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Should I Install Pirate Software on Clients Computers?
A poster on the Technibble forums recently mentioned that his client wanted him to provide and install pirate software onto their computer. He also mentioned that in his part of the world (the middle east) that pirate software is very common and readily available.
He asked our community whether he was handicapping his business by hesitating to provide pirate software when all the other technicians were doing it. It was a good question with a simple answer.
The answer is, don’t ever provide pirate software, even when everybody else is doing it and these are the reasons why:
Although the police force in many countries don’t care about the users of pirated software, they often do go after the providers. I have personally witnessed a police raid a local computer swapmeet I was attending a few years back. There were a small handful of pirate software sellers there, the police came in, picked out the pirates and took them out in handcuffs.
As for the users of pirate software, the local police force don’t enforce it but I know the software makers do. I have a handful of clients that do professional graphics work and I have seen letters being sent from Adobe (the makers of Photoshop) to just about all of them. These letters say that they may send representatives to the business to check their Adobe software licenses and provide rewards to businesses that report other businesses using pirate software. Now, you may not be the type of person that will report another business, but can you say the same for your competitors. Do you feel comfortable that they wont report you? Even if you do, it only takes one angry customer to report you.
With the local police, software makers, your competitors and clients all able to bring you down, the risk of providing pirate software is just too damn high.
Additionally, by providing pirate software, you generate clients that don’t want to pay for things. You may soon find them turning this attitude onto you.
“Why should I pay you that much to fix my computer when all you did was run AVG and Spybot? I could have downloaded them myself for free”
You don’t have to lose out by not providing pirate software. Use legitimate software to make you more money. Buy a mutli-license antivirus pack, put some extra on top and then sell them separately. If your clients don’t want to pay for it, go open source. There are freeware alternatives for just about everything. While I understand you cant just install a Linux build to replace Windows XP, you can replace Microsoft Office with Open Office, Photoshop with The Gimp, AVG for Kaspersky/Norton/McAfee/PC-Cillin.
And finally, one of our forum members left us with some words of wisdom:
“If you have to resort to doing something shady to make a living fixing computers , maybe you should consider a different line of work.”
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Well said….
Agreed, well said.
I would also like to add that it will only take one angry customer to shut down your shop.
I have personally used pirated software before, and every computer tech on here has too, even though some might deny it. But to install it on a customers PC s crazy.
I’ve used pirated software, but never would I give it to a client.
I have given out “copies” of software, never craked or pre-registered for those customers who no longer have said Discs, I leave the licensing up to them.
Good Show!
I have used pirated software also.. I’m not proud of it.. But, I do know that I would never assist a customer in such shenanigans.
I’ve done it and will continue to do it until MS lowers they’re prices. They’ve sticking it to us for a long time, forcing us to pay $$$.
I know some people that do actually install pirated software for their customers. And then a few months later when the PC crashes again for whatever reason, they come to me asking if I can fix it for them. So I tell them that I will need their OS CD…..and that begins the excuses, “well, I don’t actually have it, someone installed a copy for me”. Right then and there, I let them know they will need to purchase Windows XP/Vista if they want me to help. Some do, some go elsewhere…..but that is how I work.
A serious businessman will never install such things or get into these problems. The money you make doing this will create 10 times bigger problems when you get cut in the future. Better get off with it.
Nearly every computer I look at has a windows certificate of authenticity label, but I find only a handful of users can ever provide the disks. I find installing any matching OEM copy (when it’s an OEM licence) then change the key after the installation with jellybean keyfinder and then ring Microsoft to Activate/Validate the copy.
Well, maybe people leaving outside middle east should not really comment on this one, because things are really different there, I’ve been there and saw it with my eyes.
There are shops who sell a 4.7 GB DVD full of ripped software (around 200 small sized software) all cracked for just less than 1$. The sellers do not really know about the software, they just copy them in bulks and gets sold.
The Income is low there, people can not afford paying too much money.
