bootlegging os's how much damage to your system

[cdz25]

I am starting a computer repair business in my home town,basically out of my home while working midnights at a convienient store. The problem here is that many potential client that I encounter tell me there situations , I go to there homes to diagnose and find out they've bootlegged an Os(mainly XP) they have no recovery disk and there systems are totally screwed) This fellow had a system that would start to load until you seen the logo screen (loading XP) but only for about 2 seconds and then the system would reboot. What do you do without original disk,recovery disk,and just how much damage can you do to your system by using bootleg disk

[Wannabe Z]

You can't really do any damage with a bootlegged disk if it is a "legit" bootleg, like a copy of an XP disk or a stolen XP disk with no activation. However, any XP disk would work fine in your situation, you just pop the CD in and install the recovery console and boot to that.

Z is correct but to be honest i wouldnt put much effort into a machine with a pirated verison of winxp. If its the devilsown copy it is known to have some serious issues.

[Telexen]

There is absolutely no difference between XP Pro Retail (legit) and the Devils0wn copy....the KEY is the difference. Corporate keys don't require activation, that's what the FCKGW.... key was, and that's what many keys are (even though they're legit to the organizations that use them)

Personally I feel it's not your place to judge, but if they don't have a disk - you should not go out of your way to provide one. If they don't have it they're screwed.

[omalleytrading]

Don't open yourself (and your business) up to any legal problem.

Tell the client that as part of your repair service you will purchase, and install a legitimate copy of Windows XP for them. If they baulk on that, then tell them you can't help them.

I'm no lawyer, but I say this for two reasons:
a) You really need the XP disc to fix their system

b) By helping them restore a pirated OS, you might be considered an assessory to the crime.

Why risk it?

omalleytrading is correct.

i know alot of people that have problems with the devilsown copy. they installed a legit verison and didnt have any problems

[kantlivelong]

Originally posted by omalleytrading
Don't open yourself (and your business) up to any legal problem.

Tell the client that as part of your repair service you will purchase, and install a legitimate copy of Windows XP for them. If they baulk on that, then tell them you can't help them.

I'm no lawyer, but I say this for two reasons:
a) You really need the XP disc to fix their system

b) By helping them restore a pirated OS, you might be considered an assessory to the crime.

Why risk it?

agreed. or another solution is to provide him information on how to install the OS so he can install the bootleg version which then if any other work needs to be done you can finish

[PresterJohn]

Originally posted by kantlivelong
agreed. or another solution is to provide him information on how to install the OS so he can install the bootleg version which then if any other work needs to be done you can finish

if you agreed to pt B, then your suggestion to offer assistance to the user to get his machine up & running is inconsistent because then you could be held liable, as an accesory.

the best advice is to advise the user than you cannot help him unless he purchases a legal copy of the software.

[Mntsnow]

the best advice is to advise the user than you cannot help him unless he purchases a legal copy of the software.

As a Microsoft Registered OEM I will fully and wholeheartedly agree with this statement. Don't open your self to legal issues on something that isn't worth it. Feel free to install all the hardware you want for him but do nothing with the OS or other software that is not legal. The other way to know if it is a legal install is they will have a MS sticker that is attached to their system with their Key. OEM versions come with the sticker which is to be attached to the system by the builder that is running that copy of software. If that sticker is attached and they dont have their cd you will be fine to use your own cd as they have the "proof" that they have the right to use that os.


Edited to clarify OEM versions..Not Retail boxed versions although I thought MS included the stickers with the retail versions as well.

[Hickman]

I have a legal copy of xp that I bought at a department store. Here is what I think happened. I think he went past the allowed time period without activating. I tried it myself with my legit copy to see what would happen. It wouldn't allow me to login even as an admin. I reinstalled my legit copy and all is swell.

If I were you, I would not go out of my way to be too helpful to people like that for more than one reason. I had a guy that bought a system from me call me up constantly asking questions about how to do this or that on the computer. He could not even remember how to use the clipboard and called me at 9:45 pm at night to ask how to copy and paste. If you start doing things like that people will expect more and more of you. They will not care if you have a life. All they will want is to leech free help from you.

I agree that the best thing to do is advise him to buy it. The other thing that I learned is not to be too eager to help in repairing computers unless the people you are helping actually pay a reasonable fee to get help. If you start offering free advice, they will bug the heck out of you. That is why I don't get overly friendly.

One last thought is that if the guy found xp then why not just let him go get it again and wash your hands of it? I wouldn't even do anything, not even give advice.