# Win 7- Genuine or pirated?



## rborahsbi (May 23, 2010)

My friend has recently brought a Dell Vostro laptop. The vendor has installed Win7 Ultimate, 32 bit and told us that the OS is a genuine one. But regarding the price (Rs. 36000/-) of the Laptop (Core2duo 2.53ghz processor with 512MB graphich card, 2 GB RAM & 2MP webcam) with Win 7 installed we have doubt about OS genuineness. Is there any way to find out if the OS is genuine or pirated without connecting to Internet?


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## Cool G5 (May 23, 2010)

Did he provide you the installation DVD? Did you receive the product key sticker alongwith the DVD? If not, then its not an original one.

Read.


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## rborahsbi (May 23, 2010)

The Vendor didn't provide a recovery cd as well as product key.


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## Ramakrishnan (May 23, 2010)

If you apply cetain updates, pirated windows will stop working. Better ask him for the original DVD plus Product key. The current price is Rs.8650 plus Vat.


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## neerajvohra (May 24, 2010)

u can check the genuine windows by ms tool..genuine checker or something..search microsoft..*www.microsoft.com/genuine/

Vendors usually get the ultimate copy for 10 users or more..and its very cheap for them..rather than single copy @8650...


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## infra_red_dude (May 24, 2010)

rborahsbi said:


> My friend has recently brought a Dell Vostro laptop. The vendor has installed Win7 Ultimate, 32 bit and told us that the OS is a genuine one. But regarding the price (Rs. 36000/-) of the Laptop (Core2duo 2.53ghz processor with 512MB graphich card, 2 GB RAM & 2MP webcam) with Win 7 installed we have doubt about OS genuineness. Is there any way to find out if the OS is genuine or pirated without connecting to Internet?


If Dell didn't give you any media (DVD), then it doesn't necessarily mean that the OS is not genuine. Many models save money by bundling a recovery partition instead. Turn the laptop upside down. Try to find a sticker that looks something like this:

*public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pbA...lyEVLRG6mXMtwCvuOUNCHNZ4mg7K94sTQ/sticker.png

This would either be directly stuck underside or in the battery compartment (remove the battery to see it). 

If Dell gave you the Windows 7 media, the sticker maybe on the media cover: *img.alibaba.com/photo/285723504/Mi...-32-bit-upgrade-DVD-COA-KEY-Free-shipping.jpg

In addition to that, Dell should also give you piece of paper that states that the OS is genuine. If that is not the case, then contact Dell and ask for a full refund if you had legally bought the OS with the laptop.


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## hansraj (May 24, 2010)

just go with what infra_red_dude said. That is the only trusted method for you, rest shall be complicated.


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## Ponmayilal (May 24, 2010)

rborahsbi had clearly stated that the vendor - by this I presume the retailer and not DELL, the manufacturer - had installed Windows 7. (The manufacturer could have installed Windows Vista or XP.) In that case or any other case too he only has to check it with Windows validation tool by clicking *Validate Windows* on www.microsoft.com/genuine. Is it not that simple?


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## Zangetsu (May 24, 2010)

infra_red_dude said:


> If Dell didn't give you any media (DVD), then it doesn't necessarily mean that the OS is not genuine. Many models save money by bundling a recovery partition instead. Turn the laptop upside down. Try to find a sticker that looks something like this:
> 
> *public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pbA...lyEVLRG6mXMtwCvuOUNCHNZ4mg7K94sTQ/sticker.png
> 
> ...



+1 for above comment


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## Ponmayilal (May 24, 2010)

All the above comments apply only if the buyer had directly purchased it and got it delivered direct from DELL *with Windows 7 installed*. In that case everything will be in tact and there will absolutely be no need check the validity of Windows 7. One need not doubt the integrity of DELL. 

To me it appears that the buyer had later asked someone to install Windows 7 in lieu of some other OS originally installed by DELL as ordered and hence the doubt whether it is genuine or not. 

Only rborahsbi can clarify this point.


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## Gauravs90 (May 24, 2010)

Most of the vendors at my place install pirated XP & vista without asking customer if they want to buy windows. They just install pirated windows and say it's genuine and turn off windows update saying it's not necessary. If someone accidentally turns on WU then you know what happen.


