Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. News

[Update] Pirates get free copies of Windows 10 – but it won’t be genuine

By

microsoft free windows 10 china windows10 continuum 1c
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Updated 3/19/2015 2:00PM PST: Microsoft has clarified that while users with an unlicensed copy of Windows will be able to upgrade to Windows 10 for free, their edition will remain unlicensed. An official statement made this clear, reading: “With Windows 10, although non-Genuine PCs may be able to upgrade to Windows 10, the upgrade will not change the genuine state of the license.” 

For as long as commercial software has been around, so have software pirates. Microsoft is very familiar with this, as the Windows operating system has been widely pirated throughout most of its existence. Now the company is taking a unique approach to fighting the piracy problem.

Recommended Videos

In 2011, Microsoft estimated that only one in 10 users of its products in China were paying for them, and recent studies show that 75 percent of all PC software is not properly licensed in the country. Rather than stick with old strategies, Microsoft has decided to make its upcoming Windows 10 a free upgrade for PCs running Windows 7 and up, whether users actually own those previous versions or not. “We are upgrading all qualified PCs, genuine and non-genuine, to Windows 10,” executive vice president of operating systems Terry Myerson told Reuters recently.

While the free-upgrade program is currently limited to China, it’s yet another step toward making Windows 10 more easily accessible to consumers. In January, Microsoft announced that Windows 10 would be a free update for users of devices running Windows 7, 8, 8.1, and RT. The only difference is that outside of China, those devices have to be running genuine versions of those operating systems.

This isn’t the only move that Microsoft is making to gain ground in China. Tuesday morning the company confirmed a partnership with Chinese smartphone manufacture Xiaomi to create a version of Windows Phone that can be flashed onto Android phones.

Microsoft is aiming for a summer launch of Windows 10, and the OS will be available in 190 countries and 111 languages. This may not bring the company back to Windows 95-like levels of ubiquity, but Microsoft is certainly working hard ensure that Windows 10 starts off on the right foot.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Kris Wouk
Kris Wouk
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Kris Wouk is a tech writer, gadget reviewer, blogger, and whatever it's called when someone makes videos for the web. In his…
Windows 11 vs. Windows 10: Is it finally time to upgrade?
Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 sitting on a table.

Windows 11 is the newest version of Windows, and it's one of the best Windows versions ever released. At launch, the operating system was very similar to Windows 10, but it has morphed a lot over the past several years. Now, Windows 11 has several key differences compared to Windows 10.

If you've been holding out on upgrading, we have everything you need to know about Windows 11 and how it's different than Windows 10 in this article. We'll detail the differences, as well as show you the areas where Windows 11 is growing faster than Windows 10.
Windows 11 vs. Windows 10: what's new

Read more
How to adjust screen resolution in Windows 11 and older
microsoft surface laptop go review featured image

You're not actually stuck with the screen resolution setting your Windows PC came with. In addition to tons of other device personalization options, screen resolutions are customizable on Windows PCs. And adjusting the screen resolution on your Windows machine is easier than you think. All it takes is a quick trip to your Settings app or Control Panel (depending on which version of Windows you're running) and a few clicks and you're on your way to an easier-to-view screen. Here, we'll show you how to adjust screen resolutions for Windows 11, Windows 10, and Windows 7 PCs.
In Windows 11
Step 1: Navigate to the Windows 11 Settings app.

Step 2: Click Display.

Read more
Beware! The latest Windows 11 update might crash your PC
A laptop running Windows 11.

Microsoft releases routine updates for Windows every month, and while the intent is to fix issues and occasionally add new features, the latest one is doing more harm than good. Some Windows 11 users have taken to social media to report that the latest KB5035853 update could be crashing their PCs, with the feared Blue Screen of Death (BSoD) appearing on startup.

Although Microsoft hasn't appeared to document any known issues with this update for Windows 11 22H2 and Windows 11 23H3, there's a Reddit thread on the matter. Frustrated Windows 11 users mention the problems they are experiencing after installing the update. One mentions that Explorer.exe shows an error during shutdown and another reports that the ribbon of the File Explorer is slow to load. Audio-related issues and PCs feeling laggy when gaming are among some of the other problems being reported.

Read more