Microsoft: Disable or Remove the Pilot of WGA Notifications
Microsoft is providing end users with the instructions necessary to disable or remove altogether the WGA Notifications anti-piracy mechanism from Windows XP.
windows -
comments -
1.9.2008 About WGA, WGA Notifiction and WGA Patcher
Thanks to Matt for this article in our forum. Current WGA version- 1.5.723.1 As Of 12/18/06. Current WGA Patcher version-WGA Patcher Permanent Kit v1.0!
windows -
comments -
19.2.2007 How to Enable or Disable Windows Task Manager
ask Manager is a versatile task management and system utility in Windows operating system. With Task Manager, user can view detailed information about computer performance (CPU usage, physical memory, kernel memory, handle, thread, commit charge, etc.), running applications, processes, network activity and statistics, logged-on users, and system services.
windows -
comments -
18.6.2008 Twelve unnecessary Vista features to disable
Excess code has a way of slowing down an operating system; here are 12 Vista features that you can turn off right now.
windows -
comments -
5.9.2008 Bypass and Disable Genuine Windows Validation Check
Microsoft has made it harder for illegitimate, or for whatever reason, your copy of Microsoft Windows couldn't be validated, users to retrieve updates via Microsoft Updates or Windows Update, and download programs from Microsoft Download Center.
windows -
comments -
19.5.2006 Toolkit to Disable Automatic Delivery of Internet Explorer 7
To help our customers become more secure and up-to-date, Microsoft will distribute Internet Explorer 7 as a high-priority update via Automatic Updates for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 soon after the final version of the browser is released (planned for fourth quarter 2006).
download -
comments -
27.7.2006 Disable Windows Vista Evaluation Watermark from Desktop
If an user install Windows Vista in trial or demo or evaluation mode, by skipping and not keying in any Windows product registration key when asked during installation of Windows Vista.
windows -
comments -
24.11.2006 How to Disable/Turn off Bing Home Page Image
Microsoft new search engine Bing.com is steadily becoming popular and more and more users have started using bing to search.
microsoft -
comments -
3.8.2009 How To Remove and Disable Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool
Windows 7 and Windows Vista comes with a memory diagnostic utility named as Windows Memory Diagnostic. Windows Memory Diagnostic is an utility that capable of scan, check and diagnose computers memory subsystem including physical RAM modules or sticks.
windows -
comments -
5.10.2009 Enable/Disable/Swap the Task Manager in Windows Vista
Task Manager is a system utility that ships by default with Windows Vista. The tool is not new to Microsoft's latest operating system, having survived from older versions of Windows.
windows -
comments -
11.10.2007 WinodwsUpdateSilencer - Disable Windows Update Restart Alert Message
Windows Automatic Updates is definitely helpful feature to keep Windows up to date with latest updates and thereby keeping it secure from viruses, worms and hacker.
download -
comments -
9.9.2009 Turn Off or Disable User Account Control (UAC) in Windows Vista
User Account Control (UAC) is a new security feature in Windows Vista that requires all users to log on and run in standard user privileges mode instead of as administrator with full administrative rights, thus prevent unauthorized or accidental changes that could destabilize the computers or allows virus and malware to exploit the system-level privileges provided to the local administrator to attack the network security, compromise computer safety and privacy, and damage files and settings in the network.
windows -
comments -
19.12.2006 Disable and Turn Off Windows Vista Search Indexer and Indexing Service
Windows Vista has greatly enhanced its search algorithm where the search process is now not only faster, but users can also easily search for almost all kind of files, documents, pictures, videos, emails and contacts in Outlook 2007, and even commands or application programs executables.
windows -
comments -
19.9.2007 Disable Aero Snap Auto Maximize and Arrange Window in Windows 7
Windows 7 includes a new feature called Aero Snap that intends to improve open windows management on the desktop. Aero Snap allows user to drag a window to the top of the screen to maximize the window automatically, or to the left or right side of the screen to resize the window to fill and take up half of the screen estate on the moved side automatically.
windows -
comments -
19.5.2009 Windows 7 RTM Changes Disable DirectX Client-side Rendering over RDP 7
Changes implemented post-RC and ahead of the release to manufacturing deadline of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 have stripped away the DirectX client-side rendering over RDP 7 from the operating systems, Microsoft has informed.
windows -
comments -
22.6.2009 Disable and Remove OGA Office Not Genuine Notifications Uninstall KB949810
After installing Office Genuine Advantage (OGA) Notifications (KB949810) from Windows Update, OGA Validation will perform genuine test on installed Microsoft Office XP, Office 2003, Office 2007 and Office 2010 software. If Office product is validated as not genuine, This copy of Microsoft Office is not genuine notification message will be displayed on notification area (system tray), at splash screen during Office program (i.e. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) startup, and at Offices toolbar or ribbon with extra Get Genuine Office tab or element.
