ZyloxDragon: For Windows, it doesn't need to be activated until a number of days have passed. With older versions of Windows, I think it was 30 days, and then you can run a command line to "rearm" the trial period to allow it to be used for another additional 30 days. You could do this either 2 or 3 times. Afterwards, you would have to either activate it, or reinstall Windows to get another additional set of trial(s). Not sure if the same method applies with Windows 7 and above.
You could kind of get around it with changing the date/time in the BIOS, but you would have to reset it on every boot, and make sure you shut the system down when you were done using it.
With windows "black" versions you don't need to activate ever, though...they also cut out a ton of the bloat/spying of official versions.
Of course I am not telling people to use such or recommending such to anyone, in case anyone from staff/MS is listening....I am just stating stuff. :)
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HeresMyAccount: Well, to start with, the reason that my computer is air-gapped in the first place is that I want a 0% possibility of spyware, and frankly, I don't trust Microsoft at all (though I'll use their products, because how can they spy on me from an air-gapped computer?),
Super secret alien tech, perhaps? I dunno. :)
HeresMyAccount: so the idea of hiring employees from Microsoft is really not one that I would want to pursue. And besides that, I'm sure they wouldn't be allowed to just alter the software for customers, because there's probably a rule against that to which Microsoft makes them agree.
It was more me just spitballing/making funny what if scenarios....but I suppose one could hire ex-MS employees who dislike the company. o.0
HeresMyAccount: As for the firewall, again, that's not air-gapped, and so it would require me to be connected to the Internet, which is the whole thing that I'm trying to avoid, because it simply isn't secure enough for me.
Again this was more spitballing/what if stuff, but a very good hardware based firewall would stop ALL spying...just FYI.
HeresMyAccount: Also, I'm
not anywhere near rich enough to afford that, anyway, and I want nothing to do with making a TV show, no matter how much money it pays, because I'm a very private person, which is the reason why I'm trying to do this in the first place.
Now i'm gonna stay up wondering(but not really, I am joking here) what you do that needs so much security. Spy? Jewel thief? Corp espionage guy? Hermit? :D
HeresMyAccount: Not bad ideas for brainstorming, though.
Thanks
GameRager: Windows "black" versions say hi.
HeresMyAccount: What's that?
Y'argh Matey versions of windows....I used to use them
AFTER BUYING LEGALLY BOUGHT COPIES of windows to cut bloat/disable some features, etc.
HeresMyAccount: Yeah, but in this case, there
must be some file somewhere that says when it was installed or when it expires, and it just checks that timestamp to see if it's still valid. So I could change it to be WAAAAAY in the future, like a million years or something (I think we use larger data types for dates these days, so I don't think it would cause another Y2K glitch).
"Fun" fact, afaik most "Y2K fixes" just changed the dates a bit in most PCs so that now the new "Y2K cutoff" is around 2075-2080.
