BleepingComputer.com: Recommending ISOs of Windows Recovery Discs or pre-made ISOs of WinPE/BartPE discs is not allowed

There are many sites that offer ISOs for Windows Installation discs, Recovery discs, WinPE, or BartPE bootable CD/DVDs. What most people do not know is that hosting, distributing, and downloading of pre-made bootable CDs using technology such as BartPE or WinPE is illegal due to the files that they contain being copyrighted to Microsoft and against their license agreements.

This topic is not meant to be a debate on whether or not these should be allowed to be downloaded. I too agree that Microsoft does their users a disservice by not offering a free Windows Recovery Disc and have repeatedly reached out to contacts at Microsoft to try and push this through. The reality, though, is that no matter what our personal feeling is, the download and use of these types of media is not legal. Therefore, I will not allow the use or referral to these types of downloads at BleepingComputer.com. By referring people to these downloads and telling them to use them, we are effectively telling them to pirate copyrighted software without their knowledge. This is not behavior that I can condone at BleepingComputer.com.

On the other hand, there is nothing wrong with using or telling others how to use WinPE or BartPE to generate these types of bootable CD/DVDs from their own Windows Installation Media. This is perfectly legal as long as you do not host and distribute the CD/DVDs that you have generated. In fact, we encourage everyone to create their own bootable recovery environments in the event that your computer becomes unbootable in order to further aid you in fixing such problems.

So with this said, effective immediately, members are not allowed to refer other members to pre-made bootable CDs using licensed Microsoft technology or files, such as WinPE or BartPE . Furthermore, we do not allow our members to refer other members to ISOs of the Windows Installation Discs or Windows Recovery Consoles.

Presumably that does not extend to recommending the use of a Linux Live CD, whose copyleft doesn't cause these problems.
I know that there are situations that absolutely need windows tools to resolve, but there is a lot of potential in a Linux boot disk for many issues.

JosiahK, on 10 March 2011 - 07:02 PM, said:

Correct. It is only pre-made bootable CDs using licensed Microsoft technology or files that is the issue.

To add, I know of at least one imaging software, Macrium Reflect free, that will direct you to a free download of a custom version of Windows PE from Microsoft for use with that imaging software, but is for home use only.
No doubt other imaging software makers do something similar.
As Grinler suggests, there is nothing wrong with creating your own disk for your own use, but not for distributing it to others, especially if charging a fee.

Nev.

This topic has not been ignored. I am broaching the subject with the lawyers.

Grinler, on 24 April 2012 - 10:17 AM, said: