Illegal copies Windows Turn in tech?

This is so annoying losing customer’s base of the fact that I will not install a copy of windows 7 on a computer without the customer providing a product key. These guys I am talking about are in same mall as I am. I been doing computer repair since I opened. They saw how computers where coming and they started to do it. They are using an activation program to active windows. They are the type of guys that whatever the problem is, reformatting the computer with a copy of windows 7 ever time without even trying to fix the OS.
 
Shodanime said:
They are the type of guys that whatever the problem is, reformatting the computer with a copy of windows 7 ever time without even trying to fix the OS.
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Major brands do they same, I remember one time my laptop mobo had a burnt component, I called in service tech and they were like yeah just send it in well replace it, I specify not to mess with the HDD. They still formatted even thou there was nothing wrong with it.

Pirate software should never be install from a professional tech but I guess that makes way too much sense.
 
Well the thing in my area that the N&P techs always wipe out the data for viruses and don't back it up. I go to networking events and tell them that the only time i lost data was when the virus grabbed the files. The moment i tell them that everyone is surprised because they assume that the data is gone the moment the virus hits
 
nesrinamb said:
Well the thing in my area that the N&P techs always wipe out the data for viruses and don't back it up. I go to networking events and tell them that the only time i lost data was when the virus grabbed the files. The moment i tell them that everyone is surprised because they assume that the data is gone the moment the virus hits
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i once in a great while n&p but damn if your a "tech" and cant remove a virus properly get out of the business. i expect this from pizzia tech but shops doing this is getting out of hand!
 
Don't ask / Don't tell. If I have to do a reinstall and they have their product key written on a piece of paper then I just assume that the COA sticker came off the computer but they wrote it down on the paper. It's not my job to play police officer.

If they are open about saying that it's a pirated copy of Windows then I assume that they might be a MicroSoft operative. Then I say I can't do it.
 
I just had a customer come in today with a Dell Vostro 1400 (an older model) with Windows 7 Home Premium on it. His original complaint was that he was getting the "Not Genuine. . ." warning. Hmm, I wonder why. The COA is for Windows XP. I didn't ask him who installed the Windows 7. My experience is that it is normally the owner, a family member or a friend. Young men in their twenties are awful pirates when it comes to this. I much more frequently find pirated copies of Microsoft Office, the dead giveaway being that they are a home user but are running Office Enterprise Edition. This makes me groan inwardly.

For the above customer I am reinstalling Windows XP, which is fine by him. I also believe it's not my job to police my customers for software compliance, but I will inform them of any bootlegs and I will definitely NOT install an OS for which there is no valid COA. I also won't install any OS provided by a customer on a burned disk or a written down product key.

I had one customer, a university student let's say from a country in which prirate software is the norm rather than the exception, come in one day wanting to know if I could install Photoshop . . . for free. I can't tell you how hard of a time I had explaining to him that I can't simply install a $600 piece of software on his computer for nothing. He honestly had a hard time understanding why. It was like talking to a Martian.
 
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I wish I had a guy like that sending me 8 systems a week. I'd say mind your own business. You benefit by doing the legal right thing when those computers come in so its really no sweat off your nose. I'm not sure why you'd even consider worrying about what some shade tree mechanic does or doesn't do?

Gary Orner said:
Ok I have been getting an overwhelming amount of boxes coming to me with illegal copies of Windows 7. These are all older boxes and have either an XP key or Vista key on them.

I get these boxes for all sorts of reasons. Viruses, not loading, ect.

Now my problem is I can not just let the customer not know. So I tell the customer and they will tell me so and so put it on for me. I talk to them and tell them it would be better to use the key on their machine or purchase a true legal copy of windows 7. I have never had a customer get upset and we always fix the issue.

But in the last two weeks I have gotten 8 of these machines. all tied to the same person. I am not one to go and start calling on people but it is directly effecting me and it is illegal, giving true honest techs a bad name.

This spike in illegal copies just got to me. I would get a machine here and there with illegal XP or 7 and I would call the customer and just fix it for them. Reading through the forums i see some people just fix the issue and never say a thing to the customer. Say it is a virus they clean the machine and that is that.

I guess I am a little upset I am trying to do everything the right way without cutting corners and I have another person cutting corners and making money doing it. I don't know.

I honestly might be seeing a spike in illegals because I have been using D7 a lot and it is catching these for me. So who knows. I love D7!
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So the guys in the same mall got reported to microsoft a few times. Today day i just got a computer repair from a client that was recommend to me went to the wrong store. They charged her 100$ for a computer reformat. When the original problem was the speakers was not working.

Edit: the speakers are still not working -_-
 
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Anything related to XP pirating at this point I could really care less. I don't do it myself but hey if microsoft doesn't want to allow people to buy xp licenses and their computer is too old to be running vista and 7 then what are they suppose to do exactly?
 
