Windows 7 activation already cracked with Lenovo's OEM license key
By Nilay Patel 
posted July 29th 2009 12:14PM
posted July 29th 2009 12:14PM
[Via DownloadSquad]
posted July 29th 2009 12:14PM
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You know what this means....
Heck yeah, FREE WINDOWS 7!!!
and it's not even Christmas.
Yes. All those nice people in China and other countries who can't afford a license won't be forced to use Linux!
Huzzah!
its not a crack, a lenovo employee released the key that will work on lenovo laptops.
happens all the time and then known shared keys are disallowed.
you really think microsoft wouldnt notice millions of people using one key?
oh im so smart and classy i can illegally use my operating system instead of paying $50 one time and having unlimited service packs and updates for life...
"for life"? Last I heard, old OS's don't get updates for life.
ok, you got me there, so its not "for life" its until the product is no longer supported, which is about 10 years for all windows versions in the past.
so youre still going to bitch about $50 over 10 years, or $5 a year for the best OS on the market.
congratulations on saving so much money pirating or going with linux.
ya...I don't get the point of pirating windows, it's not that expensive in the first place and well worth the value.
Actually pirating any software is illegal and wrong.
Music to...
hmm..people like to rationalize it and make themselves feel better, but in the end stealing is stealing.
There are 3 types of software you should never pirate kids:
1.Financial
2.Internet Security (firewall+virus)
3.Your OS
I completely agree torrenting an os is just plain stupid, This is a crack and cracks have been out since before the release of the pre beta. I don't know why this is such a big deal getting a crack for windows 7 isn't a new concept.
besides this os is definitely worth 50 bucks
You know what this means....
...somebody in Lenovo is going to commit suicide and their family will get $44,000 and a Lenovo laptop?
too soon?
@ TomTom2007 lmao!!
How do you get it for $50? Last I checked it seems the cheapest version I can get is Home Premium at $200 full or $120 upgrade.
@Sumiflow - glad you are out from under your rock! (microsoft offered $50 pre-orders of Win 7 Home Premium upgrades)
When will you people learn!?!
Paul A.(hole) Chapel spouts flame bait in every non-iphone mobile article or anything to do with Microsoft. He wants you to hate him. He expects you to yell at him. He apparently has no happy place in life other than these stupid forums and is so miserable he finds joy in everyone else's frustration and unbridled rage directed towards him.
If you want him to go away stop replying to his obvious baiting comments. Attention seekers fade away faster than negative rankings if you chose to ignore them.
PS. Engadget can we start a 'block list' feature for registered users so the 99% of us who actually enjoy your site don't have to sift through 3 pages of Paul vs Angry Mob comments on every *$#*@* article??
"Offered" as in past tense. At the time of the post I'm replying to you can no longer get it for that and even then that was upgrade only. So in response to AnnoyingPoster, we're not bitching about $50, we're bitching about $200.
Peronsally, I believe $200 is a ridiculous price to ask considering that you can get a brand new laptop with it already install for $300.
"for the best OS on the market."
What have you been smoking?
Yippee! Free Windows 7. Unfortunately, I only want a free Home Professional or Starter Version of Windows 7. I'll have to wait a bit longer for those. I don't think it's going to undercut sales of Windows 7, though. Probably not too many corporate accounts will be using that serial number. It's sweet for all the consumers that want to run the highest version and have the hardware to do it with.
Pirating is theft.
Even if you don't agree, its only a matter of time before Microsoft makes fixes this crack.
Said that for vista. I used the same crack from day one and it still works.
A crack with this much publicity will almost certainly be fixed, unlike the other less known Vista cracks.
Piracy isn't theft: the original remains intact.
Piracy is bad, mmmkay? And If You Do Piracy You're Bad. 'Cause Piracy Are Bad. Mmmkay?
If this is anything like the Vista SLIC activation, there might not be a way to stop the piracy without also invalidating OEM systems.
