Question of legality

after installing from the .iso, are you using one of your 3 valid keys? If so, than valid (from what I understand), if you are using another one... you break the EULA!
 
I'm going to use the .iso to install 3 copies each using one of the valid keys I have. (I'm reformatting all the computers in my house)
 
i'm not a lawyer, nor have I comb through Microsoft's EULA, but i'm pretty sure, as long as that key works, you will be fine.

heh heh, comb

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I'm no lawyer but I'd probably say technically speaking that's illegal, even if it's just the fact you're not aquiring it through an offical source. Morally and practically speaking you're absolutely fine; I don't think you've got anything to worry about.
 
To be honest, on the spur of the moment that happens alot to me. We have alot of legitimate volume licenses and not many discs anymore (they seem to go missing alot, borrowed and never returned, buried in the pile of damaged or non working discs, etc.) so i find a bare .iso file of the OS, download it and legitimately activate it. It's not 100% morally sound, but we paid for the keys and lost the discs, why should i buy a new disc?


To be fair, Piracy continues to be on the rise anyway, because Microsoft and other Software companies are pretty crap at closing the holes they left in Windows activation etc. E.g. there are programs that can remove WAT, WGATray, etc, and install OEMs, reactivate BETA versions and such, and these are just left out there for any average joe to pick up and use. I doubt they'll ever catch you even if you did use an illegitimate key.
 
I needed a Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit installation disk. I got my hands on an .iso. I have the Professional disk. On bad news, the Certificate of Authenticity on the bottom of my laptop faded away. I literally just lost a Home Premium 64-bit key. I tried using a magnifying glass but I can't tell the letters apart. Doesn't help that I already had cleaned out the HDD. Didn't have it saved either. Only key at our house that was not saved somewhere else. The only thing legible on the sticker is the X12-35349 (those are random numbers for demonstration) from the installation disk ID. If I could get a hand on the disk that matches the ID I have, I would assume I could use a key finder program to retrieve, but that'd be damn nearly impossible unless there was someway to edit the disk ID of current installation files. I'll end up having to buy another key, in which case I'll just get a Professional key from my university (my school has an agreement that sells one license per student for $10 and any license after that for $70).
 
I needed a Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit installation disk. I got my hands on an .iso. I have the Professional disk. On bad news, the Certificate of Authenticity on the bottom of my laptop faded away. I literally just lost a Home Premium 64-bit key. I tried using a magnifying glass but I can't tell the letters apart. Doesn't help that I already had cleaned out the HDD. Didn't have it saved either. Only key at our house that was not saved somewhere else. The only thing legible on the sticker is the X12-35349 (those are random numbers for demonstration) from the installation disk ID. If I could get a hand on the disk that matches the ID I have, I would assume I could use a key finder program to retrieve, but that'd be damn nearly impossible unless there was someway to edit the disk ID of current installation files. I'll end up having to buy another key, in which case I'll just get a Professional key from my university (my school has an agreement that sells one license per student for $10 and any license after that for $70).

Yeah, you pretty much are out in the rain for finding a legal way to get your OS back. Which morally is unfair because you paid for a license to use the intellectual property known as windows, therefore morally you should be able to do whatever you can to get back use of "your" license. However University licenses are a fully legal and moral way of addressing the issue. A word of caution, when you leave the university (graduate or drop-out) I believe that you are not still able to legally use your license. You might wanna look into that.
 
You are partially correct. If I graduate from my university, which I intend to, I am awarded perpetual ownership of the license. Should I leave the university without a degree then I lose the license.
 
your key entitles you to use a copy of windows, it doesn't specify if that copy comes from a recovery partition or a bought DVD, or a copied DVD or even a downloaded DVD.

i.e. it's perfectly legal.

however, if you're downloading an iso from bit torrent, don't forget that you're also distributing that same files else where, if you get key less media (and there is plenty of torrents available that does include the iso, but not a file with the key) then you're probably on safer ground.

to be safe, I'd make a copy of some media that a friend had, and just use my own key

when you leave the university (graduate or drop-out) I believe that you are not still able to legally use your license.
there was no such explicit clause in the copy of the MSDNAA Agreement I signed when I was in university.

hence I'm still using software under the same agreement, (and my machine still meets the criteria to use the software.)
 
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