I've built a new gaming PC. Do I have to buy Windows?
These are your choices when it comes to PC Operating systems.Buy a Windows licenseORInstal a free Linux Distribution(The best Linux distros 2017: 8 versions of Linux we recommend)Since this is a Gaming PC that you are building, there is a problem with linux, that many games that run on windows don't have a Linux portPiracy is a punishable offense. So pirate at your own risk.. including prosecution, Viruses, and irregular updates.Finally if you are asking this question on quora, i assume that you are a KID Atharva Padwankar. SO talk to people who can make these decisions and follow the advise of those who are investing money on your needs.
Windows Operating System Messed Up?
>One thing you can do is buy a new hard disk, keep the old one without installing the operating system on it. Use the new hard disk to install a copy of the new operating system. Then, hook up your old hard disk as a secondary disk and retrieve all your stuff off of it onto your new hard disk. Then, wipe the old hard disk clean and reformat it and use it as a secondary hard disk. Yeah, it means you have to buy a new hard disk AND a copy of the operating system both for this to work. You can get a new 500 Gig HD on sale these days for around $40 and a 1T hard disk for around $60. Its not that bad when you think about it.
If you format a Windows machine, do you have to buy a new copy of Windows or is there a different way to start over?
In the old days when you bought a PC it came with the original operating Windows OEM CD’s or DVDs. Now to increase profits, some manufacturers install a recovery copy on a protected partition of your hard-disk drive so you can reinstall from scratch their customized version of windows which comes with all the specific drivers to support your particular brand of PC or laptop. Also most new machines allow you to back up your OS on a newly purchased machine to several DVDs for safe backup. To answer your question simply, no you shouldn’t have to buy a new copy of Windows as the serial number of your licensed copy (the one which was installed on your machine is usually written in stickers under your laptop or somewhere on your PC.) If those are missing you have a problem and may have to buy another copy or you can call Microsoft, as if you originally registered your copy with them they will have a record of your name and address and the original license number (which they may or may not be helpful in giving you). Microsoft are also not keen on allowing people to run old copies of their software for example, I have legitimate copies of Windows 7 which I run under VirtualBox and find that the original licenses are ignored and I am told I am running a ripped off version of windows (despite it all being authentic). Maybe because sales are declining Microsoft is getting tough on licensing and you are constantly being asked to register and re-register, I am not sure what the real reason is.. I can only speculate. Maybe its just a bug (or in Microsoft Speak a “Feature”).
Can you still buy new Dell computers with Windows XP?
Windows XP has reached "End of Life" and manufacturers such as Dell are not permitted to package/bundle it anymore. You can however, purchase "open licensing" from Microsoft. The license would be for Windows 7 and the license would legally permit you to use the last two operating systems. The same goes with other products such as MS Office. It would seem like open licensing would be an expensive solution. I recommend if you purchase any new computers you can look on the Dell Outlet and some of the computers for sale no doubt would have XP installed. Another site to checkout would be www.tigerdirect.com
When buying a laptop that uses Windows, should I find a CD included with it?
Probably not. In the old days, hard drives were small and internet connections were slow and most PCs had a built-in CD drive, so it made sense to have the operating system on a CD. Today, none of those things is necessarily true.For the past several years, PCs have come with a back-up copy of Windows on the recovery partition, so you don't need a CD or, more likely, a DVD. However, you are advised to backup the recovery partition to an external hard drive or DVD or whatever. (You can download a copy of Windows from Microsoft, but that won't include any software added by your PC manufacturer, including special drivers.)Some companies, such as Dell, provide a copy of Windows on DVD for a small extra charge. That way, people who don't need one -- which is most of us -- don't have to pay for a bundled copy.
Why should I buy a genuine Windows OS when there are plenty (pirated) available on the internet?
If you’re an individual not tied to any company and laptop is going to be used for Home use then No, Microsoft or Cyber Crime Department is not going to come and fine you and jail you!Why you shouldn’t use pirated?Any application will have some loop holes/vulnerabilities updates help address them, in pirated version the updates show as successfully installed but in Windows 7 I remember finding log files that said otherwise (don’t have any idea about 8,8.1,10)Using genuine product helps the company to put more resources into what they are making to improve the SoftwareNow, Some pirated copies of Windows come with Rootkits, so from where you get your pirated copy is a big factorI have seen many times how uploading the file in Virustotal shows it as safe by the 30 or so products but they end up being just very hard to detect and remove Malware that bury themselves deep in the system,Your pirated infected system could be used to steal your private information (eg banking passwords etc) or could be used as a bot to carry out DoS(Denial of Service) attacks….Some forums that use advanced tools to help determine if a user has some hidden nasty will stop their help if your logs indicate your system is pirated…I am not saying using a genuine copy could guarantee security but it does help, with updates if you don’t visit a lot of “dangerous sites” any free antivirus is enoughYears back pirated software was not a big deal because heck all you did was use a Serial Key, these days you are asked to copy paste certain dll or asked to run cracks(exe files) with admin privileges which is a high risk, just because they allow you to use the software does not mean they are safe….My Suggestion if you use the laptop just for browsing the web try Linux mint or Ubuntu,they are free and use far less resources compared to Windows,If that’s not an option try ebay,kinguin,Flipkart,amazon try finding a good deal……You can get it for as low as INR 2k to 3k(Home version)
Upgrading a ibuypower computer.?
You can't change the motherboard on any major brand computer (Dell, HP, Compaq, Gateway, Sony etc) without buying a new operating system. Those computers come with factory-installed OEM versions of Windows, and OEM versions are only valid for one specific motherboard model. If the mobo changes, you must install a new operating system with an unused product key. That's why Microsoft sells them for half the price of retail versions of Windows. Major-brand computers don't even come with real Windows CDs, you only get System Recovery CDs which are manufacturer-specific (HP's System Recovery CD won't work on an Dell or Acer, and vice versa) Computers from Ibuypower and CyberpowerPC use generic parts and might come with real Windows CDs, so there's a chance you could re-install from scratch. But the Windows licensing restriction is still there. Buying a new motherboard technically requires a new copy of Windows, so you might not be able to activate your OS after switching motherboards. You MIGHT be able to get around that by calling Microsoft's phone activation line, but there's no guarantee. These articles were written for XP, but the same restrictions apply to Vista and Windows 7: http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/moving... http://www.theeldergeek.com/replace_moth... Upgrading to a faster CPU that's supported by your existing motherboard is easy and painless. But switching motherboards usually requires a new OS.