您(Are)是否担心您实际上可能使用的是盗版Windows 10？如果您直接从Microsoft或信誉良好的零售商处购买了您的(Microsoft)Windows副本，那么您可能没问题，但软件盗版仍然是一个问题。
使用未经授权的Windows版本不仅意味着您没有向Microsoft支付应付款，还可能意味着您的Window副本受到间谍软件或其他恶意软件的破坏。
你有钥匙吗？
Windows 10 可以通过两种不同的方式合法激活。产品密钥(product key)可能是每个人最熟悉的，但也可以使用链接到您的Microsoft 帐户的数字许可证激活(Microsoft Account)Windows。
在使用Microsoft Account(Microsoft Account)激活的系统上，没有这样的密钥。当您尝试检查时，您只会收到一条消息，显示“ Windows已使用与您的(Windows)Microsoft帐户相关联的数字许可证激活。”
你需要钥匙吗？
微软在(Microsoft)Windows 10上的做法略有不同。安装操作系统时，您不需要产品密钥即可完成该过程。您可以简单地选择跳过代码并继续使用它。
安装后，您可以完全访问Windows 10。在 Windows 10 未激活时，唯一从Windows 10(Windows 10)中删除的功能是个性化选项和墙纸上的一小段文字，说明Windows未激活。Windows仍将下载和安装更新并照常工作。
因此，如果您因为认为您的计算机将停止工作或没有获得安全补丁而急于获取密钥，您不必担心。您可以节省Windows许可证并在准备好时购买。
如果您想在辅助计算机或虚拟机上使用(virtual machine)Windows 10 ，而您不关心不激活它所施加的小限制，您可能永远不必费心。微软(Microsoft)似乎很酷，所以在他们改变立场之前，你实际上可能不需要为Windows密钥支付任何费用。
为什么您的副本会被破解？
显然，如果您自己破解了Windows副本，您将不会阅读本文。那么，为什么您的副本会在您不知情的情况下被破解？
简短的回答是，假冒软件业务是一笔巨款。您可能从第三方卖家那里购买了廉价的Windows 10副本，而该第三方卖家实际上正在销售操作系统的破解版本。如果您的计算机预装了Windows 10，则可能是系统制造商通过将Microsoft剔除并在其系统上加载受损的Windows副本来虚增利润。
您的Windows(Windows)副本是如何被破解的并不重要，重要的是如何检测您的产品密钥是否是伪造的。
Windows是如何破解的？
激活Windows(Windows)副本的常用方法是支付许可证或输入提供的密钥。然后， Windows(Windows)会验证您将该副本与 Microsoft 的服务器一起使用的权利。从那时起，您不必再担心任何问题，直到您下次必须重新安装 Windows(reinstall Windows)为止。
想方设法绕过内置复制保护的黑客已经创建了被称为“激活器”的软件。这些小应用程序使Windows误以为它已获得Microsoft的批准印章。
对于普通用户来说，不容易发现有问题的迹象。如果您检查Windows的激活状态，它只会说它已激活。幸运的是，有一种方法可以使用命令行检查激活器。
检查您是否正在使用激活器
要查看您的Windows副本是否已使用激活器激活，请执行以下操作：
- 同时按下Windows 按钮(Windows button)和R。这将打开运行(Run)对话框。
- 输入slmgr.vbs /dli 并按OK。
- 将弹出一个对话框，其中包含许可证信息。
如果您看到这样的框，其中仅显示“部分产品密钥”和“许可证状态”条目，则您的Windows副本是正版。相反，如果您看到“激活到期”或“更新间隔”，则可能是您的Windows安装已被激活器破解。
使用产品 ID 检查器
确保您的产品密钥是否合法的一种简单方法是使用产品密钥检查器。这些程序不是由Microsoft制作的，在运行任何此类应用程序之前，您应该始终使用病毒扫描程序对其进行检查。
虽然有几个选择，但其中最流行的两个是Microsoft PID Checker（不是 Microsoft！）和Ultimate PID checker。通常，PID应用程序是可移植的。这意味着您无需安装它们，只需从闪存驱动器或任何其他存储位置运行它们即可。
只需(Simply)输入您的产品密钥，程序就会告诉您它是否是真正的密钥。请记住，该软件所做的只是(Just)验证密钥，它不会告诉您是否运行的是破解版的Windows！
询问微软密钥是否真实
找出您的许可证密钥是否真实的最简单的方法是查找源代码。不，不是《黑客帝国》(The Matrix)中的那个，我们说的是微软(Microsoft)。您可以联系Microsoft的客户服务代表，告诉他们您怀疑您的Windows副本不是正版，并且您被出售了假密钥。
他们可以为您验证这一点，如果事实证明它确实是假钥匙，请从那里拿走。可悲的是，即使您被骗了，您也无权获得真正的密钥。所以你在这方面不走运。
如果您的产品密钥是假的怎么办(Your Product Key Is Fake)
因此，如果您确实获得了Windows的假副本，您能做些什么呢？正如我们刚才提到的，微软(Microsoft)有一个盗版报告设施(piracy reporting facility)，所以你至少应该让他们知道是否有人在经营不正当的业务，销售他们的软件的假副本。
至于您的系统，您需要做的第一件事是重新安装一个干净的 Windows 10 副本(reinstall a clean copy of Windows 10)。可以使用从优质零售商处购买的合法密钥简单地将破解的安装更改为一个。但是，我们不相信破解的副本没有进一步的篡改。如果可能的话，从一张白纸开始。
可悲的是，您确实必须拿出更多的钱来做正确的事情，但正如我们在本文开头所说，您可以继续使用未激活的Windows副本，只要您需要，直到您获得一起现金。
如果您不想花更多的钱并且不介意 Windows 以外的其他东西，您也可以借此机会尝试Linux。对于大多数桌面用户来说，Ubuntu Linux是一个好的开始，您会在我们的网站上找到大量信息来帮助您入门。
How to Check if a Windows 10 Product Key Is Genuine
Are you worried that you may actually be using a рirated copy of Windows 10? If you bought yоur copy of Windows directly from Microsoft or from a reputable retailer, then you’re probably OK, but software piracy is still a problem.
