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Netbook unlock question

Cath
Great Citizen / Super Citoyen

About a year ago, my daughter bought an Acer netbook.  At the time, she was told the device was locked to Microsoft but the store would unlock it for $80.  She declined.  Now with the free one year subscription to MS Office running out, she has tried to download an open source office suite but the device displays a message that the download is not permitted.

 

Does any of you tech gurus know of any way she can unlock the device?  Your help is much appreciated.

13 REPLIES 13

srlawren
Retired Oracle / Oracle Retraité

@Korth while those are valid complaints against Microsoft, they aren't Microsoft lock-in.  Your complaint about upgrading hardware components leading Windows activation to thinking you're on a different PC isn't lock-in; if it was, it would mean you could only install Microsoft-branded (or blessed) hardware components, and any others would cause activation to bark (or Windows to not work at all).

 

While I suppose you could argue the problem this thread is about is a type of lock-in, at least it is easily defeatable and at no cost.  It is very similar to how Apple only lets you install iPhone and iPad apps from their App Store, with the difference being there's no sanctioned, straightforward way to get around it on an iDevice, whereas Microsoft make it as easy as a couple of clicks in the Microsoft Store app. So yes I guess it's a weak form of lock-in.

 

An example you could have used from the past is how for many years, if you wanted or needed to run Microsoft Office apps, it meant you had to be running a Windows-based PC.  That could probably quality as Microsoft lock-in.  But of course, over the past decade or so they have completely changed that, with Office available on Mac, Android, and iOS (not sure about Linux, maybe?) and in online forms in most/all browsers.  


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@srlawren

 

Windows Product Key, Microsoft OEM Key, Genuine Activation Tokens - you enter one or two keys during OS install but Microsoft appends numerous others on their profiles about you, your software, and your hardware - and once any of these things mismatches or can't be confirmed as "valid" from the Microsoft motherdhip your OS starts restricting what you can do.

 

WinOS license is married to processor serial #, motherboard/chipset serial #, UEFI/BIOS firmware, Intel ME or AMD Agesa serial # - you can't even do too many hardware upgrades before Microsoft decides you've got a "different" machine and have to pay for your Windows again.

 

The problem which created this thread is itself a fine example of Microsoft lock-in. It's anti-consumer and anti-competitive. And used to be condemned with anti-trust legal penalties which Microsoft has evidently managed to circumvent.

 

Anti-piracy and license control is expected, of course. But Microsoft's DRM and authentication implementations are far too invasive and far too aggressive - not only do they limit or "break" your OS when triggered, they're embedded as deeply as rootkit malware/spyware (which Microsoft calls "telemetry"). And forced updates, lol, you never know what works fine today and will somehow get broken (by Microsoft) tomorrow, and you're not given many real options to control or rollback the damage. The Apple crowd has justifiable reasons for disdaining PC Windows.

 

I am a linux advocate and enthusiast. But not a blind linux fanboy. I'm not saying all linux is perfect, indeed some (corporate) distros are effectively just as bad as Microsoft. Most linuxes are better in all the above specifics than any WinOS will ever be. And I'm not saying linux is the best choice for everyone, although most folks who try a linux (usually fed-up Windows refugees) are quite amazed and surprised. I do recommend everyone try a linux for a little while (linux Mint is an excellent start), it can even be run off a "Live CD" or "Live USB" instead of a fixed install without ever touching your system drive.

 

Windows is of course the dominant OS (and the default OS) on consumer PCs, so it can always natively run software titles (like AAA games or professional apps) the other systems sometimes can't. The disparity is narrower every year but Microsoft has enough pull with Intel, Nvidia, and all the big tech standard groups to ensure that Windows always retains privileged access to latest-greatest stuff while non-Windows alternatives fend for themselves.

 

I've paid (again and again) for too many copies of Windows over the years. I've learned that sooner or later Windows will always break down and cost money yet again. Basically like being trapped in a bad relationship, so I moved on to better things.

srlawren
Retired Oracle / Oracle Retraité

@Korth wrote:

@srlawren

 

I quickly checked and quickly dismissed your link, sorry. I admit to being an avid linux enthusiast, Windows (especially Win10) is far too bloaty and invasive for me, lol, so I've had little interest in getting educated about ongoing Win10 variants.


@Korth so, you gave technical advice about a topic you couldn't be bothered to give even a cursory look into?  Fair enough that you don't care about Windows, but maybe then stick to giving out Linux advice?  Just a thought.

 


@Korth wrote:

@srlawren

 

But Microsoft has installed the same old villainous vendor locks into their software for decades - so I assumed the same old advice would remain relevant.


@Korth uhm what "villainous vendor locks" are you talking about?  Could you give me some examples? 


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@srlawren

 

I quickly checked and quickly dismissed your link, sorry. I admit to being an avid linux enthusiast, Windows (especially Win10) is far too bloaty and invasive for me, lol, so I've had little interest in getting educated about ongoing Win10 variants.

 

But Microsoft has installed the same old villainous vendor locks into their software for decades - so I assumed the same old advice would remain relevant.