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## infra_red_dude (May 24, 2010)

Ponmayilal said:


> rborahsbi had clearly stated that the vendor - by this I presume the retailer and not DELL, the manufacturer - had installed Windows 7. (The manufacturer could have installed Windows Vista or XP.) In that case or any other case too he only has to check it with Windows validation tool by clicking *Validate Windows* on www.microsoft.com/genuine. Is it not that simple?


Well, if it's not Dell but some other "vendor" then I'm afraid there is no way to guarantee the genuineness of the OS.

The link of MS' site will be validated even for a pirated OS. Reason being, that Dell and other manufacturers have something called "offline" activation of the OS. The laptop BIOS will have an SLIC table and that is specific to the version of Windows; it is however backwards compatible with the version of Windows.

So most of the models that downgrade to Windows Vista or XP even though the default model have Windows 7 option have SLIC info in the BIOS for activating Windows 7. So in this case if the "vendor" installed Win 7 and activated it offline, then there is no way to know if the OS was genuine or pirated. That link of Microsoft website will pass the test. The only way to ascertain the authenticity of the OS is to get hold the "Certificate of Authenticity" for Windows.


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## Ponmayilal (May 24, 2010)

^OK. Though I knew that OEM activation is different, I don't have any idea better than that .(except that they are bound to the specific motherboard. All my previous installs were OEM editions. Since motherboard upgrades are the norm of the day, I have since changed to the retail version for Windows 7)

But here is my doubt. Will the OEM activation as mentioned hold good and show the newly installed pirated Windows 7 as genuine, if he does away with the originally installed Windows XP or Vista and installs Windows 7? In this case it is an upgrade in OS level. 

( True, when Windows Vista flopped, customers started downgrading to XP and manufacturers obliged, but now it is the other way. People are rushing to computer assemblers of doubtful integrity asking for an upgrade to Windows 7 )


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## neerajvohra (May 24, 2010)

nice discussions goin on..what about the original poster @rborahsbi ?? I would like to see his reply...


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## rkneo11 (May 24, 2010)

For a change it is cheaper to buy Windows 7 from India than from US...


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## infra_red_dude (May 25, 2010)

Ponmayilal said:


> ^OK. Though I knew that OEM activation is different, I don't have any idea better than that .(except that they are bound to the specific motherboard. All my previous installs were OEM editions. Since motherboard upgrades are the norm of the day, I have since changed to the retail version for Windows 7)
> 
> But here is my doubt. Will the OEM activation as mentioned hold good and show the newly installed pirated Windows 7 as genuine, if he does away with the originally installed Windows XP or Vista and installs Windows 7? In this case it is an upgrade in OS level.
> 
> ( True, when Windows Vista flopped, customers started downgrading to XP and manufacturers obliged, but now it is the other way. People are rushing to computer assemblers of doubtful integrity asking for an upgrade to Windows 7 )


Here is an explanation in detail:

If a model comes with any version of Windows by default (here I am talking about manufacturers like Dell/HP and not any third-party "vendor); then the manufacturer has a certain area in the system BIOS reserved to indicate that. This region is called the SLIC Table. Windows 7 requires version 2.1 of this table in the BIOS.

If Win 7 finds SLIC Table ver.2.1 in the BIOS and the manufacturer provides and OEM certificate (this is a file on the computer), then any version of OEM Windows can be activated offline with the OEM product keys. Computers that were manufactured before August 2009 (this is just a rough date), had SLIC version 2.0 that could be used to activate XP and Vista only. So, if your laptop came with Windows by default and has SLIC 2.0 (meaning your laptop is at least 1.5 years old or so), then you cannot activate Windows 7 offline.

Since this laptop is new and assuming that this laptop came with Windows (any version), it is 99.99% certain that it had SLIC 2.1 in the BIOS (manufacturers do this for mass production). Being backwards compatible 2.1 can activate Win 7 and Vista (I presume it also activates XP, I'm not sure though).