@ alexander_h
You are not charged with theft, you are charged with copyright infringement.
oh please.. Microsoft said they could wipe out the Vista Activation hack 2 years ago... anytime they want.. and they haven't.. how is this any different?
Just think about it. Microsoft could make it harder to pirate but they don't. That want poor people who are skilled with computers and other people who cannot afford Windows to use it anyhow.
Why?
Because otherwise they would continue using an old version of Windows, or they would resort to Linux, which is just as free as a pirated copy of Windows. Inability to pirate would boost Linux's market share. What's it at now, 2%? Well you could see 5% within a year or two if nobody could pirate.
And at 5% of the market share, people start taking it seriously. Linux would then be developed to the point where everybody could use it and software manufacturers would start making Linux versions so they don't lose out (think, Mac OS X v10.2 level seriousness). Development begets more development, and within a few more years Linux has 10% of the market share. At that point, people will be like "why the heck should I pay for Windows, since now Linux is equally reasonable and saves me hundreds of dollars." That could easily squeeze Windows out within 10 years of transition.
And the only way that doesn't happen is if software piraters can continue to use Windows for free.
Not that pirating is good. I think you should not pirate Windows; I want more people on Linux!
My favorite part is that the user who has this cracked is running utorrent during the screenshot (and is also using an older processor and has Kaspersky installed..)
:-D
This has been out for over a week now, I already has it installed ;)
Just to be clear, I do plan on buying Win7, I love it. But its not out yet so in the meantime im going with this option. =P
Why would Paul Chapel want a Microsoft product?
Paul, private trackers, should be on quite a few sites by now.
Just when I thought that my opinion of Paul could not get any lower, he outdoes himself.
I really do hope that you get banned for advocating software piracy, which is illegal, you scumbag.
Any future comments regarding Windows 7 from you will have even less value as everyone knows that you obtained it illegally.
The article is informing of a crack, not advocating piracy or disclosing sources for illegal downloads and how to profit from them.
I am sure you would sing a different tune if people were discussing where to illegally download iPhone apps in a jailbreaking article.
So why don't you use the 30 day period (with resets) until you can buy a key? Seems better than cracking IMO.
i want to support microsoft's efforts making a great OS... So I will skip this and use the RC until I buy a new comp with 7 on it
I could probably spend the next several years using an illegitimate copy without too many hassles. But I plan to pay for it because they've made a great product. Crazy, right?
Why would you buy 7 on an OEM? Microsoft doesn't get as much money if you don't buy directly from them.
Ill pay for Windows 7, worth every penny.
Or just buy an OEM copy, much cheaper thank you.
I'll buy it too. This'll be the first time I've plunked money down for an OS in a loooong time.
Pirating software was fun when you were 15 and couldn't afford to buy it... Now I just don't have time and it's not worth the hassle. Just buy the $99 upgrade for crying out loud....
I can understand a little bit of hush hush pirating by the teens, but it boggles my mind to see people go "yes, I can get it for free now!" openly. Or do I just hang out with the wrong people, and is it cool to boast about your latest free grabs at walmart as well?
Recession/depression? No?
people will find some reason to rationalize pirating when they brag about it, they try to find people who agree with them to make them feel better...kinda like a group hug.
OOO music is to expensive, so I steal it to stick it to the man.
OOO software should be cheaper, because its a digital download and I want that .002% of the production cost price applied to the end product price (talking about that .005 cents for the CD and the .02 cents for the box and printing)
$99 upgrade would mean you already have purchased a legal copy before.
If you were pirating before, and now want to go legit, it's $320 for a copy.
You can see why some people might be hesitant to do that.
It's a cat/mouse game. This works for now, then MS will release an update. People's machines will go into reactivation mode. Then you'll have to search out an updated crack, apply it and then wait until MS releases another fix. Keep doing that for the next couple of years or just buy a copy of Windows 7.
Or purchase a legit copy and go through the crappy activation process more than once because it is stupid.
Better yet, get a Mac and no need for this crap and it works. WORKS!