CharlesCS

Join Date 08/2006

+81

I'm just a curious joe

I have an article I wrote a few weeks back, found here, asking about getting a copy of Windows 7 from a friend who got it from school at student discount. I got some great answers but I am still curious about something.

Does this copy sold to students have a way for Microsoft to know if it's a student copy or is this copy just like any copy you buy at the store? I ask because I remember I bought a PC many years ago from a guy who built and sold them and he had installed an unregistered copy of Office XP Student Edition on it. Like this Windows, this Office XP Student Edition was meant for (obviously) students. I took it off cause it did not have a lot of the programs, was not registered and it was a student version which I wasn't. So will this PC say student edition on it like this Office XP did?

I'm just curious, it's in my nature to ask these things. It would be interesting to know how Microsoft avoids people from getting these cheaper copies considering it's around $30 for students compared to the store price of around $200. How do they know? The serial number?

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Yes

I would be very suprised if the serial numbers doesn't indicate that it is a student version. I would also be that it is not considered a "retail" copy and would be tied to the motherboard or similar.

To get the win 7 student copy you need a college / university email address, which i'm sure isn't hard to get if you have a friend.

good luck!

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If you aren't a student then you are obtaining and using the OS under fraudulent conditions. Also the same serial number can't be activated to two different users. Even if you are paying a dicounted price, theft is theft.

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DrJBHL

Join Date 04/2002

+4134

How do they know? The serial number?

Yep!

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If you aren't a student then you are obtaining and using the OS under fraudulent conditions.

Honestly, I am not concerned with that and I doubt most people don't use some kind of fraudulent software. My first Windows XP was one I downloaded from the internet, my current one is legit though and so is my Vista copy. It's not like I'm gonna have a sign on my face stating I am using an illegal copy of Windows. I drive above speed limit sometimes, I turn without turning signals, I've installed XP on more than 1 computer, etc. I am no angel and unless Microsoft has a swat team the size of our military, I dont think they gonna seek me out if I did get one. It would cost them more than the $170 I saved to get me.

Even if you are paying a dicounted price, theft is theft.

Of course it is. Are you saying you have never stolen anything in your life? Give me a break.

good luck!

Well, I never said I was gonna get a copy. I was just curious. I like knowing how stuff works and always wondered how Microsoft knows if the copy is being illegally used or not. If anyone installs a student copy, how does microsoft know the person using it is not a student? I always wondered, I know they can tell when a copy has a blacklisted serial but how do they know the person using it is not a student?

An even better question, are students limited to a single copy? Maybe that's how they know. Does the serial number somehow get registered to the email they use to buy it. This is good to know, never know when you make your own prduct and want to make a student version of it.

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Philly0381

Join Date 11/2004

+844

Usually the best source for an answer to a question like you have asked would be going to the product maker or publisher. In this case Microsoft.

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Usually the best source for an answer to a question like you have asked would be going to the product maker or publisher. In this case Microsoft.

True, but in a country where you are innocent till proven guilty but everyone is treated as guilty till proven innocent, asking this kind of question directly to them would put me on some kind of watch list I would preffer not to be on because I would not want to be accused of something I haven't done. Not that I am worried I am guilty, the process of proving my innocence however can be costly and painful.

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i think the fac that you already talking about innocence and guilt says your heart is already telling you the answer and your brain is looking for a way around it...

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Philly0381

Join Date 11/2004

+844

Quoting ChuckCS,

reply 6

Usually the best source for an answer to a question like you have asked would be going to the product maker or publisher. In this case Microsoft.

True, but in a country where you are innocent till proven guilty but everyone is treated as guilty till proven innocent, asking this kind of question directly to them would put me on some kind of watch list I would preffer not to be on because I would not want to be accused of something I haven't done. Not that I am worried I am guilty, the process of proving my innocence however can be costly and painful.

Yeah

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The real deal is, Microsoft's ability to detect OS authentication is far superior than it's ever been. It's one reason why they pump out updates.

If your OS is detected as a possible fraudulent copy, your computer will slow down to a useless crawl and you will be prompted to contact Microsoft immediately for a CD key verification.

I've already been down this road with my purchased copy of XP that came bundled but pre-installed.

That's just how it is now, they do catch up with you eventually. No need for SWAT.

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Of course it is. Are you saying you have never stolen anything in your life? Give me a break.

I was making no accusations, only trying to give the best information to the question you asked. Can't remember pinching anything since childhood except my wife.