ComputerRepairTech said:
Anything related to XP pirating at this point I could really care less. I don't do it myself but hey if microsoft doesn't want to allow people to buy xp licenses and their computer is too old to be running vista and 7 then what are they suppose to do exactly?
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I don't know where your looking for your xp licences, but I can get them from my suppliers.

Also ANYTHING pirate related which comes into the workshop here, irrespective of if its XP, 7 etc, I inform the client that it is a pirate copy. Nor will I ever install a pirate copy of windows, on any machine.

With the number of clients who both contact me by phone, and drop in's into the workshop, at leat 50% of them are first time clients. Any of these could be from Microsoft as a mystery shopper, and I have sweat blood, and tears building my company up. I am not going to get myself shut down or fined over something like this.

Re your comment of "if microsoft doesn't want to allow people to buy xp licenses and their computer is too old to be running vista and 7 then what are they suppose to do exactly?", as mentioned, I can still buy XP licences. If my client does not have a licence, and it requires a reinstallation, or the drive is knackered, I follow the rules and regs, and use the MS restore media, or purchase a set of restore discs. If my client does not want to pay for this, then there is always Linux.
 
I even had one come in last week, Windows 7 Ult. Had a XP COA, running D7, told me it was a technet code. Client went somewhere else a few months ago, and ordered and paid for Win 7 Home Prem. Had a virus on the machine, the 'tech' (local guy) who installed it, couldn't remove it, so told him to come to me.

When seeing the XP coa, and the Win 7 ult I contacted my client to see what was going on. It was then, I was told about the win 7 install. I asked have you got the installation cd?, Nope, I wasn't given one.

So I explained, that when ever you purchase a new version of windows, and install it, you always get a installation cd/dvd and a COA. That way, you know that Windows has correctly been upgraded, and he should ask the 'tech' for these. Knowing that the guy would not have them, I waited on the call, and backed up my clients data.

2 hours later phone goes again, and i'm asked will I order and install what he had originally wanted, he was going to get his money back off 'tech'. I did say to him that the cost of this repair would be in the region of £160.00, and it would be better put towards a replacement machine instead. And for another couple of £00, he would have a ferrari, compared to the robin reliant he currently has.

Again he was not informed of this from 'tech'. He gave me carte blanche to do what ever I felt required. With a limit of £400.00, I built him a decent machine, gave him the install media, and my client was ecstatic.

Just goes to show, that informing your clients of what is legal, and what should be done, has gained me another client, who I am confident will recommend me to others. Not all clients want the cheapest option.
 
I've had a few of theses over the last few months. It is sad because 95% of my clients have no idea they have a pirated or illegal copy. I really feel bad for them.

So as most of you guys have explained and do. I just politely explain the situation to them. Most of that group is ok with just making it right. Some want me to install it anyway.

One of my friends was working for me and he put pirated Microsoft 2007 on the machines. When I found out I fired him that day. It cost me money since I tried and contacted every customer he installed it on. Most were sympathetic, but 13 of them I bought legal copies and absorbed the cost. It nearly killed me since I am still in the infancy stage.
 
Angle-Pc said:
but 13 of them I bought legal copies and absorbed the cost. It nearly killed me since I am still in the infancy stage.
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I understand that you are trying to do right by your customers, but why absorb the cost of 13 MS Office licenses? There are free alternatives out there that are just as good IMO. You did the right thing by firing the person who did the installs but why not just contact the customers, explain the situation, recommend that they uninstall the pirated version of Office and offer to reinstall LibreOffice or something similar, document the calls, and turn in the person who is really responsible for creating this situation? I understand that this is already said and done but I cannot imagine eating the cost of 13 MS Office licenses.
 
Trusted IT Solutions said:
I understand that you are trying to do right by your customers, but why absorb the cost of 13 MS Office licenses? There are free alternatives out there that are just as good IMO. You did the right thing by firing the person who did the installs but why not just contact the customers, explain the situation, recommend that they uninstall the pirated version of Office and offer to reinstall LibreOffice or something similar, document the calls, and turn in the person who is really responsible for creating this situation? I understand that this is already said and done but I cannot imagine eating the cost of 13 MS Office licenses.
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Around 60% did that. This was early on, So I was more in panic mode just starting out. This was more when I was just a Tech rather then a Business man. Not that I really resemble one now LOL. I am just slightly wiser now... All I can say is thank God for the small Business loan I had at the time.

Your solution would have made 120% more sense then Mine....
 
Cadishead Computers said:
So I explained, that when ever you purchase a new version of windows, and install it, you always get a installation cd/dvd and a COA. That way, you know that Windows has correctly been upgraded, and he should ask the 'tech' for these. Knowing that the guy would not have them, I waited on the call, and backed up my clients data.
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I send clients here
http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msstore/pd/Windows-7-Home-Premium/productID.235488300/vip.true to buy a valid license, but they don't get a COA or a disk unless they pay an additional $15. All they get is an email with the license code.
 
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