You must log in or register to comment.
You don’t even need to “pirate” Windows anymore. You can download an ISO from Microsoft’s website, install it, and when it asks for your license key, you click “I don’t have one”, and that’s the end of it. If you look in the activation settings, it’ll say “not activated”, but nothing will ever become of it. This even works if you install it as Pro. It’s not like the Windows XP/7 days where you’d get a 60 day scare timer. They just don’t seem to care anymore, or maybe all that telemetry they siphon up from you is just that much more valuable.
PSA
If you see Windows 11 online DO NOT DOWNLOAD IT!!!
It will install a virus called Windows 11 and it will run Windows 11 on your PC!!!
Even Windows 7 actually didn’t care if you had no key.
You could leave it unactivated forever and the worst thing that would happen is it would have a “Activate windows” watermark message bottom right over the desktop, and it wouldn’t let you change the personalization settings eg theming (oh no).
Never had to pay for a key anyway. I just hopped on eBay and looked for machines that were “for parts only” where the seller took a very nice picture of the bottom of the computer.
It was very nice of them to share that software with me once they were done using it.
And if you really do want to activate it (which is kinda worth it because some system settings are locked behind it), Massgrave takes 2 seconds.
To add on to what everybody else said, it’s probably not worth the time/money to have a team of developers play cat and mouse with pirates for the rest of time when they make the large majority of their sales off OEMs. Dell, HP, and Lenovo probably make up something like 80% of Windows license sales. And if it’s a business buying them, then they are also making money off of M365, Azure, and Intune subscriptions. Losing the sales from people who build their own PCs is chump change to them.
You know, and all the data slurping and ad sales etc etc.
Why would they enforce the activation? Window is no longer their product. You are.
A truly blessed Steam Deck, praise be to HolyC.
I…what…does Tongues -> God Doodle do??
I see, so this is what he saw in those visions.
Windows on a Steam Deck just feels like a crime.
Be ashamed of using Windows. If you paid for it, more shame.
I do regret paying for windows once years ago. I always hated Microsoft a lot, but truly never thought they could sink as low as they have.
Be ashamed of using windows.
I mean, if you just absolutely had to play a Linux-hating kernel anti cheat game, then install a small-as-possible partition for Windows, dual boot, and stay in Steam OS every single moment you’re doing anything else but that game.
But most Windows-on-a-Steam-Deck people I’ve encountered just drive Windows all the time. I will never understand.
My only issue with it is that some people install windows the moment they get the SD out of the box. No interest in even trying SteamOS, they consider it just wasting time before they can get windows installed and have the Deck “ready to use”.
Guys! Relax, it’s fine. We still have a VM for the Linux experience. It’s basically the same thing!
Hate to admit that when I first got my deck at launch, I immediately set up a dual boot just so I could play Destiny 2 on it.
Needless to say, I no longer play Destiny 2 or even use Windows at all on any of my machines. Hell, I even installed CachyOS Handheld on my deck over SteamOS for shits and giggles.
How is it? I considered trying it, but SteamOS just runs so well. Not sure what I’d gain
I won’t lie, it hasn’t been flawless, as it’s a bleeding edge distro with a much smaller userbase than its desktop counterpart, but it’s served me well enough for 6 months or so now. Only ran into one major bug, which promptly reported after finally finding a workaround/root cause (i.e. steam’s background recording seems to break their latest customized gamescope).
If you like to tinker with your devices and SteamOS wiping out anything installed via pacman after an update pisses you off like it did me, then it’s worth a try, but if you literally just use it for gaming and never really touch desktop mode, it’s not really worth considering.
I run a Legion Go. it’s all I could afford at the time. Plays factorio and satisfactory fine. Wish I could afford a “real” rig but… it’s just not in the cards. Apparently buying wife’s car a new tranny is “important.”
Why does your wife need a transsexual for her car?
Slap Bazzite on that bad boy ASAP.
thinking abt it!just gotta get some downtime.
Nothing wrong with the Legion Go hardware at all. I like that it’s got those Switch-like removable controls, tho I’m not sure if I’d use them.
If you’re interested in a non-Windows experience, Steam OS supports the Legion Go. There’s also Cachy OS a rolling-release Arch Linux distro, Bazzite an immutable Fedora distro with atomic updates, Nobara a customized Fedora distro maintained by Glorious Eggroll who is known for Proton-GE, and Chimera OS.
thanks!
that’s hardware cruelty!
I didn’t stop to think if I should, I was preoccupied with whether or not I could.
@[email protected] article on your attempt at this, when?
I remember when I used to write ridiculously long and detailed guides on Steam Deck things, so many people asked me to do the same for installing and tweaking Windows for the Deck! I don’t begrudge anyone who wants to install and use it, but it sure isn’t my scene. Or recommendation.
Or if you do, plz look into O&O ShutUp 10+11