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DrJBHL

Join Date 04/2002

+4134

Can't remember pinching anything since childhood except my wife.

uhhh.....so, you don't want to tell us about you and Sam, huh?

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The real deal is, Microsoft's ability to detect OS authentication is far superior than it's ever been. It's one reason why they pump out updates. If your OS is detected as a possible fraudulent copy, your computer will slow down to a useless crawl and you will be prompted to contact Microsoft immediately for a CD key verification. I've already been down this road with my purchased copy of XP that came bundled but pre-installed. That's just how it is now, they do catch up with you eventually. No need for SWAT.

Cool, that's good stuff to know. I have friends who purchase PCs from people in the streets and they ask me to fix them from time to time and would not want them to get into trouble. I had one who bought a laptop with black XP on it, he didn't believe me whe I said it was an illegal hacked copy of windows but the fact that a pciture of a naked woman was on the My Computer properties could not be ignored.

However, I still ask how can they know if the student copy is not being used by a student?

I was making no accusations, only trying to give the best information to the question you asked. Can't remember pinching anything since childhood except my wife.

uhhh.....so, you don't want to tell us about you and Sam, huh?

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The last time I had college classes was 2005. I was authorized to get the student copies via a special college (had to apply for access) website that linked to MS. All of the software had a download option and some had a physical disks you could order for $2 and some change. The software was limited to one download (ISO)and one physical copy of each title (so one person could get two copies of the same app/OS). The physical copies were mailed to any address you wanted it to go to. There were no unusual restrictions, from retail copies, on what PC you could put them on or the ISO once they were burnt (just no manuals). The keys were the same as retail keys, the long alphanumeric string. Some things like Visual Basic studio didn't even have a key. I'm sure MS could tell by the key if it was part of a student program, but they did call to verify I was a student or not. IMO MS lets the individual schools manage these software programs. Personally I think that you are getting a bum deal if a student is charging you $30 for something they probably got for free or close to it.

I just got my pre-orders of Windows 7 Home premium ($49) and Pro ($99) upgrades from Amazon. The base where I shop has 3 license copies of Office 2007 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook) for $80. The deals are out there.

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Lantec

Join Date 07/2003

+346

best deal going is probably the home premium upgrade family pack.......3 users for between $120-150 depending on where you get it

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uhhh.....so, you don't want to tell us about you and Sam, huh?

Uh, Doc was alluding to Sam the Terrapin (turtle)and local nemesis. Pinching a turtle is a whole other sublject.

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starkers

Join Date 05/2004

+1153

best deal going is probably the home premium upgrade family pack.......3 users for between $120-150 depending on where you get it

Might want to get in quick for that. I saw on the news last night (channel 7 Oz) that MS is going to discontinue the 'Family Pack' deal in the next couple of weeks... it will no longer be. Dunno why that was newsworthy here, though.... it was never made available in Oz.

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Dunno why that was newsworthy here, though.... it was never made available in Oz.

To cheer you up by letting you know that you won't be the only ones to miss out on it?

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starkers

Join Date 05/2004

+1153

Quoting zakai1369,

reply 18

Dunno why that was newsworthy here, though.... it was never made available in Oz.

To cheer you up by letting you know that you won't be the only ones to miss out on it?

Yeah, Microsoft missed the boat here big time... quite a few people with families are saying that they'll give Win 7 a miss because the Family Pack was not made available in Oz, and they can't afford to kit out the whole family with individual licenses.

To be honest, I don't know what MS was thinking, making the Family Pack available only to a select few. I read somewhere that it was their aim to have Win 7 on as many PC's worldwide as possible, to help reduce support for XP, but MS has dropped the ball by neglecting certain markets... and they will lose sales as a result.

As it is, the Oz base price for Win 7 Home Premium is $50 more than the US base price, not taking into consideration the exchange rate. With the Oz dollar trading above 90c US these days, the Oz base price should be lower than when prices were first announced and the AUD was fetching only 60 - 70c US... but no, the base price remains the same.

Fortunately I was able to snare 2 copies of Win 7 Home Premium for AUD $129 each (less 5% for cash), one each for the missus and I, but in the absence of a Family Pack the spare machines will remain with XP/Vista.

Pinching a turtle is a whole other sublject.

I'll Say!! Hey Ed, did you ever get over the embarrassment of turning up at the ER with your finger and thumb firmly stuck inside the shell?

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