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Running unlicensed versions of Windows has historically been pretty easy. Am I missing something with Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2021? With Windows 7, once

by 0xEF 10mo ago

Running unlicensed versions of Windows has historically been pretty easy. Am I missing something with Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2021? With Windows 7, once the evaluation period ran out, you just had to deal with an annoying notification about your copy not being genuine, but it never stopped me from doing whatever I needed to do after installing it on dozens of machines over the years, at this point.

OJFord 10mo ago
I haven't really used Windows much for years, but doesn't it start shutting down once evaluation period is up? 'Windows will shutdown in 30 minutes unless licence key is added' etc., and the desktop background goes blue with some text about being unlicensed?
- basilikum 10mo ago
  https://massgrave.dev https://massgrave.dev Also don't use the evaluation images.
- 0xEF 10mo ago
  I have not experienced that, which is why I questioned the difficulty. I've installed Windows 10 on a good amount of machines at this point, bypassing the NRO during the install process, and have not had any issues that prevented me from installing software/games or just using it like a normal PC, even after connecting it to the Internet. However, my experience may be dated. It's been awhile since I've had to freshly install Windows. Perhaps things have changed.
- deltoidmaximus 10mo ago
  Yes, I believe LTSC does have a harsher shutdown setting if you're out of the 90 day "evaluation" window. Standard Windows keeps working just disabling the wallpaper and showing a watermark which you might be able to ignore.
- Telaneo 10mo ago
  Consumer versions of Windows just put a watermark on your screen and disable changing your wallpaper and the like. You can use it indefinitely beyond that. And if you want the watermark gone, then Massgrave is your friend.
dijit 10mo ago
1) They’ve started again to crack down on black-market activation methods https://windowsforum.com/threads/kms38-shut-down-windows-activation-hardened-in-2025.390803/ https://windowsforum.com/threads/kms38-shut-down-windows-act... 2) It’s not legal, obviously. I’d always have a tinge of worry that if I join a Teams call or something then my employer is on the hook for me doing something naughty. (given how Microsoft has decided to “upgrade” my local account to a Microsoft account before when logging in to outlook)
- 0xEF 10mo ago
  Interesting. And worrying. I see a good number of those Kamrui (and competitor) Mini PCs from Amazon replacing a lot of the far more expensive and lower-powered industrial PCs for various uses in smaller machine shops. I was not surprised since they're inexpensive and have a decent kick to the hardware, but I've noted that the version of Windows they ship with is fairly free of a lot of the usual bloat, so I assumed they were just using one of the available scripts to remove it...which likely included the KMS38 work-around? And I can tell you first-hand that most of the smaller shops are far too busy penny-pinching to spend even a few hundred dollars a year on licensing one or two of those machines properly. I never looked that deep into it since nobody came to me with any issues about it, but you have me wondering. I don't personally use Windows, either, despite my HN handle (it's just a reference I thought was funny), and I am finding myself more and more ignorant to what Microsoft is actually pushing. Thanks for the heads up. Will spend some time looking at this deeper.
- gruez 10mo ago
  >https://windowsforum.com/threads/kms38-shut-down-windows-activation-hardened-in-2025.390803/ https://windowsforum.com/threads/kms38-shut-down-windows-act... Seems AI generated?
  - deleted 10mo ago
    [deleted]
  - episteme 10mo ago
    The author of the post is ‘ChatGPT’
oblio 10mo ago
Does the LTSC have all the features needed for mainstream programs and games?
- 0xEF 10mo ago
  By Microsoft's own admission, it sounds like it: > Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC is built on the Windows 10 / 11 code base so it’s natively compatible with the software and solutions you use today. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/download-windows-11-iot-enterprise-ltsc-eval https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/download-windows-... I've not tried to use it specifically, which is why I'm curious.
- Wowfunhappy 10mo ago
  Yes. The one place you may run into issues is with Microsoft-specific services, for example I'm not sure if Gamepass works. But if you're just using Steam (or any other third party storefront) you won't have any problems at all.
- driverdan 10mo ago
  Yes, and it's easy to strip out the garbage you don't want like Games Center and App Store.
BLKNSLVR 10mo ago
Yep, last couple of Windows versions I used as desktop OSs likely 7 and 8) were unlicensed and, other than making the desktop background black (sometimes) and an occasional watermark reminder that it's not legit, nothing stopped working. And using Windows for free still didn't stop me from migrating to Linux exclusively (desktop and laptops and servers), and it's a decision I'm increasingly happy with.
- deleted 10mo ago
  [deleted]
thesuitonym 10mo ago
You are missing that it is not legal to do so.
- 1718627440 10mo ago
  The tracking they do is also not legal. Do they care?

