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Published on May 2, 2024

HWID change for software trials — the ethics

Resetting trial periods via HWID change — the ethics, the legality, and where we stand.

HWID change for software trials — the ethics

A lot of trial software ties the trial period to a hardware fingerprint. When the trial ends, it ends for that hardware — and changing the HWID resets the counter. It is worth being honest about what that means.

Where this crosses a line

Resetting a trial again and again to avoid paying is a violation of the software's licence terms. It is not a criminal act, but it is using a developer's work without paying for it. We do not present that as a legitimate use of HWIDChanger.

Where the same operation is genuinely fine

The same "looks like a new machine" behaviour is legitimate in other contexts: a QA team evaluating software across hardware profiles, a business assessing a product before a bulk purchase, or reactivating something you already own after a hardware upgrade.

The honest advice

If a tool is useful enough that you keep coming back to it, the durable answer is to buy it — that is what keeps it maintained. And if you genuinely need longer to evaluate, ask the vendor: most grant extended evaluation periods on request, which is far more reliable than repeatedly resetting a trial.

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