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Comment by snazz | Hacker News Reader

Many PC builders just don't activate Windows at all—other than a few occasional nags, Microsoft doesn't really enforce Windows activation anymore. It's just like how Apple doesn't crack down on Hackintoshing. Both the build-your-own PC market and the Hackintosh market are small enough that it's not worth the time.

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Plus, Microsoft is better off having the few prospective Linux-users to have experience tinkering with Windows rather than Linux, even if they don't pay for Windows directly either way. It means they're more likely to be happy using Windows for business IT infrastructure, which is where Microsoft makes its real money.

> Microsoft doesn't really enforce Windows activation anymore

Except an unactivated Windows, once past its trial window, will shut down after an hour of use, without warning. That's very annoying.

MS absolutely does enforce activation. They likely won't come after you for using cracks (unless you have hundreds of corporate machines using them), but they will make your life awkward remotely, as they are entitled to by the EULA.

This has not been true for some time. You can continue to use un-activated Win10 installs: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Product_Activation#A...

You just can't change the wallpaper away from black, and there is a notice displayed on it.

You can change the wallpaper by right-clicking on an image file, just not through the personalization preferences.

   > Except an unactivated Windows, once past its trial window, will shut down after an hour of use, without warning.

Only LTSC Evaluation version gonna do that.

This is no longer the case.

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