It has been an age since I have dl’d Windows bullshit. Where do I get it for free and legal. I stress legal here. I am not interested in piracy. I am on Linux and I need to test some code in a Windows environment.
Thanks!
If you have a key, you can get the installer here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10
Back in the day you could legally download ISO images of whichever Windows version you wanted using Digital River. But they shut that down a few years ago.
I would be very careful getting an image just anywhere on the internet. Especially as a torrent. Lots of bad people doing bad things to those images.
Apparently you can download a Windows 7 ISO directly from Microsoft, but you have to put in your key to verify. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows7 . The same for 8.1: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows8ISO
They also have the media creation tool, which will make the ISO and slap it on a flash drive. I did a quick search for that, but it looks like they have removed that option in favor of the above options. I think I have Windows 7 and 8.1 media creation tools somewhere, and they may be findable on the internet somewhere.
Last option is Windows 10. I know for a fact that if you put a Windows 7 or 8(.1) key in it’ll take it and activate just fine. If you don’t mind running 10, that is.
BOOP! https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windowsforbusiness/try
Here you go. Probably a standard user trial out there too but didn’t look. Just look for microsoft trials.
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I am amazed at how difficult this is. People love to talk shit about Linux, and in some cases they should, but holy shit is it difficult to just LEGALLY test software on Windows. And fucking hell no, I will not pay for a key.
I can send you the files I have win10 legal you’ll just need a key. Keys are easy to find
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Long sigh… thank you but no.
There’s always that bay where pirates meet up
I should not need my hat for testing software.
you know you can install windows without a licence, you just get a little notice telling you to acticate and about 30 days before it getting more annoyed.
If its that you want win 7, I could probably give you a copy of that .ISO. Also legit, but with no key
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If I remember right inactivated Windows doesn’t block you from doing anything just had annoying pop ups.
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Indeed.
You can install Windows 7 without even entering a key. Depending on the installer you may have to manually select which exact version of Win7 you want to install (Home Premium, Pro etc). After 30 days the pop-ups can become more irritating and it will turn your desktop wallpaper off, leaving you with a black background.
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Microsoft has an official USB-installer creation tool. You don’t need a license to download it and IIRC the tool also offers you to merely download the ISO.
I also found this just now:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10ISO
When asked for a key just press continue. Windows will work normally for 30 days. After that wallpaper will turn black and some other annoyances pop up, but Windows will continue to work. There’s also (perfectly legal) ways to restart the trial period several times.
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This…
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That is only partially true as it depends on the key you’re putting in. It won’t activate all keys.
Uh yeah, you need a license either way duh (if you’re testing for longer then 30 days that is).
Also see the Download Links for 7 and 8.1 above, the 8.1 download works without a key the same way windows 10 does.
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Microsoft are actually quite good at providing trials of their operating systems. A lot of them have by default 6 month trial licenses.
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Here’s some pre-made VMs for windows 7, 8.1 and 10 32 and 64 bit from MS: https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/tools/vms/
Only a 90 day trial but you can just make snapshots.
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Here’s a win-win for a Linux user. https://modern.ie This is Microsoft’s Internet Explorer/Edge testing VMs for web developers. They are free to download. They offer Windows 7, 8.1 and 10. They support numerous types of VM enviroments. The only caveat is that they do expire in 90 days. However, unlike TechNet or MSDN, they do NOT require a subscription.
Well you can use* any of the links from above to download the Windows ISO, and use Rufus to create a Bootable usb, you dont need a license, you can use/test windows for 30days, if you need more days and want to stay legal, just Install it again, i dont know if the /rearm command works on Consumer windows, but you can also try the Bussiness ISO for 30days.
-Fallen
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Thanks all. I will use one of the above links to download an ISO and run a VM. Was frustrated last night, so this is genuinely helpful. Feels weird being back in Windows land.