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[[File:TeamOSPC.png|thumb|200px|The TeamOS computer. It knows if you seed after you download.]]
While most bootlegs of Windows are free, a few cost money - for example, [[:Category:Bootlegs created by Lander X|Lander X]]'s bootlegs, and [[:Draft:Radiant OS 11|Radiant OS 11]], which requires a TeamOS VIP subscription to download, which
Sometimes,
Crowning examples of
== History ==
===
[[File:BedOS.jpg|thumb|200px|The BedOS 2.0 Desktop]]
The first bootleg that was created for Windows was not really a bootleg, but more of a [[transformation pack]], called [[BedOS]], created by Sergey Bedrin (who was already known for his WinBeOS98, which dates back even earlier to the late 90's) and released in early 2000. The OS required an existing install of Windows 95 or Windows 98 to function, and had releases in both
Several different versions of BedOS were released, including 2.0, 72214-1 (the first English version), and 3.0, which was themed after Mac OS X. Little footage of this OS exists online, aside from 2 YouTube videos that covered it. From what we know from those videos, the premise of ''BedOS'' is to take the best features of OSes like Windows 95, 98, Millenium Edition, Memphis even, and combines them to create the best experience for the end user, which also happens to feature a new theme.. which also happens to be hard to look at.
The name of the OS is a pun, as when romanized, the name would be "BadOS". It is also one of the very few bootlegs distributed as shareware.
The second earliest bootleg known to exist is one based on Windows XP before it was even released, known as [[Whistler Build 2531]]. Being based on a Release Candidate 2 build of Windows XP, this bootleg also features many common changes of a bootleg, such as additional backgrounds, registry tweaks, cracked activation, and more, except this is closer to an actual bootleg Windows build unlike [[BedOS]]. Hilariously, this ISO seems to have been created out of spite towards the Windows beta scene of the time, who were known for hoarding betas and being picky about quality.
=== nLite Era ===
nLite is a tool for customizing [[:Category:Bootlegs based on Windows 2000|Windows 2000]], [[:Category:Bootlegs based on Windows XP|Windows XP]] or [[:Category:Bootlegs based on Windows Server|Windows Server 2003]] installation media.
It can do a variety of things, like integrating updates (and slipstreaming "addons", which came in CAB and INF files which would receive extensive use as forums and sites began to produce them), like DriverPacks, Kels' CPL Bonus, the latest Windows update packs and security patches, Windows Media Player 11 and Internet Explorer 8, etc., preinstalling extra software via the setup hotfix feature, custom themes with
The early versions of nLite were first released sometime in October 2004, although it did not gain much traction until around 2005, when some early XP (including 2000, ''and [[Tomato Garden Server 2003|2003]], to a lesser extent'') bootlegs began to use the tool.
* [[Wesmosis 2.0|Wesmosis]] (''ditto, nLite, earliest releases go back to mid-late 2005, earliest version in archive is July 6, 2006'')
* [[Windows XP Gamer Edition]] (''ditto, nLite 1.0 RC7, September 27, 2006'')
The group which birthed nLite, MSFN, would soon become an important face in the Windows bootleg community as they would begin to regularly update and evolve the software, and make various other important contributions to the community such as creating the WPI, which also skyrocketed in popularity and received heavy usage like nLite did. The WPI would soon become the most popular solution for people looking to include program installers in their mods.
As the tool became easier to use and ISOs became easier to distribute thanks to the rise of file sharing websites like MegaUpload and Rapidshare, nLite would see an explosive spike in usage around early 2008, as dozens of authors began using it to create their own Windows mods and share it with their favorite forums or friends.
The last version of vLite was 1.2 Final, and it can still be downloaded on {{link|url=https://www.softpedia.com/get/System/OS-Enhancements/vLite.shtml|name=Softpedia}}.
As with Windows XP, Vista bootlegs are still being made today, but they are much more rare and much, '''much''' {{link|url=https://archive.org/details/windows-vienna-ultimate-m-18-x-64|name=less interesting}} and {{link|url=https://archive.org/details/max-and-ruby_202307|name=more questionable}}.
=== 7Customizer/RT 7 Lite era ===
RT 7 Lite was released in late 2010, and as such many more notable and popular bootlegs were made with it, a unique example being [[Windows 7 FaceBooK Edition 2012]].
===
NTLite was released in 2014, by the same person who created nLite and vLite. Much like those two, NTLite is a tool to customize Windows 7, 8.x, 10 and 11 installations. It was the first version to support multiple Windows versions. While vLite could edit Windows Vista and Windows 7 RTM, this was the first version of the series to officially support multiple Windows versions.
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