Using an unauthorized version of Windows doesn’t just mean that you haven’t paid Microsoft their dues, it can also mean your copy of Window is compromised with spyware or other malware.
Do You Even Have a Key?
Windows 10 can be legitimately activated in two different ways. A product key is probably the one everyone is most familiar with, but Windows can also be activated using a digital license linked to your Microsoft Account.
On systems activated with a Microsoft Account, there’s no key as such. When you try to check, you’ll only get a message that says “Windows is activated with a digital license linked to your Microsoft account.”
Do You Need a Key?
Microsoft is doing things a little differently with Windows 10. When you install the operating system you don’t need a product key to complete the process. You can simply choose to skip the code and get on with it.
Once installed, you have full access to Windows 10. The only functionality that’s cut from Windows 10 when it’s not activated are personalization options and a small bit of text on the wallpaper telling that Windows isn’t activated. Windows will still download and install updates and work as usual.
So if you’re in a hurry to get a key because you believe your computer is going to stop working or isn’t getting security patches, you don’t have to worry. You can save up for a Windows license and buy it when you’re ready.
If you want to use Windows 10 on a secondary computer or in a virtual machine where you don’t care about the minor restrictions imposed by not activating it, you may never have to bother. Microsoft seems cool with it, so until their stance changes you might not actually have to pay any money for a Windows key.
Why Would Your Copy Be Cracked?
Obviously, if you cracked your copy of Windows yourself you wouldn’t be reading this article. So why would your copy be cracked unbeknownst to you?
The short answer is that the counterfeit software business is big money. You may have bought a cheap copy of Windows 10 from a third-party seller who is in fact selling cracked versions of the operating system. If your computer came preloaded with Windows 10, it might be that the system builder is inflating their profits by cutting Microsoft out and loading compromised Windows copies on their systems.
It doesn’t really matter how your copy of Windows became cracked, what matters is how you can detect if your product key is bogus or not.
How Is Windows Cracked?
The usual way to activate a copy of Windows is by paying for a license or entering the provided key. Windows then authenticates your right to use that copy with Microsoft’s servers. From that point onward, you don’t have to worry about any of it again until the next time you have to reinstall Windows.
Hackers who create ways to circumvent that built-in copy protection have created software known as an “activator”. These little apps fool Windows into thinking it’s received the stamp of approval from Microsoft.
To the average user there’s no easy to spot signs that something is wrong. If you check the activation status of Windows it will simply say that it’s activated. Luckily there’s a way you can check for an activator using the command line.
Checking if You’re Using an Activator
In order to see whether your copy of Windows has been activated with an activator, do the following:
- Press the Windows button and R together. This will open the Run dialogue.
- Type slmgr.vbs /dli and press OK.
- A dialogue box will pop up with license information.
If you see a box like this, which only shows entries for “partial product key” and “license status”, then your copy of Windows is genuine. Instead, if you see “activation expiration” or “renewal interval” it’s likely that your Windows installation has been cracked using an activator hack.
Use a Product ID Checker
One simple way to make sure if your product key is legitimate is to use a product key checker. These programs are not made by Microsoft and you should always use a virus scanner to check them before running any such application.
While there are a few choices, two of the most popular are the Microsoft PID Checker (not by Microsoft!) and the Ultimate PID checker. In general, PID applications are portable. That means you don’t need to install them and can simply run them from a flash drive or any other storage location.
Simply enter your product key and the program will tell you if it’s a real key or not. Just remember that all this software does is validate the key, it doesn’t tell you whether you’re running a cracked version of Windows or not!
Ask Microsoft if the Key Is Real
The most foolproof way to find out if your license key is a real one, is to go to the source. No, not the one from The Matrix, we’re talking about Microsoft. You can get in touch with a customer service representative from Microsoft and tell them you suspect your copy of Windows isn’t genuine and that you’ve been sold a fake key.
They can verify this for you and if it turns out it is indeed a fake key, take it from there. Sadly, you aren’t entitled to a genuine key even if you have been scammed. So you’re out of luck in that regard.
What to Do if Your Product Key Is Fake
So if it does turn out that you’ve been given a fake copy of Windows, what can you do? As we mentioned just now, Microsoft has a piracy reporting facility, so you should at least let them know if someone is running a crooked business selling fake copies of their software.
As for your system, the first thing you need to do is reinstall a clean copy of Windows 10. It is possible to simply change the cracked installation to one using a legitimate key you’ve purchased from a good retailer. However, we wouldn’t trust that the cracked copy doesn’t have further tampering. If possible, begin with a clean slate.
Sadly, you do have to pull out even more money to do the right thing, but as we said at the outset of this article you can keep going with an unactivated copy of Windows for as long as you need to, until you can get the cash together.
If you don’t feel like spending more money and don’t mind something other than Windows, you could also use this as an opportunity to try out Linux. For most desktop users, Ubuntu Linux is a good start and you’ll find plenty of information on our sites to get your started.
