• drifty@lemmy.ml
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    1 year ago

    To be fair who really buys Windows licences unless it’s a business or an org

    • Badoker@lemmy.nz
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      1 year ago

      I have never once paid for Windows, yet at some point a digital license showed up on my Microsoft account and I’ve never gotten an Activate Windows prompt on any of my subsequent Windows installations.

        • Badoker@lemmy.nz
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          1 year ago

          I don’t think so, I’ve swapped motherboards several times since and the license has remained.

          I used to borrow Windows keys off the old PCs in my office’s e-waste pile, my best guess is it’s one of those keys that’s somehow still activating each time I reinstall.

          • drifty@lemmy.ml
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            1 year ago

            There are utilities like MAS (open-source project on Github ironically) that activate Windows fully without anyone ever needing to pay for it, just in case anyone looking at this thread was wondering

    • ElmarsonTheThird@feddit.de
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      1 year ago

      I did… for a very discounted price. Call me lazy if you want, but I didn’t want the hassle to source another version.

      • drifty@lemmy.ml
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        1 year ago

        It’s actually comically easy to get Windows on a machine because Microsoft wants everyone’s default OS to be windows as much as possible. Its an easy loophole to use Windows without paying for it at all, ever.