That's what I said.
Buying window 11
- Thread starter Haze
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OK now that I know, that's fine, just wondered why in every thread everyone just recommends to buy a key elsewhere?
I thought the rule was simply to not link to competitors, but we can mention buying stuff elsewhere in general?
Where? You recommended violating the EULA by installing some dodgy GITHUB piracy app to use an old license from elsewhereThat's what I said.
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Microsoft will also tell you that recycled and/or third world keys are against the EULA (which is what you're getting for a fiver, unless you're getting a VL key which is even worse). As I said, we can't talk about that here. The official line is buy an MS key from OcUK.Why is every thread mentioning to just buy a key then and recommending key sites?
I thought the rule was simply to not link to competitors, but we can mention buying stuff elsewhere?
Where? You recommended violating the EULA by installing some dodgy GITHUB piracy app to use an old license from elsewhere
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I said a retail key. I also stated that if I pay for it off a supplier that has been doing it for over 20 years, then to the best of mine or anyone else's knowledge, it's legit, as I haven't done it the dodgy way you mentioned nor modified the windows install.
I've simply paid for a key that I am told is legit? That was my point, it's not my problem when it comes to legitimacy if a supplier describes it as legit, and me nor you will never know otherwise.
I was genuinely under the opinion that we could mention anything regarding buying keys for games/XBL/PSN/windows etc as long as no competitor name was mentioned nor linking?
Mate you do you. Also, you really should read the various forum rules before you inadvertently end up on a long holiday at some point in future. They get updated from time to time.
Try here:
Not really - it's one of those products where the price is the price unfortunately
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but does anyone know where the USB versions went? and if they can come back? nobody cares about DVD now.
You can buy them direct from the MS link above - if not you'd have to ask someone from the OcUK shop staff.
With fast USB drives of the size needed being cheap to buy and the ability to download the installation media I don't really see the need to buy a USB installation product.
Contrary to some posters I've found cheap keys even from "legit" sources 50/50 - I do a fair few builds for family and friends who usually insist on these "£5" keys or provide them themselves from such sources and about half the time the license ends up either not working in the first place or invalidated days, weeks or months down the line, which isn't the end of the world but causes extra hassle.
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I'm guessing the OP doesn't have access to another machine so wants to have it in a draw as an emergency for a re-install?
I'd just go round a friends with a usb drive I'd bought and make the install media myself and leave it in a draw afterwards.
Regarding the keys, yeah that's fair enough, I wasn't personally aware that they can become invalidated later on? Only if say a motherboards changed the key dies with that - or used to be the case?
TBF I'm unix guy, and have mainly used MacOS and linux for the last 20 years, but any windows machine I have, I just buy a cheap retail key, it's worth the risk for a fiver and isn't hassle to buy another if anything goes wrong in the future.
You mentioned your family/friends supplying/insisting on these keys, sounds like it wouldn't be a big deal for them to type in another code if worst comes to worse in the future, especially if some of them are capable of supplying/acquiring the code in the first place, doesn't seem like much of a big deal if it happens, and definitely worth a punt for a fiver each time versus RRP.
I wonder if they were being super cheap and using dodgy OEM keys versus buying retail? I could understand the OEM key getting invalidated as potential risk factor.
Windows 10 and onwards (and back to Windows 7 to an extent but not as much) will periodically check the license authentication and deactivate keys which have been blacklisted due to inappropriately shared volume licenses, etc.
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Thanks for the info, my Windows partitions are only used to play games, bar an old laptop which is used for car diagnostic software out in the wild so is never online, so I didn't know that
The rig in my sig for example is purely a gaming PC that lives under the tv - and only ever turned on to do so, the only other Windows install I have on a PC (excluding the aforementioned laptop) is a dual boot to literally play CS2 when I CBA on a MacOS system at the desk
I think in my use case, I'll just see how it goes, I only paid a fiver per retail key, off a site that seems to have done me well for the last year across 3 systems.
It's a shame they don't take a leaf out of MacOS' book and make it legally free direct, even for a Windows Home version I think this should be the case, with no telemetry or nonsense!
I remember years back when MacOS did charge it was something tiny like £36 then each time i upgraded seemed to go down around £10-12, then it got to a point where they just decided to offer it free, and all that time you could legally use it on upto 5 machines in your household, with zero registration required nor telemetry, nor ads, now a days you can optionally provide feedback/telemetry IF you like, but it's not madatory.
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