-sites/


Comment #7 by: Josef on 18 Jan 2009, 10:30 UTC reply to this comment

My early experiences of Windows 7 are that I am very unimpressed.
There appears to be little (no?) performance/compatibility difference from Vista.
It still doesn't work 'out of the box' for several of my computers (something that every recent Linux distribution can manage these days).
I have benchmarked on 4 machines, and it remains slightly slower than Windows XP for most tasks, with on average, marginally higher memory usage. Most of the slowdown over XP seems to be related to I/O. Purely CPU bound tasks that I have tested show marginal differences between the different Windows versions. Graphics, I suspect may show more significant differences, but that area doesn't interest me, and technically, the design of the Vista graphics stack IS a step forward, irrespective of what 'fps' obsessed gamers may say.
I still hate the Windows user interface. It just seems to take longer to complete most basic tasks, such as file management than with XP, and I find the default layout of many panels to be wasteful of screen space.
Windows 7, as far as I can see, is little more than a shallow corporate re-brand of the mediocre (by modern OS standards) Vista product. My advice - one to avoid.

Comment #7.1 by: JOBE on 19 Apr 2010, 18:50 GMT

To be completely honest... you speak as if you are running a dinosaur pc/laptop... obviously you have some component troubles... though i do not wish for this to turn into a slang word war, but im sorry sir... you are greatly mistaken... windows 7 on the build i have which i built myself... i7 940, p6t mb, 12gb of corsair 1333mhz mem, 2x hd4870 1gig gpus, killer netcard, 2 ssd patriot running raid, a raptor 10,000rpm hdd, and a 1300watt powersupply... im sorry i have personally tested all three o.s.'s and i have to say WINDOWS 7 FTW! True i may be a "FPS GAMER" but im also A+ certified... GO GET YOURSELF A WINDOWS 7 FOR DUMMIES BOOK IDIOT!

Comment #7.2 by: bakus522 on 03 Mar 2011, 18:43 GMT

I WANT YOUR MACHINE! ROFL! * man, where'd you get the money for that beast? Craigslist like me? XD Crysis will be fun on a 965BE 5870 w/ Eyefinity 22" 1080p HD monitor with 8GB DDR3 1333MHz! My RAM will be slower but my Proc and GPU own!


Comment #8 by: Bill Christenson on 10 Mar 2009, 17:39 UTC reply to this comment

If you download an ISO from a torrent site and you get a virus or some other malicious program, you obviously don't have the technical know-how to use it anyways... I have downloaded Windows 7 beta three or four different times now from torrent sites, and all have been perfectly legitimate with no other software added to the ISO whatsoever...
PS.. Josef, I strongly disagree with you on your views of Windows 7... With respect to Vista, it is a million times faster, and almost seems like it knows what you want to do before you do it, but then again, I am running 64bit, so... you might try that instead; maybe that will change your opinion of it. I am also a FPS obsessed gamer and windows 7 really does outperform Vista for high-end graphics games in my experience.


Comment #9 by: Josh on 26 Mar 2009, 02:25 UTC reply to this comment

Or try Suse Linux 11.1 or Ubuntu 8.1 with Beryl! Why even waste time dinking around with Micro$oft. they both even come with free office suite that can open MS Office products and a bunch of other cool stuff, and you know what? Its all FREE.

Comment #9.1 by: Daryl on 26 Apr 2009, 20:46 GMT

I've tried various Linux products over the years and found the installs cumbersome and can be very difficult. Even the latest and easier installs suck. I've run into many driver issues and like Mac's, you don't know what software you'll be able to run. I'm sorry Josh, any Linux program just isn't worth the time wasted trying to run it and then be limited with software in the end. Like a mac... yuck! I'm happy to pay for Microsoft products.


Comment #10 by: InterneTechy on 25 Apr 2009, 05:31 UTC reply to this comment

While there's no guarantee that all Windows 7 ISOs downloaded from torrent sites will be free of Malware and also unaltered, there's a definitive way to distinguish between good ones from the majority bad ones, atleast in the case of Windows 7 builds released publicly by Microsoft. It is to find the torrents with specific MD5 or SHA1 codes. For instance, build 7000 of Windows 7 was once available in Microsoft's website for public downloads, but no more, even though it's still available for download to MSDN and Technet's subscribers. A smart downloader would just collect the SHA1 of the required ISO from MSDN website and search it up in torrent sites to find the exact ISO files which were once offered for download from Microsoft's website. In this way we can ensure that the ISO file is in no way altered and also is malware-free.


Comment #11 by: matt on 06 Jun 2009, 00:58 UTC reply to this comment

windows 7 is a awesome but xp is still the best os to use.


Comment #12 by: Eagle Eye on 08 Jul 2009, 01:51 UTC reply to this comment

am using the windows 7 beta. It works more faster than Vista and Xp.
I never paid for earlier windows release, but am thinking to buy this new version. i love it.... Thanks Microsoft


Comment #13 by: John on 25 Jul 2009, 20:26 UTC reply to this comment

Ive been using Ubuntu for over a year now. Ive been trying to migrate away from windows for a long time, but as I work in graphics and animation, needed programs like photoshop and flash.

