Choosing “Access your computer with reduced functionality” gets you no more than a browser window. The Windows Activation shown above remains, but you get an IE browser window and nothing more. You cannot right click on the desktop, you cannot even get a response from CTRL-ALT-DEL. The browser takes you here by default.

The funny thing is the page has a picture of a guy with his hands behind his head and the message “Coming Soon…”. Perhaps he should stop looking so satisfied and get to work! What is coming soon is the ability to purchase licenses, but a list of “options to consider now” are presented including the Windows Anytime Upgrade option.

When you activate, you are told your installation is genuine but you’ll have to reboot for the change to take affect. You are logged into the system, with the “This copy of Windows is not genuine” message on the lower right of the screen and you can reboot when ready.