... 'Breaches License,' Says MS

"...Microsoft has recently confirmed it is technically possible to install an upgrade-only edition of Windows 7 on a machine that doesn't already have another version of Windows pre-installed. That said, the firm has also pointed out that doing so is an illegal breach of licensing conditions."

"...sites that provided the "workaround" without explaining the licensing rules. ... "give the impression that because [the workaround] is technically possible, it is legal to do. Unfortunately, by doing this, they irresponsibly put end users at risk of loading unlicensed software.""

"Can Upgrade Trick be Detected?

It's interesting that Microsoft has posted a full-page response to this issue, knowing that doing so will inevitably draw more attention to the Win7 upgrade trick loophole.

This begs the question: is Microsoft's response simply for "damage control" or does this warning imply that a breached license will cause a PC to fail the Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) check? In the latter case, users would have limited access to Windows Updates, meaning that their PC could be more vulnerable to malware and hacker attacks. "

In full here!

cheers ...