Contrary to reports that surfaced a few months ago, it turns out Microsoft will not be allowing those who own pirated versions of Windows to upgrade to Windows 10 for free.
Only genuine owners of Windows 10 will receive the free upgrade, as clarified by Windows boss Terry Myerson in a blog post.
"When we can't verify that Windows is properly installed, licensed, and not tampered with, we create a desktop watermark to notify the user," said Myerson in the blog post. "If you ever encounter this watermark on a new machine, I encourage you to return the device immediately to the retailer from whom you purchased it and request a Genuine Windows device. Non-Genuine Windows has a high risk of malware, fraud, public exposure of your personal information, and a higher risk for poor performance or feature malfunctions. Non-Genuine Windows is not supported by Microsoft or a trusted partner."
When Microsoft first announced that Windows 10 would be free, the company suggested that pirated versions of the software would also receive the upgrade, completely for free. Then, it backtracked on that claim. Now, it has clarified that in fact, pirates will have to buy the software as every other Windows user has done. Well, unless they pirate Windows 10, too.
Of course, things aren't always black and white. Sometimes, Microsoft makes a mistake and marks a copy of Windows as pirated when in fact it is genuine, meaning that it may not have been installed correctly, genuine or not. Of course, often when it marks a copy as pirated, it is in fact pirated, a problem that is especially prevalent in countries like China.
"Microsoft and our OEM partners know that many consumers are unwitting victims of piracy, and with Windows 10, we would like all of our customers to move forward with us together," said the company. "While our free offer to upgrade to Windows 10 will not apply to Non-Genuine Windows devices, and as we've always done, we will continue to offer Windows 10 to customers running devices in a Non-Genuine state."
While non-genuine owners will not receive a free upgrade, Microsoft suggested that they might be able to pick up a copy of Windows 10 for a very reasonable price through some of its partners.
Many are looking forward to Windows 10, with it seeming as though it will be the best Windows operating system to date. Many thought that Windows 8 was a bit of a mistake, with Microsoft attempting to remedy the situation with Windows 8.1.
