MS's fantabulasmagorical protections

Yes, Windows Genuine Advantage has been upgraded again. First, it was a volunteer programme, then with Microsoft Update it was made compulsory.

Now, they've made turned it into a shareware style nag fest. It now implements itself into your system tray and brings up a notification when you aren't 'genuine'. When shutting down, the welcome (umm, goodbye) screen displays the WGA logo and text saying you're not genuine in the bottom right corner of the screen.

The real kicker is when you start up again. During the welcome screen, a dialog box will pop up prompting you to 'Buy Genuine' and another 'Later' box will only activate after you wait 5 seconds. This dialog completely halts the boot up process.

You would think that such 'in your face' measures would be cracked rather swiftly, but that isn't going to happen. Not this time. 'The reason? Is it complicated and near-impossible or something?', I hear you ask...

The system writes a single 3-4KB file on your drive. Simply loading up Notepad and deleting the contents, then setting the file to Read-Only, removes the nag requester forever. It's... really impressive.

Yes, brilliant strategy by Microsoft.

Let's offer software pirates the choice of whether or not to download the Windows Genuinity Detector.

You don't even have to get the thing in the first place; just choose not to download it.
They're quite smart over there, eh?

And it's not like somebody who accidentally bought a pirated Windows CD is going to decide, out of the goodness of their hearts, that they should reinstall the whole flaming OS with a genuine installation that they pay more money for...

why is it a problem? im sure you have a genuine copy of windows dont you?

I've got it installed and have had zero problems. Don't see what the big deal is if you have a legit copy.

Okay, but in another instance Noel, A guy I used to work with bought a Microsoft Windows CD at a computer fair for £10- He has *zero* idea about computers.

Now, he's got alot of work on that system but this Dialogue will come up- and He'll freak out but *wont* buy a legit windows because he has so much work and is clueless about backups. (foolish enough eh?)

So, lil ol me will have to go round and do a backup and reinstall. :-)

Lots of people don't. They believe they are entitled to use their OEM license after upgrading their hardware.

I also know one person who used to have a genuine Windows OEM license (for his ASUS laptop), until it went in for RMA. Now he needs to buy a new one (or use the workaround mentioned above).

I don't think they have much choice though. I think you might be surprised at how many non-genuine Windows installs there are around the world - in big businesses as well as in folks homes. I know that one large oil company that I used to work for had a lot of "not properly licensed" software, despite having a licensing department dedicated to that one task.

Can you imagine if they made it mandatory, automatic, secure and fatal (as in stops non-genuine Windows installs from working). You'd have companies all over the world suddenly unable to operate - it'd be chaos. I think the current approach of trying to "guilt" people into getting a license is probably all they could get away with.

I would love to run some form of simulation to determine what would happen if something else happened. It'd end most of my curiosity about things, like how things would have turned out if I hadn't been exposed to computers at an early age (on second thought, I'd probably be one of those 'jocks' bagging groceries if I hadn't been exposed to computers early).

Or what would happen if pants were never invented. Imagine the possibilities!

put your pants on again, Noel..

how many times do I have to tell you.. :p

Flameduck - I've got an Asus Laptop which came with WinXP - what is an RMA? I hope it doesn't mean that if I get additional memory or a larger hard drive put in that I can no longer legally use the WinXP recovery disk - which fortunately I've never had to use anyway.

RMA=Return to Manufacturer. It was faulty :)

In that case, how can his WinXP licence become invalid by returning it to the manufacturer for repairs? Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't quite follow the logic?

Return Merchandise Authorization

Quick example, say you bought a hard drive with 3 years warranty. 2 years later the hard drive dies. The shop you bought it from only offers 1 years warranty and the other 2 via the manufacturer. So you phone the manufacturer and they give you an RMA number to include with the drive when you send it back to them.

hahahahaaaa verrry good Matty...

--Mike

Here is the problem:

I own 4 licenses (I have 4 xp key stickers), which I bought. all Pro.

