Hello, and welcome…
Rick’s Daily Tech Tips Update for Tuesday, December 20, 2022
Topics covered in this issue…
• Q&A: Can I really download Windows 10 for free?
• How to force Windows to create a new System Restore Point every day
• Boost your retirement income by becoming a blogger
• Compliments make amazing gifts (and they don’t cost a cent)
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Today’s quick tech tip….
Q&A: Can I really download Windows 10 for free?
Question from Myron: I’m building a PC from scratch with the help of a friend who really knows a lot about computer hardware.
He said I won’t need to buy a copy of Windows 10 (the version of Windows I want to run) because you can download it and install it on any computer without having to pay for it.
Is that true? And if it is, how do I find out where to download it from?
Rick’s answer: Myron, in the literal sense your friend is right. You indeed can download Windows 10 and install it on your computer for free.
What’s more, once it’s installed it’ll run just fine and you’ll be able to keep it up-to-date by installing all the latest updates.
If you’d like to do that just go here and click the Download Now button to download the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool to your computer.
Run the Media Creation Tool and you’ll be able to create a bootable installation drive and use it to install Windows 10 on your new computer.
Note: You’ll see a notice that you’ll need to have a Windows 10 license before running the tool, but you won’t. You can create the installation medium and use it to install Windows 10 without having a Windows 10 license.
Once installed, your Windows 10 installation will have a watermark on your screen telling you to activate your new Windows installation.
That “nag” message will stay on your screen forever unless and until you cough up the dough for a Windows 10 license, but Windows will run just fine without it (you won’t be able to make a couple of minor Personalization changes however).
Now that the “yes you can” part is out of the way, I believe we need to discuss the “Should I?” part…
The Windows operating system is a commercial software package that Microsoft sells in order to earn money to pay their expenses and reward shareholders for their investments in the company. Therefore they’d really appreciate it if you would purchase a license.
That being said, it appears that they have made a strategic decision not to enforce the license requirement in order to get as many PCs as possible running Windows.
It’s up to you to decide how you wish to proceed. Lots of folks buy a license even though they aren’t actually required to in order to compensate Microsoft for developing and supporting Windows.
However, plenty of other folks don’t.
Bottom line: Only you can decide which camp is right for you based upon your own beliefs and moral compass.
Personally, I always choose to pay for a Windows license, but Windows 10 will run just fine without one.
By the way, this isn’t a moral play on my part. You really can make your own choice and feel good about it, whichever way you decide to go.
Microsoft could easily enforce the license requirement by not allowing Windows 10 to run without it. However they have apparently decided not to in order to maximize Windows’ market share. Just sayin’.
The latest from Rick’s Daily Tips Tech Blog…
• How to force Windows to create a new System Restore Point every day
It pays to always have a recent Restore Point to roll your system back to if something ever goes wrong.
• Boost your retirement income by becoming a blogger
Lots of retirees are doing this. You can too.
• Click here to see today’s ‘Picture of the Day’.
Every morning I post a new photo that I find inspiring, intriguing, or just plain beautiful to look at. Jumpstart your day by checking it out.
Rick’s Daily Pick…
“macOS Ventura Complete Guide” (#ad)
Whether you’re new to the Mac world or you just need a little help with learning the ins-and-outs of Ventura, this book is for you.
Today’s post from ‘My Daily Smile’…
Compliments make amazing gifts (and they don’t cost a cent)
And everyone can give them.
Tech news that caught my eye…
• Fortnite maker Epic to pay Rrecord $520 million over child privacy, in-app violations
• Twitter announces ‘Blue for Business’ to help identify brands and their employees
• WhatsApp lets you undo ‘Delete for Me’ in case you hit that button too quickly
• Work PC sales have plummeted once again
• Corsair says bug, not keylogger, behind some K100 keyboards’ creepy behavior
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Thanks so much, and have an amazing day.
Your tech buddy,
Rick Rouse
https://www.RicksDailyTips.com