Im happy to say that all those problems are now over, and I can run all the software I need using Wine, the windows compatability layer in Linux. Sure things need a little configuring every now and again, but this only leads to a greater understanding of how the system works. Its not a big deal.

I dont want to try to persuade you to switch to Linux. I know I wont be able to as when I was a windows user I would defend it against Mac users and wouldnt hear a thing said against it. That is until windows XP came out, and decisions started being made for me, which got worse in Vista. I still defended it against the Mac, as I couldn't get to grips with the fish hand OS that is macintosh. But it wasnt a good relationship, and I felt that Microsoft took more than it gave.

Anyway, happy dabblings with Windows 7 all. Hopefully you wont get stiffed as badly as you all did with Vista, though somehow I think that history will repeat itself until enough people say no more. I for one will not be buying a copy.


Comment #14 by: tmq on 22 Oct 2009, 18:03 UTC reply to this comment

another fine example of fascism

of course there is anarchy involved in downloading from 'illegal' sites

there is no control

that is the point

end corporate personhood

fight the false force with real power

download away


Comment #15 by: DG on 31 Oct 2009, 13:31 UTC reply to this comment

I've been dicked over by Microsoft on Windows ME & Vista; I'll get Windows 7, but I'll be damned if I'm gonna pay.


Comment #16 by: Nobby on 01 Nov 2009, 19:02 UTC reply to this comment

Could`nt agree with you more!!!!!!


Comment #17 by: none of ur busniess on 01 Nov 2009, 23:37 UTC reply to this comment

don't blame the coders, blame the code :)


Comment #18 by: Non-Hacker on 02 Nov 2009, 22:08 UTC reply to this comment

Hackers.....you dudes should suck it up and move on to more meaningful pursuits.
You whine and complain about MS and their power. Yes, they have been very successful and don't you wish you had MS shares 15 years ago. We want more powerful apps, we need more powerful hardware, we get more powerful hdw, we need better apps....we are in a trough of computing need need need.

Instead of sitting in front of your internet connection sucking out all the free stuff you can get your hacking hands on....go for a walk....meet a girl/guy......read an actual printed hard copy book....volunteer for some worthwhile charity.....get some joy out of life instead of fighting the technological machine that feeds our insatiable voracious appetite for cool stuff.

And to you malicious hackers...you are nothing more than sad, worthless cowards taking joy in other's misery. Turn off your computer and go join a chess club or a sports team.

Life is more than these stupid computers.....let's all get one (a life, that is...)


Comment #19 by: HRH on 11 Nov 2009, 22:59 UTC reply to this comment

To all you Linux evangelists, I used Linux in a corporate environment. It worked. But I would rather eat my own head than install it on my home computer. Yes, it may be theoretically free, but it is not hassle free, I don't like penguins, I don't want to grow a beard, and my pro-music software has so far hated every incarnation of Linux it has been asked to work with.

Windows is far from perfect, but to date there has been NO alternative OS to tempt the average casual home user.

I will be sticking with XP-Pro for now, but watching 7 with interest to see if it is worth the upgrade.

Comment #19.1 by: dontgive ashit on 16 Jan 2012, 22:46 GMT

first of all there would not be Linux without hackers and second not every hacker uses their skills for evil.
my Philosophy is don't hack if there is no need.


Comment #20 by: NNN on 14 Nov 2009, 01:10 UTC reply to this comment

if you have money, buy windows 7
if you don't, download it in torrent!

pls dnt hate torrents! not all people have money!
and Microsoft is too rich!

new hardware drivers that is compatible only in vista is just for business
wayway back then inventions are invented to help people, but for now is just for money

sorry for my bad english..


Comment #21 by: Norris on 14 Nov 2009, 02:44 UTC reply to this comment

i like windows and Linux
i use them
windows are for my gaming while Linux is for my programming.

windows has tons of AV while Linux has less virus (virus programmers create more for windows rather than Linux (i never encounter Linux virus)) .

about issues in torrent, i hate rich people.
Microsoft is too rich and they change windows to sell another one
and the fact that new hardware drivers (branded PCs) are compatible only in vista :

i don't see another new technology...
its still the same ! hard drive to memory to processor etc. etc.
Vista has just another features that i think it can be programmed and install in XP.. like graphics card/devices is just additional processor/memory for graphics output that your processor and memory can also do..


Comment #22 by: Null on 26 Nov 2009, 20:31 UTC reply to this comment

Anyone with half a brain could see this is simply a petty attempt to prevent people from illegally download material.

Which will not happen of course. But, if you succeed let me know.

Comment #22.1 by: Varsh on 03 Sep 2010, 10:47 GMT

Lol, totally agree.


