Buying a Computer Without Pre-installed Windows? Brace Yourself for an Uninvited Visit from Microsoft.
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| Source: Reuters |
It seems that Microsoft has just threatened to dispatch “investigators” to check if you purchase a computer without an operating system installed.
In an article published in Microsoft’s Partner Update magazine, Michala Alexander, the director responsible for anti-piracy and software licensing, urged all of the company’s partners not to ship “barebone” computers, meaning computers without any operating system inside.
This message was immediately “translated” into a veiled threat that if computer manufacturers continue to release bare PCs, Microsoft will automatically suspect that they are complicit in software piracy. “If a PC leaves the door without an operating system, this team will track where that batch of computers goes and visit those locations to check if they have installed pirated software.”
When contacted by ZDNet, Ms. Michala declined to comment on the matter. However, she mentioned that the article was quite lengthy and seemed to have a “typing error,” adding that a correction statement will be issued at a more appropriate time.
Thien Yi
