CrustyWindows:About

Behold! XP Servis Pack 3, in a Windows 7 box!

Crusty Windows (also called bootleg Windows, modified Windows) are illegally modified and (usually awful) variations of the Microsoft Windows operating system, typically developed by eccentric individuals who wish to see their favorite OS and franchises collide or just want to include every driver and program in existence in their OS installs. Many of these bootlegs are severely unstable, barely install at all, have nonsensical themes and wallpapers, or are just simply impossible to find because nobody in their right mind downloaded them.

Crusty Windows come in a variety of languages, most commonly in English, Arabic, and Russian. In Russia, they are known as "говносборки". However, bootlegs come from a wide variety of countries and cultures, and so far, at least one has been created in every continent (except Antarctica) - from the good ol' USA, to the exotic lands of the Great Wall, first traditional wonder of the ancient world, or even the land where maple syrup is consumed atleast every day - there is always a Windows bootleg that represents someone out there.

While most bootlegs of Windows are free, some of them require payment - some, such as Windows 7 Natalite Edition, can go up to 50 USD.

All bootlegs differ in quality, there are the poorly-made ones with no effort, and the ones with actual effort put into them.

History

The default desktop of Whistler Build 2531

The first bootleg Windows version, interestingly enough, was very likely Whistler Build 2531, a joke ISO done out of spite to troll the beta scene of the time. This build included many of the common things we see in bootlegs today; additional backgrounds, registry tweaks, and cracked activation.