For many, the answer is simply because they can. Those people would not pay for the Win OS no matter how cheap it was.
For many others, coughing up $150 - $200 for a retail box of Windows is not a realistic option, (especially when OEMs and Third World hackers are offered licenses for pennies on the dollars.
Finally, lots of people have OEM PCs and didn't get (or lost) their install disks. They have a sticker on the case, but the key doesn't work with the borrowed install CD they have, so they search the internet and get a pirated install KEY that will work with the disk they did scratch up. Often they had Home Edition and could only come up with a Pro install disk, so no updates for them! Yes, I have seen this multiple times. M$ creates a lot of headaches with the different versions not installing off the same disk. Often, when downloading an install CD iso, they can find upgraded versions with pirated keys available side by side. Since M$ already drove them to the internet, they figure, "Why not?"
Those are some of the reasons people continue to pirate Windows.
Discussion on:
Message 11 of 1
The best of ZDNet, delivered
ZDNet Newsletters
Get the best of ZDNet delivered straight to your inbox