PC repairers repair PCs for very low amounts,
they charge 5$ for formatting for example, and download the drivers for free if needed, That is the case, so using ripped or cracked software is inevitable, and no one really cares if it’s ripped or so,, and no one shuts your business, on the contrary, as long as its cheap and getting the job done, u’ll get applauds.
“When in Rome, Do as the Romans Do.”
cheers,,
@mac
Things here are not that bad. a FFF (fire and forget format) is 30$ but a format with full backup of data is about 60$.
The Russian emigrants who are quite possibly the best computer techs I have ever seen (they are born with a silver computer in their mouth…wait that doesn’t really work…) have little software stores where they sell every and all software based on their retail price. so adobe master collection will go for more the Microsoft word, but still never more then 15 dollars a pop.
i worked with an ex-spetsnaz electronic specialist. this guy served in chechnya and had bullet and shrapnel wounds and suffered from PTSD including randomly screaming, shouting and convulsions yet could make a circuit board dance at his command. id like to see the BSA bring him in.
What about installing a newsreader, and giving them and teaching them the ability to download that stuff?
how much software in China is legit? piracy probably predominates everywhere outside US, Canada, EU and Switzerland, and this seems hardly likely to change anytime soon. so if Redmond creates problems for your pirated software, you should be able to find a local Chinese, Indian or Russian who knows a workaround.
I don’t do any sales whatsoever and work entirely with open source and freeware. I have a lot of customers who have been elsewhere and when they get to me, they’ve got pirated XP. I always recommend to them that they get a licensed version but work with what they’ve got; the same activation code (unless they’ve got a legit code on the box, then I correct the work of the last lazy tech).
I have this disclaimer on my invoices:
“When Housecalls reinstalls software, including WindowsTM, the customer takes responsibility for having an original, legal copy of that software.
“Housecalls will not be held responsible for the customer not having their own original versions of third party software (such as Adobe Illustrator, MS Office, etc) and, thus, cannot guarantee that any/all third party software will be reinstalled. Housecalls will be glad to reinstall 3rd party software if available but will not install licensed software if it was not on the system in the first place (translation: no pirated software).”
I had to add that a couple of years ago after I had to do a full reinstall. The customer had a legit XP but didn’t have CDs to reinstall her Photoshop-type software. She tried to blame me for it but I reminded her that if she had been using pirated software that I can’t be responsible to provide it.
As someone who is just starting out in the tech field its good to read others views on installing pirate software on client PCs. its all too common for people to download/buy pirated software which is really just digging there own graves. the more people pirate the more expensive original software has to be to keep the same profit margins. although im sure every tech uses or has at some point used pirated software (i know i have) its not only unethical but dangerous to install said software on client PCs. i look at it in much the same light as second hand car dealers selling stolen cars, the money you save now wont save you anything in the future when you either get caught out or clients find out at no longer want your services.
moreover it is important to take into account the hard work that does go into creating software and the people who’s job it is to both create and then sell it. these people work just as hard if not harder than we do and there work makes our job a lot easier. so in a way paying for a copy of XP is just a way of saying “thanks for making my job easier”
as a former tech for a few stores and field tech for the banking industry now a independent.
I recomend for store front pcs if you build them put a free linux build on it so you can say a much lower price and then if the customer want windows then say ok but it will be $$ much more this has proved to work for me in the past really well.
Never ever ever ever install pirate software on others computers!
This was a well written article.
I would just like to add that you wont loose business because of this. I highly doubt that the customer will go to someone else because you wont steal software for them.
If you are in the middle east this is probably acceptable but not here in the US.
Software pirating is wrong, but some consumers who make under 18,000 dollars a year. Are hard strapped for cash, Can you really blame them.
Software is really not that expensive I think Windows XP and Vista can be purchased from $99 to $199. Most of your other Media type Software from Dvd burning To Digital Imaging ranges from $99 To $299.
