Microsoft Edge

[Retune]

It's the extra clicks and scrolling I don't like. I have both available, keyed to different mouse buttons, but Classic Shell is the one I end up using. At least it's not like in the W8 days, when I needed something like this to make the system usable (W8 was actually pretty good with Classic Shell installed, the magic corners turned off, and the file associations changed to avoid the default Metro apps).

 

[Mauri3205]

I've been using Classic Shell / Open Shell to replace the Start menu since Windows 8. The current W10 Start isn't nearly as obnoxious as before, but I still prefer the third party alternatives. Splitting settings between the Metro-style PC Settings and the old Control Panel remains one of W8's more annoying legacies.

I'm afraid MS wouldn't agree that those keys are legit:

Is it legal to use the cheap Windows 11/10 Keys available on the Internet? Do they work?

Some websites sell cheap Windows Keys. Their cost is much less than the official price. Are they legit? Do cheap Windows keys work? Find out!

www.thewindowsclub.com

How To Tell - Shop

I read the article and colour me cynical but this is a Windows MVP who has a vested interest in saying such things if he wants to remain on the program.

As for the keys themselves, I see this as far less grey market than E-infinity or Panamoz. With kit there are indeed regional limitations because you can be refused warranty but on software that will not happen. There is no guarantee that a laptop owner from Japan will not take their laptop to any other country so there can never be a region lock on software. Digital games licensing is different because the storefronts are more tightly controlled but Windows isn’t restricted to a few legit websites and distribution is far wider.

The point about expiring keys I can understand but as mentioned I have never had issues with the website I mentioned although that is not a guarantee of continuing performance.

 

[AndrewFlannigan]

There is no guarantee that a laptop owner from Japan will not take their laptop to any other country so there can never be a region lock on software.

Given the example of the DVD market, that's not something I'd rely on. Unlikely? Yes, Will never happen? Hmm.

 

[Retune]

I read the article and colour me cynical but this is a Windows MVP who has a vested interest in saying such things if he wants to remain on the program.

As for the keys themselves, I see this as far less grey market than E-infinity or Panamoz. With kit there are indeed regional limitations because you can be refused warranty but on software that will not happen. There is no guarantee that a laptop owner from Japan will not take their laptop to any other country so there can never be a region lock on software. Digital games licensing is different because the storefronts are more tightly controlled but Windows isn’t restricted to a few legit websites and distribution is far wider.

The point about expiring keys I can understand but as mentioned I have never had issues with the website I mentioned although that is not a guarantee of continuing performance.

You'll see articles making the same point on various independent tech sites, this is just more detailed than most. A key from a foreign market is only one example of what you might be getting - others are volume licence keys, developer keys, OEM keys that should only be bundled with hardware, student keys, etc. Selling them in this way violates the licences under which they were originally provided, which makes them invalid (at least according to MS's lawyers). MS doesn't sell keys to random reseller websites like this, so they can't have acquired them via a legitimate route (again according to MS's lawyers). The dodgiest sites could be shifting stolen keys or the output of a key generator (if one exists for these products). In any case, if you contacted MS and managed to get hold of a human, I'm certain they'd tell you this site isn't selling the keys legitimately. People tend not to ask them, of course, for much the same reason that they don't ask HMRC about whether they owe tax on that grey market import! Whether the keys continue to function is another matter. MS might be keener to block stolen keys than (say) OEM keys sold without hardware.