 

Win 10 S does receive overehelmingly positive reviews from the tech crowd. So I would probably give it a shot if I was a Windows user. I would also make a backup first, lol, some sort of full-system image or clone or snapshot (without relying on whatever backup tools are built into the system itself, just in case they break during upgrade). A cynic's gotta do what a cynic's gotta do, but stubbornly doing things the "hard" way isn't always needed and isn't the best approach for everyone.

srlawren
Retired Oracle / Oracle Retraité

@Korth wrote:

 

 

I generally advise against upgrading operating systems on mobile platforms (laptops, tablets, phones, etc). They invariably require drivers and components designed specifically for their particular hardware selection and designed specifically for their native operating system, no guarantees that they'll still work properly (or can be made to work properly at all) when installing a newer/different operating system which may not have compatible/upgraded driver counterparts.


@Korth did you happen to watch the Windows Central YouTube video I posted above?  This is much less an upgrade as a 5-second side-grade with everything staying in place.  It basically just removes the Windows Store-only app source restriction and you're left with Windows 10 Home rather than Windows 10 S.  I would say the risk is minimal at most.


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Cath
Great Citizen / Super Citoyen

@Jb456   Thanks for your response.  I use LibreOffice myself on my desktop.  Once she gets the installation issue resolved, I’m sure she will check it out.

Jb456
Mayor / Maire

@Cath have your daughter try open office 

 

Same as Microsoft has excel, PowerPoint, word,etc.

 

https://www.openoffice.org/

Cath
Great Citizen / Super Citoyen

@Korth  Thanks for the information.  That sounds like a good place to start.

Korth
Mayor / Maire

@Cath

 

You (or your daughter) can try "sideloading" the open office app. Download it on another machine, save to a USB drive, and try to install from there. It's possible that Microsoft (or the vendor) setvup the machine to block app store content but did not set up the OS to do the same.

 

OpenOffice and LibreOffice are both free, opensource, and very similar. They have the more or less all the same apps and components and - along with MS Office - can import/export documents to/from each other. If one won't work then perhaps the other will.

 

Complex formatting embedded within documents is often lost or mangled when transformed between office suites. If this will affect a lot of your (or your daughter's) existing documents then it might be worthwhile to just tenew the existing office software.

 

I generally advise against upgrading operating systems on mobile platforms (laptops, tablets, phones, etc). They invariably require drivers and components designed specifically for their particular hardware selection and designed specifically for their native operating system, no guarantees that they'll still work properly (or can be made to work properly at all) when installing a newer/different operating system which may not have compatible/upgraded driver counterparts.

srlawren
Retired Oracle / Oracle Retraité

@computergeek541 full disclaimer: I've never tried either.  But my understanding is that Windows S is actually Windows Home (same license) but with a bunch of restrictions in place to make it "more secure" and "easier to use" (type of thing).  I think the initial version of Windows S was completely walled off, but in response to customer frustration at the limitations and lack of native (Windows Store) apps, they opened up the option to essentially convert Win S to Win 10 Home in-place.  I don't believe there's a cost, if I'm remembering correctly.  If you wanted Pro, that's an option as well but at a cost (and not worth it for the majority of casual users).

 

EDIT: more info here from Windows Central:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccB-5UZWYdw


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@srlawren wrote:

Is it running Windows S?  If so, she should be able to change it to Windows 10 Home, which will enable installing apps like 3rd party office suites:  https://support.microsoft.com/en-ca/help/4456067/windows-10-switch-out-of-s-mode.  Alternative, you could consider an Office 365 subscription to keep using Microsoft Office: https://support.office.com/en-us/article/office-on-windows-10-in-s-mode-717193b5-ff9f-4388-84c0-277d...



@srlawren wrote:

Is it running Windows S?  If so, she should be able to change it to Windows 10 Home, which will enable installing apps like 3rd party office suites:  https://support.microsoft.com/en-ca/help/4456067/windows-10-switch-out-of-s-mode.  Alternative, you could consider an Office 365 subscription to keep using Microsoft Office: https://support.office.com/en-us/article/office-on-windows-10-in-s-mode-717193b5-ff9f-4388-84c0-277d...


I know that a 32-bit license will work for 64 bit Windows and vice versa.  Will Windows 10 S being previously installed and activated allow a digital activation of Windows 10 Home?  I've never tried.

Cath
Great Citizen / Super Citoyen

@srlawren  She is considering the subscription but I will let her know about the Win 10 solution.  Thanks for your help.  Stay safe!

srlawren
Retired Oracle / Oracle Retraité

Is it running Windows S?  If so, she should be able to change it to Windows 10 Home, which will enable installing apps like 3rd party office suites:  https://support.microsoft.com/en-ca/help/4456067/windows-10-switch-out-of-s-mode.  Alternative, you could consider an Office 365 subscription to keep using Microsoft Office: https://support.office.com/en-us/article/office-on-windows-10-in-s-mode-717193b5-ff9f-4388-84c0-277d...


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