But thats alot of cash for someone living at the poverty line making only 7.75 hour. Thats like $500.00 every Two weeks which means that their is very little money for software,when bills come into the picture. American Citzens like I, have to result too alternative means, like Shareaza and Pirate Bay and other Similiar Bit Torrents.
Also I try To experiment with certain categories of software mainly Operating Systems before Purchasing a legimate Copy.
That way when you get to a clients house you know the in and outs of a particular software.
but thats and exception to the rule.
But once I have mastered a piece of software, I will go out and purchase a Real copy from The Big two Bestbuy or Staples, plus that supports the economy
I must admit, my first semester of Community-College, for one of my IT classes, I had to use a pirated version of Office 2007 and if i hadn’t, I would have failed the class. One-hundred and Sixty-Nine dollars is alot for someone who is unemployed. But I plan on buying two copies of the software once i get on my feet
But Damn! let me stop telling on myself, I could be Incriminating my self as of this moment, and you Techies are like, try telling that to a judge
Never install pirated software. I hear from new customers that so and so just GAVE them MS Office free of charge and they are so happy. They want to know why I don’t do that too….that I would have so many customers. I simply tell them they can borrow a disc and do it if they want but I have a business to think about and it’s unethical to do things like that.
I generally agree but for me there’s one exception at least. I occasionally come across someone who’s got an old computer with (a legal version of) Windows 98 on it. They want to install some network dongle or whatever, which drivers need Windows 98 _second edition_.
Since that’s not sold anymore, and the computer won’t be able to run XP, they’re out of luck. I have a cracked copy of Win98SE lying around, and I tell them that I could install that, but that it’s an “illegal” copy. They’ve always been happy with that, and I don’t find it a big deal since they had a legal copy in the first place.
Microsoft is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hades and causes more people on this planet more grief on any given day, than all of Satan’s other minions combined.
I agree with mac when he saids “When in Rome, Do as the Romans Do.”
Here in venezuela, anybody has a legal copy of windows, and thats not because lack of money, it is because the average user just does not know that he or she has to buy a legal copy of the OS.
Saying to the client “I can’t do the job until you buy a legal copy of the OS” will totally drop down to zero the amount of clients you’ll get..
When a pirate copy is being used the client should be informed about it.I bought a pc in a shop where they build it together all went well untill I thought to update it at the microsoft site( like I do with my laptop with out problems)when they asked to check it with the advantage tool I agreed(like i did with my laptop) but then I got a message telling me I wasn’t running a genuin version and it stamped me with this mark and everytime I turned my pc on it would tell me I needed to get a valid copy of course I went back to the shop and told them to fix it and they did. That though was the day I decided to get myself educated in computers and I learn how to do things more and more and hope one day I will be able to do this for a living and deffinately NO PIRATE SOFTWARE on clients machines even if they ask 4 it.
Thank you for listening
ciao
Jay
(as my younger sister would say)
WHATEVER?!
What an inane blathering idiot. No OS. No AV. means no money. Stick with the Big Dogs and stop squabbling about b.s. Walk on this side of the line please, and clean your ass. don’t hurt anybody today. …And for God’s sake grow the f- up!
These letters say that they may send representatives to the business to check their Adobe software licenses and provide rewards to businesses that report other businesses using pirate software.
Ok, getting people to squeal on transgressors I understand, but who in their right mind would allow someone claiming to be working for a random company to enter their home or place of business for any reason?
I’m guessing Adobe doesn’t do this in castle doctrine states.
The article should have just had the word “NO” on the page..next please. :)
I strongly agree with the authur of the page! ***NEVER*** install pirated software! Not only is it illigal, it may even cost you a fine (In South Africa) of a maximum of $125 000 or R1000000 or a jail sentence of no more the 15 years, so take it from me and do not do that!
I try to use free and open source software, but sometimes i find myself forced to install and use pirated software, i can’t afford to buy 99$ os or piece of software, and there is even no legitimate software store where i live ,
If you are in the middle east this is probably acceptable but not here in Europe.