Lifestyle

Can I Bring Laptop from India with Pirated Software?

Ravi had a question about carrying laptop from India with pirated software on the laptop.

Hi, I have been following HSB for last six months now. I appreciate the efforts and the useful suggestions given to prospective students. However,one answer I could not find anywhere in HSB is related to Laptops. There is suggestions on how to buy laptop but… it has not been mentioned if a student is carrying his laptop to US.

My question is, generally in India students don’t use genuine copy of Operating system or Microsoft words. SO is it okay to take the same laptop which does not have genuine OS or Office? Can it create any problem at the US port of entry or in US? Somewhere on the Blog I found that Laptops can be checked for pornographic materials.

Also if this is not the case then is it better to buy a laptop there only? And is there any kind of concession which is being provided to University students through university tie-up or something. I hope HSB will put some light over the issue which will be beneficial to so many students.

Laptop from India

Can I bring the laptop with me when I come to US?  You have to see this in couple of ways. After you come to US, you would have to chat with your parents and they would like to see you in video chat.

If you bring your laptop with you, do they have another desktop or laptop that they can use? If they don’t have one, then it would be good idea to setup the laptop to use Video chat and teach them how to use them. You can buy a laptop when you come to US.

Pirated Software

Microsoft will have student license software’s for very cheap. You will be able to get Windows 7 for $20 and Windows XP for $5 or even free is many universities. After you get student id, you will be able to by the software from your university book store or computer store. Microsoft Word 2007 will be around $30.

I checked UTA Microsoft Academic Alliance website. You can download Windows 7 professional for free if you have login id (Computer Science Student). Don’t buy laptop from India, you can get one when you come here.

Caution: Don’t try to use pirated software and get into trouble.  If you try to update or install patch for your OS, Windows Genuine check will detect  pirated software.

I have personally witnessed the impact of downloading English movies. You will be used to downloading English songs, movies  in India, but you can get into trouble very easily here.  I will write about the experience sometime next week. When you read that post, you will definitely stay away from downloading English movies, songs, etc.

See Also : BEWARE : Laptop Can Be Searched in U.S. Airport by TSA

http://msdn01.e-academy.com/elms/Storefront/Storefront.aspx?campus=uta_cseng&np1=112

Similar Posts

15 Comments

  1. OK, on my computer; the OS is genuine. But I have a TON of cracked programs and downloaded media on my drive. Will I face problems for this? Or, if I prevent programs’ internet access, will I be safe?

  2. windows genuinity check update in your windows update section should be hidden..It wont create any problem if you have a pirated version.

  3. well first of all i would like to suggest that don't use microsoft product , its always have the risk of viruses and it need to be update daily even here in india i have limited space of my usage so i generally make automated update turn off, thats why i would say that buy apple laptop and it expensive but its has its own inbuilt MAC os and also its virus free os , u don't need to install antivirus and other things and microsoft is nothing in the front of apple product so thats why i gonna buy apple laptop after my exams

      1. Or you can use a LINUX based OS. Not only is it completely free, it’s also improved tremendously over the recent years. I would recommend Linux Mint or Ubuntu. There are no virus problems and the Ubuntu community have managed to adapt or create softwares that we need, for eg. there’s no Photoshop or iTunes for Ubuntu but you can use GIMP Image editor and gtkpod which work almost just as well.
        The drawbacks are that most PC games won’t work on it and as many specific product and device softwares are heavily reliant on Windows getting a replacement software may be difficult or impossible. But so far I’ve had a much better experience than anyone I know who’s using Windows

  4. Hi guys,
    Thanks for the good informative post.
    I read about carrying pirated softwares, using torrent when in usa etc.
    I wanted to add another thing to ask, Is rapidShare and that kinda things are legal or also illegal? you know different forums from where you can download pirated softwares or softwares with serial keys and cracks etc are available there.
    Is it also illegal to dowload from rapidshare account when you are in usa?
    I would really appreciate any help.

    Thanks

  5. Try Ubuntu 10.04. Its an awesome OS. Its free and it also has office installed by default. And you can always watch unlimited movies on NETFLIX for a mere $10 monthly subscription. The TV channels there are also numerous…. Anyway don’t take chances!!!

  6. so what exactly is that you suggest? right now I'm using pirated version of windows. Should I take the lap at all? or leave it here? since you told student licenses are cheap to get once we are there, can we carry the present (pirated) version and buy a new OS from there once I'm there and then use it?

  7. Hey,

    From the experiences heard from friends, I would advice not to get the pirated software on your laptop. Nobody has been specifically asked about the pirated softwares in my known contacts, but they have been very careful not getting pirated softwares.A couple of my friends were asked to open laptops and login. The policy is quite strict in US.

    1. Yes, torrents are illegal so long as you're downloading copyright stuff.

      I should tell you that recently a couple of torrents website (www[dot]thepiratebay[dot]org) owners were sentenced to imprisonment for the illegal material transfer through their website.

  8. heyy dnt worry folks..try linux ditros, go for ubuntu. thy r'll free..thn it wld b no prob to carry u lappy!

  9. While I respect and abide to the rules and never use anything pirated myself at all, never download pirated or unpaid movies or songs etc., I have seen hundreds of Indians in my office in New Jersey do the same and no one ever mentioned facing any problem, in fact they even do so on office network as well on the websites that are not blocked by admin. I all the time wonder and feel tempted, but so far have been avoiding getting into it. Please advise what kind of troubles and how a person may get into by using unpaid movies/songs in USA, maybe I can persuade some people by showing your post.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *