Download Legal ISO images?

TheBuzzer

TheBuzzer

HACK THE WORLD!
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Hi, I am wondering does microsoft provide links to download legal iso images of like vista with sp2 and xp with sp3?

Or does one have to just create a bootstrap cd themselves?
 
TheBuzzer said:
Hi, I am wondering does microsoft provide links to download legal iso images of like vista with sp2 and xp with sp3?

Or does one have to just create a bootstrap cd themselves?
Click to expand...

The only legal MS downloads are those for Technet/MSDN account holders. If you know someone with either of these accounts, you can just ask them to burn you a copy of the media.
 
2 big things that jump out are...

1) Bandwidth!
2) Piracy.

With each ISO being ~2.5GB, making that publicly available would be more money than its worth. DVDs are cheap, bandwidth is not. I believe they offer replacement media for retail license holders. (for the cost of shipping ~$10)

Having clean, untouched, verified images of the most pirated object on the internet, just not smart. A lot of (smart) people don't pirate mainly because theyre afraid of what may be lurking in that install. If they could download a clean image straight from MS, piracy would jump even further.
 
bandwidth cost money and media like Vista can be big. It also makes it easier for pirates to get. Not that its hard these days.
 
Well mainly i want it is to be able to format my comp and install less updates using official dvd image.

Last time I installed a sp1 vista, it was hacked but I didn't want that. So I went back to my old dvd and install from that and update to sp1 and download all other updates too.

Wouldn't microsoft waste a lot of bandwidth for people that format and update?
 
just go through the updates. slow, yes, but better safe than sorry.
 
Why don't you just use vLite? If you have your original Vista disk and download SP1 or SP2 from Microsoft, vLite will integrate it for you and burn it to a disk.
 
sdotbrucato said:
Having clean, untouched, verified images of the most pirated object on the internet, just not smart. A lot of (smart) people don't pirate mainly because theyre afraid of what may be lurking in that install. If they could download a clean image straight from MS, piracy would jump even further.
Click to expand...

Maybe, maybe not...I had the same issue, in that my only XP installation CD became a chew-toy for my dog a few years back just when I needed it most and didn't have a backup copy (remember that copying such a CD is piracy under the same law as downloading it), so I didn't have one. I rang Microsoft to find out how to get another one, being as they're effectively the only software company out there who doesn't provide their flagship software as a download that all their customers are entitled to, and have been for some time.

Of course, their answer was to furnish them with more cash and I might receive it in a week or two. Since I needed the machine up and running quickly, I ended up installing openSUSE, and discovered I quite liked it...Windows hasn't touched my machine since.

They could easily make the download links secure enough if they wanted to, bearing in mind the number of hacked copies kicking around out there. In any case, downloadable images (say, one-shot download keys that you get from ringing them and giving them your OEM or Retail key) would barely make a blip compared to the amount of bandwidth that Windows Update etc uses.
 
:LJ: said:
Maybe, maybe not...I had the same issue, in that my only XP installation CD became a chew-toy for my dog a few years back just when I needed it most and didn't have a backup copy (remember that copying such a CD is piracy under the same law as downloading it),
Click to expand...
Making backups of software that you legally own is not piracy. It falls under fair use. When I purchase software I make two backups. One ISO on the file server, and one backup disk I carry around with me. The original hologram disk gets put away in a secure place never to see the light of day again.

:LJ: said:
enough[/I] if they wanted to, bearing in mind the number of hacked copies kicking around out there. In any case, downloadable images (say, one-shot download keys that you get from ringing them and giving them your OEM or Retail key) would barely make a blip compared to the amount of bandwidth that Windows Update etc uses.
Click to expand...
I do like this idea though, and it does make sense. Keep in mind though, most people that would use this "service" are OEM holders. Not a lot of people really buy retail licenses. Microsoft does not support OEM licenses, so a majority of the people that would get use out of this, are SOL.
 
sdotbrucato said:
Making backups of software that you legally own is not piracy. It falls under fair use. When I purchase software I make two backups. One ISO on the file server, and one backup disk I carry around with me. The original hologram disk gets put away in a secure place never to see the light of day again.
Click to expand...

Actually, contrary to what people think, fair use as a legal concept doesn't exist here (I live in the UK). There's "personal use", but that only explicitly covers music (or so I'm told).

sdotbrucato said:
I do like this idea though, and it does make sense. Keep in mind though, most people that would use this "service" are OEM holders. Not a lot of people really buy retail licenses. Microsoft does not support OEM licenses, so a majority of the people that would get use out of this, are SOL.
Click to expand...

Aye...OEM customers form the massive majority of Microsoft's customers and the base of their business, but they get the least support. Of course, 90% of OEM customers will usually buy a new PC rather than reinstall Windows and artificially boost the installation statistics, so it's not difficult to see why Microsoft don't exactly bend over backwards for them.
 
:LJ: said:
Actually, contrary to what people think, fair use as a legal concept doesn't exist here (I live in the UK). There's "personal use", but that only explicitly covers music (or so I'm told).
Click to expand...
Hmmm, my apologies, I'm not familiar with UK I.P laws, there has to be something allowing you to make backups of software you legally own.


:LJ: said:
Aye...OEM customers form the massive majority of Microsoft's customers and the base of their business, but they get the least support. Of course, 90% of OEM customers will usually buy a new PC rather than reinstall Windows and artificially boost the installation statistics, so it's not difficult to see why Microsoft don't exactly bend over backwards for them.
Click to expand...
A majority of Microsoft's customers are businesses. A majority of businesses have hardware from OEMs (Dell, HP, etc) The hardware OEM is supposed to give support. If I just so happen to lose a Vista install disk, I call up Dell and I have one on the way.


Remember, when you buy a System Builder license... you are both the Supporter, and Supportee
 
The best investment an MS techie can make is in Technet. For $349 the first year, it's a steal. Renewals are generally $299 IIRC.
 
You can order replacement discs from Microsoft for less than $10. I'd assume they'd have all the latest service packs built into them.
 
If the software was purchased through eOpen, you can download the software there.
 
sdotbrucato said:
Hmmm, my apologies, I'm not familiar with UK I.P laws, there has to be something allowing you to make backups of software you legally own.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure; many EULAs do explicitly give you the right to make a single backup copy, but I'm not aware of any legal right to make a copy. As far as I know, it's technically illegal at the moment to rip copyrighted music here, but even the record industry here doesn't think that should be restricted:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7176538.stm

Everyone does it anyway though, and I think that in cases like that there has to be an element of following the spirit versus the letter of the law - even if there's no explicit legal right to do so, it's obvious that no-one is losing out and no-one is going to get prosecuted.
 
If you are truely just backing up disks you actually have, you'd be hard pressed to find someone who will care. First they'd not only have to find out about it, but turn you in, AND they would have to come after you. THEN you show them a binder of copied CDs along with originals of any shape, and I doubt a sane person in the world would care past that.
 
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