The problem with purchasing a Windows license is that there are invalid and illegal offers. Therefore, we first want to briefly explain what it is. Microsoft creates license keys for its products. This is a long code that has a high level of protection against tampering. If you activate Windows, you must enter this code. Microsoft will then verify that this key is a valid license. Here, the first problems can already arise with dubious suppliers. Some fake stores send invalid product keys to their customers. This makes it impossible to activate Windows. Much more often, however, the product keys you receive from dubious suppliers are illegal licenses. The license is valid. Therefore, the operating system can be activated first.
However, sellers use the licenses multiple times. They often send the same license key to hundreds, if not thousands, of customers. This is illegal and should be considered fraud. However, because Microsoft saves license keys during an incoming activation, it usually doesn`t take long to discover it. In this case, Microsoft will lock the corresponding keys so that you can no longer use your operating system. Using illegal product keys can even lead to legal consequences. But how do keys and licenses work for Windows 10? Microsoft developed the operating system and owns the copyright. Microsoft can now sell these rights in the form of usage rights, i.e.
license them. A licensee can therefore use Windows 10 legally. From a technical point of view, Microsoft implemented everything with a key system. To activate the operating system, you must enter a key, which is then validated by a Microsoft server; Windows 10 is then activated. The two most popular ways to get cheap Windows licenses are gray market and volume licensing. The grey market simply means that these licenses were purchased in countries where Microsoft charges much less for a valid license. The other source, volume licensing, or often referred to as OEM licensing, is the excess of activations from large customers or, occasionally, Microsoft Software Developer Network (MSDN) subscribers who have found their way to market through resellers. While it is not illegal to use such licenses in the private sector, it is still a violation of Microsoft`s Terms of Service. While this won`t ever lead police to stand at the door with a search warrant, these permits are often not completely free of problems.
Microsoft sells these licenses in different ways. On the one hand, directly to the end customer via your own online store and retailer, this is the so-called retail version. Then there are System Builder licenses. Microsoft sells them directly to so-called system builders, who screw computers together from individual parts, adapt them, or configure them differently. They are already cheaper than retail versions. After all, OEMs have it the cheapest. The abbreviation stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer. These are large computer manufacturers such as HP, Lenovo or Dell. Their PCs and laptops usually come with Windows 10 pre-installed and an associated license.
They buy these licenses directly from Microsoft at a very reasonable price, as the software company also benefits from a wide distribution of the operating system. Especially on the Internet, many obviously cheap software offers are circulating. These do not have to be illegal. Be careful though. An extremely low price can be an indication of illegal software. Even if you`ve already spent $1,000 in bulk on sophisticated new components, it`s often difficult for many users to spend extra money on Windows 10. After all, the home version of Windows 10 costs around 120 euros, and experienced users who need features such as encryption, remote access or additional support for virtual machines need Windows 10 Professional officially more than 200 euros. Upgrading from Home to Pro also costs around 100 euros. As a rule, it makes sense to activate a Windows 10 installation, because non-activated versions are not only annoying with a disturbing watermark and regular reminders, there are also different ways to tailor the system individually to your own preferences. However, the specter that security updates are only available for activated installations is false – the author of this article also fell into the trap and was fortunately proven false by attentive readers. In fact, Microsoft only guarantees critical security updates for non-activated installations of Windows 10, but in practice the difference is small so far. So, if you don`t mind not being able to customize the system down to the smallest detail, you can use an unactivated installation of Windows 10 virtually indefinitely.
However, this is not a legally clean and legal solution. As can be seen in Linus Tech Tips` video below, this can be a viable solution in some cases. However, it should not be forgotten at this point that Linus also has enough licenses to cover all of its test systems. The illustration in the last section seems very risky to buy software licenses from a vendor that is not the manufacturer. However, this is usually not the case. A large proportion of software providers are reputable suppliers. Lower prices than in the Microsoft Store are possible thanks to smart shopping strategies. For example, licenses in other countries are often much cheaper than in Germany. Buying them abroad and reselling them here is perfectly legal.
In addition, trade with second-hand licenses is also possible. The license only allows you to use it on one device. However, if the software has been uninstalled on it, it is possible to reuse the product key on another device. It is also possible to sell the license to other people. This approach has sparked dissatisfaction from software manufacturers such as Microsoft. However, it is perfectly legal. This has already been confirmed by several court decisions, so that there is legal certainty in this area. This gives dealers the ability to purchase licenses from other users when they no longer need them. They can then legally resell them to their customers. The costs for this are of course much lower than if you buy the corresponding license directly from the manufacturer. Trading used licenses is legal, but it requires extensive dealer verification.
On the one hand, this must ensure that it is a valid and legal license. On the other hand, it is necessary to check if the software has been properly disabled on the device on which it was used previously. However, reputable vendors perform these tasks reliably to ensure that they offer their customers perfectly legal license keys. However, one detail emerges from the offers: in all offer descriptions, only the “keys” and “keys” are mentioned.