Re:Penny Arcade called it (Score 2, Insightful)

Hey Microsoft want a advertising campaign that will make everyone love vista? Give the Vista Home edition away to EVERYONE. make it free as a downloadable ISO without support on your website and overnight everyone will love you.

What percentage of people in the world do you think even know what a downloadable ISO is? It seems that most people who know what it is and would know how to use it are the same people who probably grabbed a pirated version online already anyway. And then complained that they don't like it.