What if you don't activate Windows 7? Which features won't be available to you?

Question

What if you don't activate Windows 7? Which features won't be available to you?

Answer 1

It will leave you in "reduced functionality mode" with an empty shell showing only a browser window if you select one of the options. There'll be no start menu nor a taskbar and some applications won't start (though most will).

You can navigate the file system using that browser window (which is launched to let you purchase a key) and launch a command prompt by navigating to cmd.exe and so on. Networking obviously works.

If it's only the first 30 days you can extend the grace period by running "slmgr.vbs -rearm" in that (need to be elevated) command prompt which will return you your full desktop for yet another period of time.