by 0xEF 10mo ago

OJFord 10mo ago

I haven't really used Windows much for years, but doesn't it start shutting down once evaluation period is up? 'Windows will shutdown in 30 minutes unless licence key is added' etc., and the desktop background goes blue with some text about being unlicensed?

basilikum 10mo ago
https://massgrave.dev https://massgrave.dev Also don't use the evaluation images.
0xEF 10mo ago
I have not experienced that, which is why I questioned the difficulty. I've installed Windows 10 on a good amount of machines at this point, bypassing the NRO during the install process, and have not had any issues that prevented me from installing software/games or just using it like a normal PC, even after connecting it to the Internet. However, my experience may be dated. It's been awhile since I've had to freshly install Windows. Perhaps things have changed.
deltoidmaximus 10mo ago
Yes, I believe LTSC does have a harsher shutdown setting if you're out of the 90 day "evaluation" window. Standard Windows keeps working just disabling the wallpaper and showing a watermark which you might be able to ignore.
Telaneo 10mo ago
Consumer versions of Windows just put a watermark on your screen and disable changing your wallpaper and the like. You can use it indefinitely beyond that. And if you want the watermark gone, then Massgrave is your friend.

dijit 10mo ago

1) They’ve started again to crack down on black-market activation methods https://windowsforum.com/threads/kms38-shut-down-windows-activation-hardened-in-2025.390803/ https://windowsforum.com/threads/kms38-shut-down-windows-act... 2) It’s not legal, obviously. I’d always have a tinge of worry that if I join a Teams call or something then my employer is on the hook for me doing something naughty. (given how Microsoft has decided to “upgrade” my local account to a Microsoft account before when logging in to outlook)

0xEF 10mo ago
Interesting. And worrying. I see a good number of those Kamrui (and competitor) Mini PCs from Amazon replacing a lot of the far more expensive and lower-powered industrial PCs for various uses in smaller machine shops. I was not surprised since they're inexpensive and have a decent kick to the hardware, but I've noted that the version of Windows they ship with is fairly free of a lot of the usual bloat, so I assumed they were just using one of the available scripts to remove it...which likely included the KMS38 work-around? And I can tell you first-hand that most of the smaller shops are far too busy penny-pinching to spend even a few hundred dollars a year on licensing one or two of those machines properly. I never looked that deep into it since nobody came to me with any issues about it, but you have me wondering. I don't personally use Windows, either, despite my HN handle (it's just a reference I thought was funny), and I am finding myself more and more ignorant to what Microsoft is actually pushing. Thanks for the heads up. Will spend some time looking at this deeper.
gruez 10mo ago
>https://windowsforum.com/threads/kms38-shut-down-windows-activation-hardened-in-2025.390803/ https://windowsforum.com/threads/kms38-shut-down-windows-act... Seems AI generated?
- deleted 10mo ago
  [deleted]
- episteme 10mo ago
  The author of the post is ‘ChatGPT’

oblio 10mo ago

Does the LTSC have all the features needed for mainstream programs and games?

0xEF 10mo ago
By Microsoft's own admission, it sounds like it: > Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC is built on the Windows 10 / 11 code base so it’s natively compatible with the software and solutions you use today. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/download-windows-11-iot-enterprise-ltsc-eval https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/download-windows-... I've not tried to use it specifically, which is why I'm curious.
Wowfunhappy 10mo ago
Yes. The one place you may run into issues is with Microsoft-specific services, for example I'm not sure if Gamepass works. But if you're just using Steam (or any other third party storefront) you won't have any problems at all.
driverdan 10mo ago
Yes, and it's easy to strip out the garbage you don't want like Games Center and App Store.

BLKNSLVR 10mo ago

Yep, last couple of Windows versions I used as desktop OSs likely 7 and 8) were unlicensed and, other than making the desktop background black (sometimes) and an occasional watermark reminder that it's not legit, nothing stopped working. And using Windows for free still didn't stop me from migrating to Linux exclusively (desktop and laptops and servers), and it's a decision I'm increasingly happy with.

deleted 10mo ago
[deleted]

thesuitonym 10mo ago

You are missing that it is not legal to do so.

1718627440 10mo ago
The tracking they do is also not legal. Do they care?