Microsoft means it seriously with WGA
Since the Windows Genuine Advantage debut as a pilot on 9/2004 Microsoft is slowly making the program more annoying and intrusive. In the beginning the WGA was an opt-in feature, and then slowly it became mandatory. Users who choose not to validate their copy of Windows can not download updates from Windows update (they still can download critical security updates via automatic update feature in Windows). On Tuesday Microsoft will make WGA more intrusive and will use scare tactics to make users validate and purchase a legal copy. On 4/25/06 Microsoft will start WGA Notification in the US, UK, Australia, NZ and Malaysia. The WGA notification has been running as a pilot in several countries such as Norway, Taiwan, Sweden, Israel, Denmark, Poland and other countries.
Some users will begin to receive the update as early as Tuesday next week. When a user goes to WGA to validate and/or download things like IE 7.0 or Media player or take advantage of the Buy Local offers they may receive the notification if their copy is not genuine.Up until now if you didn’t validate your copy of Windows nothing happened, but now with the WGA Notification, every time you reboot your computer, log-in and periodically (every hour or so) Windows will display a nag screen “reminding� you to validate your copy.
I was one of these users living in country where Microsoft started this WGA notification, and although I’m proud owner of legal Windows XP, many friends in my neighbourhood experienced serious problems with this message. I saw it on my eyes, and it’s pretty annoying – it appears like a big part of your screen before you log in, and then there’s also icon ner the clock. You can’t get rid of this by some normal way, but it wouldn’t be Releaselog to not offer some solution: it’s pretty easy actually, just move to NewTorrents.info and download latest Genuine Advantage patch. By simply replacing one file in system32, this message will disappear forever and you will be also able to download all updates. Enjoy it 
Source: Aviransplace.comÂ
Comments(9)
Pretty annoying.
It shows up on the log on screen and sticks in your taskbar and its selfresurrecting exe (you kill it and it pops right back).
Looks like MS finally found a way… Well I don’t care because I always buy an OS.
Hmm. Looks like I’m going to have to steal a copy. And I mean physically steal not just copy…
shit i downlaoded this game bvut my crappy graphic card which is a gerforce fx 5200 will not play it ahh so crap.
sryy wrong post above. lool
Just don’t use automatic updates and use autopatcher instead. Don’t let this evil even install on your system.
one thing i actually own a legal copy of is my win 2k3 server.
that and tekken 3 on my psx when i was young and stupid
although there are solutions to non-genuine copies of windows, it become tideus to frequently have to do something about it…
seriously buy it, ms will grab u by the balls and put annoying tissues in your nose ..
Now it’s time change your OS to free Linux. No need to get pirated software or OS. Lot’s of free programs (like Office).
Only gamers need Windows if they play latest games. But there are many other free games available for Linux too.
Don’t be afraid to try!
Still not as good as windos tho….