Where to get Windows ISO files?

I got asked this question so many times - where to get a ISO file of Windows without breaking the law? The most important thing is that having a burned copy of Windows install disc is not a crime - using unregistered, not activated copy of Windows is! So let's get down to it and find the best source of Windows ISO files!

First that you need to know is that every version of Windows has it's own CD-KEY library, that wont fit to other version (mostly). To find out which version of Windows you have you need to check your Windows Licence Sticker and you should see - is it Windows XP, 7 or maybe newer / older version. Also what's important - check if it's Professional or Home Edition (the most important thing to check while installing Vista, which has a lot of versions...).

When you find that out which version you look for, you need to find ISO file, to burn it onto the disc or make bootable USB drive. When you look for Windows 7, 8.1 or 10 the case is easy - just go to https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download, choose OS, type in your CD-KEY and voila! ISO is waiting to be downloaded.

The problem is more complicated when it comes to Windows 98, 2000, XP or Vista. There is no official support from Microsoft and no way to find those ISO files on Microsoft servers. However i know one particular site that has a collection of ALL WINDOWS ISO's EVER RELEASED (of course in polish, english and german language)! It's polish site BaseWIN - basewin.pl. Interface of this website is so minimalistic, that even without knowing a single word in polish you can easily navigate through website and download any Windows ISO you need - both 32 and 64 bit. Out of curiosity i checked Google Website Translate and for most important parts of the page it works fine.

I hope this one helps a lot with your Windows ISO troubles and makes it much easier to install your favourite version on your PC. But remember to always use legaly bought CD-KEY and if you need to test new OS on your hardware make sure to delete it before the activation pop-up runs out of time!