Speaking at WinHEC conference in China, Microsoft’s operating system chief Terry Myerson said:
“We are upgrading all qualified PCs, genuine and non-genuine, to Windows 10.” i.e. All Windows PC users running Windows 7 or 8.1, regardless of whether you are running pirated or genuine version of operating system, you can upgrade to Windows 10. Having said that, it was not clear that Myerson’s comments were meant only for Chinese Windows users, or for all Windows users worldwide.
Lately, Microsoft spokesperson clarified that free upgrade of Windows 10 will be available for all Genuine Windows users and pirates located everywhere, not just in China.” Read the entire comment given below:
“We have always been committed to ensuring that customers have the best Windows experience possible. 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.
Non-Genuine Windows is not published by Microsoft. It is not properly licensed, or supported by Microsoft or a trusted partner. If a device was considered non-genuine or mislicensed prior to the upgrade, that device will continue to be considered non-genuine or mislicensed after the upgrade.
According to industry experts, use of pirated software, including Non-Genuine Windows, results in a higher risk of malware, fraud (identity theft, credit card theft, etc), public exposure of your personal information, and a higher risk for poor performance or feature malfunctions.”
Undoubtedly, this unusual move has left many genuine Windows OS users surprised. But the decision taken by Microsoft has surpassed the piracy issues in its roots. Microsoft has been struggling with piracy issues since long, especially in China.
According to former Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer:
“Microsoft’s revenue in China represented only 5% of sales in the US, implying that much of its software in China was pirated and unlicensed.”
To overcome this, Microsoft has decided to offer a free upgrade of Windows 10 even to the users of a non-genuine version of Windows 7 or Windows 8.1.
Though, non-genuine PCs can be upgraded to Windows 10, the upgrade will not change the non-genuine state of the license. In other words, If you have pirated/non-genuine version of Windows, you will just be upgrading your OS to a non-authorized version of Windows 10.
This does seem confusing to all, because pirated Windows users will be able to upgrade to Windows 10, but still it will not get activated. In the end, Windows OS will still not be genuine. It will still not be supported. The user will not be eligible to get further security or feature updates. The fact is that this is how windows exactly works today. The only difference is that Windows 10 is more readily available for download.
