Automatically activate Windows 7

[stockhausen]

EULA is a contract which you accept, so breaking it is breaking a contract - that could and usually does mean it's illegal depending on what and how you broke it. ...

Do you know whether this has ever actually been tested in any European court? Although in light of Microsoft's regular battles in European courts in the past, I suspect that nobody would have the financial clout to demonstrate that the EULA is in fact an unfair and unenforceable contract.

... You don't have to buy anything, there's plenty of free software for creating backups ...

Quite so . . . and I would certainly have used just such software immediately after choosing to activate Windows 7 with my final configuration.

... frankly if you are going to "reinstall" regularly you're either poorly installing it in the first place or simply garbage at look [sic] after your computer ...

Perhaps you didn't but ought to have read my original post?

... People ought to remember that OS tweaking and customizing is very much of a niche interest compared to the 100s of millions of Windows users in the world. ...

Actually, I suspect that the majority of the "100s of millions of Windows users in the world" don't install Windows 7 from scratch and as a result, really couldn't care less what Dell, HP, Acer, Toshiba et al do or don't do when they build systems en masse . . . but I expect that you already knew that didn't you?

... [Microsoft] choose what suits the overwhelming majority. ...

How very, very naive. Microsoft choose to do what suits them


Still, now that I know how to diaable automatic activation and that I can install Windows 7 and use it for three months without entering a product key, I'm a significantly happier bunny - thank you to all the helpful contributors

 

[Hagar]

Use a FREE Linux live disk for testing, 2 minutes and you are done. Or install it and go open source.

 

[cokecan]

How very, very naive. Microsoft choose to do what suits them

[Flame on] sounds like the Apple way of doing things actually lol[Flame Off]

actually I think you'll find MS do whatever will make them money.....which I'm fairly confident usually means implementing what the majority of it's users want (clearly they listened to the end user after Vista). Happy users equal cha-ching or something along them lines

 

[SiriusB]

D
Actually, I suspect that the majority of the "100s of millions of Windows users in the world" don't install Windows 7 from scratch and as a result, really couldn't care less what Dell, HP, Acer, Toshiba et al do or don't do when they build systems en masse . . . but I expect that you already knew that didn't you?

Yes, a lot of those users walked into a shop and bought Windows preinstalled on PC. However, there are still many who bought Windows 7 to upgrade their current PC. It doesn't matter how you split the numbers, tweakers are in the minority.

How very, very naive. Microsoft choose to do what suits them

Of course. And in the case of auto-activation it benefits them as people don't forget and it benefits users as it's one thing less to do. Win-win.

Oh and have a rolleyes back