I upgrade every other year, and I WILL NOT buy a new XP just to put on the new pc. I simply wipe the old HD, and reinstall on the new HD. M$ requires I call them, and I do, and I tell them its a new pc, the old one was wiped. They then give me an extrememely long confirmation code which I must enter in the pc to activate windows..... Now I just install Corp edition and avoid the whole hassle.

scenario 2:
I bought a laptop through a 3rd party (someone selling an IBM R40). It comes with a XP Pro Key. Problem is, it requires an install disc specific to IBM (Dell does something similar, the key you get with a dell system, only works with the Dell OEM disc, which they sell you, BS).

Sorry, I own the liciense, I WILL install the software. A normal install disc of XP Pro didnt work on the laptop (didnt take the key). Rather than sit on the phone with MS for an hour explaining why I need that long "you really own this" confirmation code, I just installed the crop version using my key on the laptop (and it took of course). No hassle...

I reinstalled a Dell for a friend, the key was pasted nicely on the back of the system as Dell does for you.. Problem is that you need a Dell OEM install disc for that key. I only have the full xp install (or home install, I owned home in the past, bleh home blows). Another instance where you have to call MS, say its a dell key and you installed xp right from an install disc, and they then give you a really long confirmation code you have to enter in the pc to activate it (cause I wont install corp on a friends pc, I will defend my own use of it, but I dont expect someone who doesnt know anything about pcs to be able to).

ARGGGGGG [/rant off]

Thats why not all of us are legit. Yes, I own my software, but only M$ makes it difficult to just reinstall it without having to jump through 10 hoops and 40 feet of red tape.

I can understand why they want protection, however they cannot simply remove my ability to install something I bought legally and intend to use legally!

actually, you are legit... you have a legit license to use one each copy of the software on one machine, according to the eula you agreed with...

unfortunately, the ms system of registration doesn't seem to be able to confirm this legitimacy... and therein lies the problem...

your rant is totally justified... in my opinion...

--Mike

Wow Sinario!

Wow ENAY points out something obvious yet again!

How the hell do you do it, its like you have some sort of internal alarm that goes off whenever something obvious needs to be stated, like a spelling error, or perhaps a thread going down hill..

Congrats!



Yeah, the whole activation thing just pisses me off...

How should I know? Ask Microsoft / Asus.

I cannot get the thing to install - it downloads but the install fails - sniff. That has happened on 2 computers - I'm not letting any more near it.

Interesting.

Although Microsoft are blocking me from downloading Windows/Security updates from their site - so I have missed a few months worth - they don't stop you from just doing it yourself via this little beauty:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/Browse.aspx?displaylang=en&categoryid=7

Doing the manual way is a bit risky as you need to make sure you are downloading the correct stuff for you. However, I am feeling a bit smug about this.

In fact - this thing seems to bypass the validation check - As, I said before - I couldn't get the validation thing to install on 2 machines. Instead of giving me 'download' on one of them - it said 'continue Validation required' - it then thanked me for using genuine Windows software (which I am - my Windows came preinstalled on my machines) - yet I haven't managed to install the validation software as it keeps failing to install.

puki, there are two things you can do. First of all, you could switch on Automatic Updates - which will deliver the critical patches without the need for validation. However, if you do that now, you would probably start getting the dialog I started this thread about. If you go this route and you do, email me and I'll let you know which file to blast. I'm not posting it publicly...

Secondly, you could get a cracked version of legitcheckcontrol.dll. But it depends on what version of WGA you have on your machine - if you have none at all (due to the failed installation) then you're probably screwed.

<i>Lots of people don't. They believe they are entitled to use their OEM license after upgrading their hardware.</i>

Flameduck,

You are still entitled use your OEM licenced stuff on your machine after a repair or upgrade. I recently had a HD failure, and had to replace the harddrive, and reinstall windows etc., and Microsoft validated the licence without a problem.

I am not defending Microsoft's new policies as not being stupid, and an insult to customers... I just think you are wrong on the whole change hardware/buy a new copy of windows thing.

lol @ Dark Half

Note that right NOW its optional, but MS has hinted that they may stop providing serivcepacks and critical updates to machines that won't have it installed at some point...
And considering how many critical exploits are fixed within windows on an ongoing bases, it means that its just a matter of time before your not-updatable system is member #10,345,123 in some spammers bot-farm.

Depends on how much you upgrade. A harddrive, sure. A CPU/Motherboard no way.

I'd guess that they replaced the motherboard.