4 ms·

No. It used to be that you got a “restore disk” with your new computer. I’ve had a few dells that had this, Apple used to as well. Now if anything, there is a r

No. It used to be that you got a “restore disk” with your new computer. I’ve had a few dells that had this, Apple used to as well. Now if anything, there is a rescue partition or a utility that knows how to download an rescue image. Without a valid license key you shouldn’t be able to use the restore disk. A lot of people who got these just threw them away. This guy was trying to help them reset their computer to a good state. In this case Microsoft would prefer you buy a new license, but these people already have one (usually on a sticker on the computer somewhere).

snuxoll 8y ago
Microsoft provides free downloads of Windows 8/10 installation media on their website, saying they'd "prefer you buy a new license" is a little disingenuous. What they don't want is people distributing installation media outside their authorized channels, counterfeiting is a huge problem for their Windows/Office business and they have a huge motivation to combat it. Was this counterfeiting? Most certainly not in spirit, nobody was trying to say "here's a free/discounted copy of Windows" - there were no cracks on the media and you still needed a license to get Windows to activate, but the cold hard truth is the license agreement prohibits copying/redistribution of the installation media. Lesson of the day: copyright law is stuck in the 1800's in many ways, so don't test your luck and ask Congress to fix it if you think it's broken.
- cmiles74 8y ago
  I think the fact that Microsoft pursued this suit makes it clear that they would "prefer you to buy a new license". The statement doesn't seem disingenuous to me.
- ben509 8y ago
  The underlying issue isn't copyright law, as it's a means to an end and has always made this kind of abuse possible. This is retailers using government to crack down on secondary markets (markets that deal in used goods, subleasing, reselling tickets, etc); copyright law happens to be a means to that end. You see the same actions with landlords going after airbnb, of course they use a different body of law.
- ajasmin 8y ago
  Microsoft offering the Windows ISO for download is a recent addition. If you had to restore a PC 10 years ago, your only options were to obtain a restore disk from the PC manufacturer, use a restore partition on the HDD (assuming it was intact) or buy Windows. In the past, I had to get restore disk images on BitTorrent to fix friends computers.

snuxoll 8y ago

Microsoft provides free downloads of Windows 8/10 installation media on their website, saying they'd "prefer you buy a new license" is a little disingenuous. What they don't want is people distributing installation media outside their authorized channels, counterfeiting is a huge problem for their Windows/Office business and they have a huge motivation to combat it. Was this counterfeiting? Most certainly not in spirit, nobody was trying to say "here's a free/discounted copy of Windows" - there were no cracks on the media and you still needed a license to get Windows to activate, but the cold hard truth is the license agreement prohibits copying/redistribution of the installation media. Lesson of the day: copyright law is stuck in the 1800's in many ways, so don't test your luck and ask Congress to fix it if you think it's broken.

cmiles74 8y ago
I think the fact that Microsoft pursued this suit makes it clear that they would "prefer you to buy a new license". The statement doesn't seem disingenuous to me.
ben509 8y ago
The underlying issue isn't copyright law, as it's a means to an end and has always made this kind of abuse possible. This is retailers using government to crack down on secondary markets (markets that deal in used goods, subleasing, reselling tickets, etc); copyright law happens to be a means to that end. You see the same actions with landlords going after airbnb, of course they use a different body of law.
ajasmin 8y ago
Microsoft offering the Windows ISO for download is a recent addition. If you had to restore a PC 10 years ago, your only options were to obtain a restore disk from the PC manufacturer, use a restore partition on the HDD (assuming it was intact) or buy Windows. In the past, I had to get restore disk images on BitTorrent to fix friends computers.