Comment #23 by: Terence on 29 Dec 2009, 01:15 UTC reply to this comment

This article is such tripe. Obviously trotted out by a drone with zero capability to think for themselves. One wonders how much Microsoft's anti-priating team spends on their campaigns, paying off people like authors at this website to trot out corporate dross for the masses to ingest, praying of the happless imagination bankrupts.
Can you spell F.U.D???


Comment #24 by: Drewbacca on 07 Jan 2010, 21:33 UTC reply to this comment

Microsoft has been plagued for years, why, who knows. They probably do it to themselves. As for torrents, Microsoft, if they were smart, would write in a 'bug' to keep their rip-off OS from being shared.
I will always pay for MAC OSX and torrent windows. Windows is just a hooker in a new dress.


Comment #25 by: chris on 15 Mar 2010, 01:08 UTC reply to this comment

windows 7 is great only one problem maybe u can help me out on windows xp a game i played only took used bout 60 to 70k of my ram windows 7 for the same game uses 400 to 700k why is this


Comment #26 by: fank on 25 Apr 2010, 22:45 UTC reply to this comment

Microsoft propaganda. Got my windows from pirate bay. works well.


Comment #27 by: John on 28 Apr 2010, 20:08 UTC reply to this comment

Linux is fail, especially in the realm of wireless connectivity.
I don't say that lightly. I spent nearly a month just trying to get several different linux distro's to maintain a wireless connection. None of them were successful and the linux community in general would rather insult you than attempt to give you proper help.
So... yeah, fail. The biggest hinderance to the popularity of linux, is its' own fanboys. (they're jerks)

As for Win 7 I got my copy through work, I'm not sure I would ever trust a custom packed windows os on a share though. There are just too many unknowns. There are two things that regardless of how desperate or in need I was I would never pirate.
Operating systems and security software are those two things.

Comment #27.1 by: Ubuntu777 on 09 Jan 2011, 06:43 GMT

I find all this real good information about windows a lot of hype over get new or not maybe its time people do like brazil did and tell them were not going to upgrade to the new flavor every two years just so they can make money and went with free linux operating system


Comment #28 by: ubuntu virtualbox on 14 May 2010, 19:03 UTC reply to this comment

to all who hates linux, i think your just too dumb to use the os... just like people who hates osx, they cant afford a mac. shame on you guys! everyone has the ryt to choose which os suites them best... it depends on how will you use your computer... if ur a gamer go for windows, just surfin, mac OSX is a good choice, but for me, linux works great for me! and in addition, i installed virtualmachine that uses windows xp, just in case i need windows based programs... just like on my macbook, it also has guest pc (XP).

what i dont like in windows, u get to spend big bucks on hardware specs as you uprade your OS.... next thing to being vulnerable to viruses...


Comment #29 by: uFaIl on 09 Sep 2010, 02:55 UTC reply to this comment

This guy is probably a microsoft spy, don't listen to him. I've downloaded 7 countless times and I am still virus/malware free.


Comment #30 by: Manda on 13 Sep 2010, 20:30 UTC reply to this comment

I do what I want. :p

Comment #30.1 by: Venom on 10 Oct 2010, 19:29 GMT

My sentiments exactly! I weigh my options then decide ultimately what I will or will not do. Buy Windows 7 or download it via p2p networks.......the choice is yours!


Comment #31 by: Anonymous on 06 Dec 2010, 18:13 UTC reply to this comment

You were wrong! :)


Comment #32 by: Zhu on 22 Jan 2011, 01:51 UTC reply to this comment

Uh, yeah, because I give a * about the IP Monopoly. And the implication that all file sharing is virus riddled malware is stupid. You just have to not be * and know where to look. Ever heard of peer rating?
Screw Copyright.


Comment #33 by: Noone on 02 Mar 2011, 05:15 UTC reply to this comment

Baloney


Comment #34 by: yash on 09 Jul 2011, 11:55 UTC reply to this comment

i want world's fastest windwos , i have tried many windows, but ...
please someone tell me which windows is fastest in the world


Comment #35 by: Imnotyourmom on 17 Aug 2011, 02:53 UTC reply to this comment

Screw the new windows! Im tired of buying them! What this world needs, is a big power outtage for a billion years. YOU CAN TAKE THAT TO THE BANK


Comment #36 by: fdsafdsa on 17 Aug 2011, 18:06 UTC reply to this comment

This article is wrong and s probably propaganda from Microsoft, I downloaded and installed Window 7 in Jan 2010 and have never had a problem and yes I scan for hacks all the time


Comment #37 by: offLine on 25 Nov 2011, 13:47 UTC reply to this comment

My backgroundscreen is black my xp is not genuin. But my computer does
not have the processor capacity to use Windows 7. Or the money to buy.
How to solve this.


Comment #38 by: hey yo on 13 Feb 2012, 11:44 UTC reply to this comment

I downloaded it via torrent and it works great.

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