A: It will detect it as a "HackTool" (Win32/Hacktool) or "Crack." That is a false positive for the activator. However , false positives also hide true malware. You cannot know for sure.

But how does this digital alchemy work? Is it safe? And most importantly,

In the sprawling ecosystem of operating system piracy and optimization forums, a specific phrase has gained almost mythical status: Windows 8 Highly Compressed Repack .

It is real, it exists, but it is a stripped, un-updateable, highly dangerous version of an OS that Microsoft already killed two years ago.

A: A myth. Modern games require services (audio, input, networking) that repacks strip out. You will spend 10 hours fixing errors to play 2 hours of a game from 2012.