My opinion is this (by the way I like the Zool avatar freeOn)
depending on which windows you are talking about and what kind of access you want.
win95/98:
Encryption is good but there are programs that can crack it in seconds.
Security is a joke, many things bypassed by deleting the .pwl files.
winME/NT/2K/XP
everything is a little better on these. However keep in mind
programs are written by humans, Humans make mistakes. Which basicaly states, that NO software will ever be hack proof or crack proof forever. It took someone less than a month after xp to come out before the key was cracked, I say by summer you can bet on a whole suit of xp hacking/cracking programs to come out.
The best way to learn is to mess around with what you have. Do anything and everything. I used to hang out with a guy who loved to talk in irc, we would sit around and try things that seamed useless to see what kind of ways there where to bypass this or get by that. If you read my io.sys trick thread you can see that sometimes it is the things we never think of that can be of the most use.
Read everything and keep on it.
As far as pirated software goes, I once got a lecture for asking for a product key, it was a good lecture but I didnt listen completely.
But they way I see it is this way. If I am buying a new computer would I pay $3,000 for it from gateway or $300.00 from tigerdirect? Also after I buy that computer I consider it as mine, my bits my bites, I feel as though I can do as I please with those bits and bites. SO if I can get office xp for free instead of $240.00 what do you think I would do? (btw, I have no need for office software this was just an example)
anyways enough babble