Operating system for gaming devices
Operating system for gaming devices
For assessment (such as testing or showing off) you may not market the product, run it in a real system, or continue using it after the trial. Despite any terms here, evaluation tools are delivered “AS IS” without any guarantee, whether expressed or implied (including the Limited Warranty), and do not cover these versions.
Only playing recent games should work well on Windows 10, offering performance comparable or better than Windows 7 in gaming. However, many older titles won't run there. Running a dual-boot with both Windows 7 and 10 would be ideal, but you'd need to install GRUB as the bootloader because Windows doesn't support multiple OS installations.
It's not true that Microsoft freely gives away Windows 10 ISO. Downloading it from an unauthorized source and using it without permission is piracy. Activating Windows without paying is also considered piracy. Having a trial that lasts forever and keeps asking for activation isn't legitimate, but it does have time limits like other trials. Such continuous reminders are known as nagwares or annoyingware. Edited May 18, 2018 by wkdpaul
Microsoft lets you obtain it from their site since most PC makers don’t provide a physical OS copy anymore, and given Windows 10’s frequent updates, it makes sense you can install the newest version without waiting hours for updates or dealing with endless reboots. My previous note from the end user agreement is clear: trial copies aren’t meant for live use—they’re for demos only (try and purchase), and after the 30-day trial you can’t keep them. Just because it still functions doesn’t mean you’re legally permitted to do so; in court, you’d lose, but Microsoft wouldn’t target civilians unless they were companies.
From trying both Windows 7 and 10 for gaming after Windows 10 came out, my thoughts are clear. If you only want DirectX12 titles, you’ll need Windows 10. However, DX12 games from outside Microsoft don’t rely solely on DX12 rendering. Microsoft often creates its own DX12-exclusive titles to push users toward Windows 10. They also release some games exclusively through the Windows Store for similar reasons. Many of their DX12-only titles are also Windows Store-only, which can make people less inclined to play them. For games still in development, developers are increasingly using Vulkan, an open-source alternative to DX12. Some creators even changed from DX12 to Vulkan mid-development because Vulkan supports multiple platforms and is free. There’s less of a DX12 presence in Windows 7, and it works more smoothly there without the telemetry resets that came with updates in 2015 and 2016.
Do you really need an official confirmation from Microsoft regarding this theory? Perhaps you could reach out to them directly and request their official response. Remember, Windows must be activated to receive a legitimate copy—it’s not free software that can be downloaded without a license. If your concerns are valid, there may indeed be an official statement from Microsoft.