Are the Windows Vista download links actually legal?

I'm aware of the Windows Vista download links and understand that there is the ability to get Vista free from them.

What I am not clear about and have not gotten a clear answer on is whether downloading from them is actually legal. Let me explain. The links are for people who have purchased Vista online through Microsoft. Those people are then able to download from them.

Is it okay for those of us who have OEM, retail, etc, copies of Vista to download from there also? If it is, why hasn't Microsoft made the links more public and why do the links get changed around in order to prevent people from downloading from there?

Thanks for any clear answers.

 

Yes they are, they are not provided with a key. The key is what you pay the hundred or so dollars for.

 

Is there a link or some place a Microsoft rep has stated that the links are for anyone to download from?

All I find is mentions of the "leaked" download link, and the fact that MS changes the link around doesn't make me think that they want just anyone downloading from there.

Sorry for being so hardcore about it, but I'd like to stay on the safe side, and I would like to find some kind of confirmation that the links are alright.

 

Whether MS wants anyone downloading it or not is irrelevent.
The people who purchased vista gets an activation key. As long as U don't crack the downloaded version, it legal.

 

IMO, this is just like any other sw that you dl from the web - free or trial - your actual key controls what you get if anything. MSFT probably makes it difficult due to their OEMs - every OEM likes to have their own version of the OS and MSFT had prefer to also have those vendors support their own creations.

But regardless, it is still not fully functional sw w/o a purchased key. And this is not like dl'ing music if you are worred that the MSFT police are going to come knocking at your door after you click on that link.

 

Can anyone post links to a clean untampered copy of vista or vista anytime upgrade dvd.

Please Note: I will be using my own Vista Business 32 bit OEM license key, I am not looking for anything illegal.

I want to do a clean crapware free install on my notebook.

Thanks

 

Try WindowsMarketPlace.com since you have the legal license key. The download included SP1 also

 

All I can find is Anytime Upgrade with a License for about £110.00

 

The way I am looking at it is you have not purchased any rights to use those download links (only those who have purchased Vista online have), so therefore it is illegal or at least unethical to use them, unless Microsoft has said otherwise.

 

In a way you are right because it is costing them money for bandwidth for a product you already own. I think Microsoft would rather you download it from them then get a cracked version (with possible viruses/trojans preinstalled) from a p2p source.

 

AnML - Go online, buy the disks of choice ($12.99 for 32-bit, $15.99 for 64-bit) and sleep well. Not sure why you are dragging this out (now in a second thread). You have a choice NOT to use those links - leave the legal stuff to the professionals.

 

where can you go online and purchase the disc for $15.99

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=3269413&postcount=81

 

Yeah, I kinda was thinking the same thing.

 

Aye, this looks like a gray area.
The smart thing is to buy it directly from Microsoft,with all the updates and SP1 ...

 

Are the links provided in that post SP1 discs? It does not say in the description.

 

probably not, you can just integrate SP1 using vlite. worked like a charm for me

 

You want to know what isn't fair?

Me paying money for a license key and not getting an effing Vista disc.

Basically as long as you own the rights use to the software you can get it through any means you want. The only thing you CAN'T do is distribute it to people who don't have legal rights to it. That is where the legality line is drawn from P2P because effectively you are downloading it from someone who doesn't have the right to distribute the software, and thus you are redistributing it to others.

BUT if you get directly from MS and you own the rights to that software it's perfectly. Sure MS could possibly come after people for gaining "unauthorized" access to their download links. But for what, the $10 it's worth?

And if MS was really concerned about it they would make it a little more difficult for the common internet user to access.

 

Have no idea - but I do know the ability to order these disappeared shortly after SP1 was widely available in March and now they are back. But you can do flipfire's route or just update afterwords. I did not think SP1 took that long anyway.

 

I'll go ahead and pitch in a little information.

Sites from MS or DigitalRiver are clean, safe for consumers as they're from a known source, and allowed to have links to Vista discs posted. Obviously, they do not come with keys and you need your own to use it for more than the trial length.

Cracking/sharing keys is not allowed, and those comments will be deleted from the forum.

Torrents, FTPs from other sites, fileshares, IRC...any other method used to obtain a Vista disc shall not be discussed on the forums if the source is not straight from MS or DigitalRiver. Those kinds of discs may have been "preinstalled" with spyware and/or have incorrect bits in there, thus making it unsafe (or downright illegal) for the consumer to use.

 

Is there anything like this for windows xp?

 

Sadly, not to my knowledge. You can use nLite to make a disc straight from your own hard drive if the C:\I386 folder exists on your computer.