So end of the day, if the laptop has SLIC 2.1 but originally came with Vista and not Win 7; and then this "vendor" installed Win 7 and activated it offline then there is no way to know if the Win 7 installation was genuine or not. It will pass all of Microsoft's tests. The only way to find out is search for that Windows 7 sticker somewhere on the laptop or media (DVD) and the check the Windows "Certificate of Authenticity".

So far this has been a foolproof way of circumventing Windows protection. How this could be done is beyond the scope of this thread and not appropriate to discuss on the message board.


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## Zangetsu (May 25, 2010)

infra_red_dude said:


> Here is an explanation in detail:
> 
> If a model comes with any version of Windows by default (here I am talking about manufacturers like Dell/HP and not any third-party "vendor); then the manufacturer has a certain area in the system BIOS reserved to indicate that. This region is called the SLIC Table. Windows 7 requires version 2.1 of this table in the BIOS.
> 
> ...



Whats SLIC????


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## infra_red_dude (May 25, 2010)

KaranTh85 said:


> Whats SLIC????


SLIC is the Software Licensing Description table in the BIOS. It tells Windows whether a particular model was supposed to come with Windows pre-installed (OEM). This alongwith the manufacturer certificate enables offline-activation of Windows and saves a huge deal for the manufacturer (like Dell, HP etc.) and Microsoft with regard to activating thousands of computers online.


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## Ponmayilal (May 25, 2010)

^ Thanks for your detailed explanation. Of course, much of it went over my head due to my natural aversion to piracy of any sort and any thing connected - though we are not discussing the how-to part of it.

"Windows 7 Ultimate has been cracked, and can be permanently activated with OEM SLP Master Product Key (with SLIC 2.1)" - this news flashed all over the internet around July 2009 end.

But closely following this there was also a news that Microsoft may block that particular OEM-SLP product key  "probably via WGA validation process (now together with Windows Product Activation or WPA is known as Windows Activation Technologies or WAT), according to Genuine Windows blog."

Since it is almost 10 months now, I am sure Microsoft would have taken counter-measures to prevent any such pirated Windows 7 being passed as genuine through this route.

We shall wait for rborasbi to let us know his experience (provided he is a genuine " Right Off the Assembly Line". )


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## ajai5777 (May 25, 2010)

If I was allowed to talk about pirated win7 here,I would have definitely shared something about it


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## rborahsbi (May 25, 2010)

Thanks Ponmayilal & Neerajvohrs. We have not used windows activation tool but turn on automatic update. We are using BSNL Broadband connection and the updates install successfully. We did it yesterday i.e. 24th May night and till now 9 PM of 25th May, we have not faced any difference in our OS nor any warning from MS regarding our OS's piracy found. So we think the vendor (retailer) installed a Genuine OS. But anyway nice discussions and we assure all that if we get confirmation about our OS Piracy we will buy a genuine one whatever the price may be. As to clear u Ponmayilal, we have not asked the retailer to install Win 7, in fact we even did not know if the laptop would come preinstalled with any version of Window or Linux. We were really shocked to see the new and most wanted OS in our laptop.


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## infra_red_dude (May 25, 2010)

Ponmayilal said:


> ^ Thanks for your detailed explanation. Of course, much of it went over my head due to my natural aversion to piracy of any sort and any thing connected - though we are not discussing the how-to part of it.
> 
> "Windows 7 Ultimate has been cracked, and can be permanently activated with OEM SLP Master Product Key (with SLIC 2.1)" - this news flashed all over the internet around July 2009 end.
> 
> ...


If one key is blocked another is leaked. There is no end to this police-criminal chase. MS cannot block all the OEM keys and to-date this has been one of MS' headache in countering piracy!


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## Ponmayilal (May 26, 2010)

^ I agree. Its always a cat and mouse game with hackers whose mindset is to challenge, defy and show their one-upmanship.


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## infra_red_dude (May 26, 2010)

Ponmayilal said:


> ^ I agree. Its always a cat and mouse game with hackers whose mindset is to challenge, defy and show their one-upmanship.



Yes, and top of it if MS blocks those OEM keys then thousands of computers that Dell, Lenovo etc. shipped need to be reset for the new key which is an impossible task.

Anyway, hope the OP has found the answer to his question.


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