windows -
comments -
18.10.2009 How To Disable Use the Web service to find the correct program Displayed in Windows Vista
When opening a file with unknown extension, normally you will see an additional window popping up that give you options of whether to use the web service to find the correct program or select a program from a list of installed programs.
windows -
comments -
20.3.2009 Disable and Remove URGE Online Store in Windows Media Player 11 (WMP11)
Windows Media Player 11 (WMP11) for Windows XP is the latest Windows Media Player (WMP) for Windows Vista, and available as free standalone program downloadable from Micrsoft for genuine Windows XP SP2 users. WMP 11 features Windows Vista-like feel and touch user interface, plus several other improvements and enhancements.
windows -
comments -
20.11.2006 Hack to Turn Off and Disable Windows 7 CD or DVD Writer Burning and Auto Tray Ejection Feature
Windows 7 inherits the capability to burn or write to CD and DVD burner or writer, with additional support to directly burn ISO and IMG disc images with Windows 7 Explorer.
windows -
comments -
18.8.2009 Disable and Remove Half-Open TCP Connections Limit (to Unlimited) in Windows 7 and Vista SP2 with EnableConnectionRateLimitin Registry Key
Officially, the incomplete half-open outbound TCP connection attempts allowed at any one time is now unlimited by default in Windows Server 2008 and Vista SP2 (Service Pack 2), and Windows 7. Actually, the ability to limit or restrict number of half-open outgoing TCP connections system can create or establish is built into Windows Vista SP2 and Windows 7, however its disabled by default.
windows -
comments -
8.6.2009 New WGA Tool on it's way
An updated version of Microsoft's WGA Tool for Windows XP, is on it's way out thru Windows Update.
windows -
comments -
1.12.2006 Microsoft WGA Becomes Nagware
Microsoft announced that on Tuesday it will make Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) more bothersome than ever. A new update for WGA is now on the Windows Update website as a mandatory update. Once installed, your copy of Windows will be checked for validity
microsoft -
comments -
26.4.2006 WGA, OGA -When do we get UGA?
User Genuine Advantage, that?s when Microsoft actually lets you use the product you paid for without nag screens and prompts all over the place -ok, it doesn't exist, but I already feel a need for it.
microsoft -
comments -
1.5.2006 Microsoft defends WGA
Under fire for reports that Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) misidentifies some genuine copies of Windows XP as pirated, Microsoft took the unusual step this week of releasing statistics about WGA's purported effectiveness for the first time via a blog.
microsoft -
comments -
25.7.2006 WGA to be baked into Vista
My blogging colleague Ed Bott has seen the future, re: Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA). And its not pretty.
windows -
comments -
26.9.2006 Microsoft's WGA changes today
Microsoft's Windows Genuine Advantage is being updated today, in what the company claims is response to customer feedback.
windows -
comments -
21.2.2007 WGA Update Goes Phishing
The message uses a little Windows Genuine Advantage fear mongering to cajole end users to download a fake update that realy is a backdoor Trojan. The message warns: "Please update your P.C. in maximum 12 hours otherwise your Windows will be Expired."
microsoft -
comments -
22.1.2008 WGA and OGA Servers Down
According to Ars Technica, the servers responsible for activating new installs of Windows and Office are currently down due to an unspecified reason.
microsoft -
comments -
20.7.2008 WGA Patcher Permanent Kit!
WGA Patcher Permanent Kit! By :
Matt Enables Pirated PC to become Genuine.
download -
comments -
11.11.2006 Microsoft WGA phones home?
Analysts over at the German web site Heise Online have uncovered a curious behavior with the latest Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) update.
microsoft -
comments -
10.3.2007Microsoft to release update to detect Vista activation exploits
Alex Kochis: <...> Later this month Microsoft will release an update to Windows Vista through Windows Update that will enable Gold and SP1-installed
systems to detect the presence of the Grace Timer and OEM BIOS exploits then alert the customer of their presence. The dialog box (shown below) also
provides customers with guidance about what they can do to fix it and provides a Web link for more details, so that customers can learn about the
particular exploit and learn how to disable and remove it. If they are a victim of software piracy, the linked Web pages will provide information on
how to get genuine software.
winbeta.org -
22.02.2008Microsoft Responds to WGA
Concerns
Microsoft late Friday publicly
responded to widespread
reports that a recent change
to its Windows Genuine
Advantage program caused the
software to contact Microsoft
servers on a daily basis. The
company says it will soon
release an update to make WGA
only call home every 14 days...
betanews.com -
10.06.2006Microsoft finally earns a passing grade (barely) for WGA
Microsoft launched its Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) anti-piracy program in early summer 2006. Its first year was, to put it charitably, a disaster.
An epic fail. A big fat F on the years report card.
A certain amount of error is inevitable in any activation and registration
system, but those numbers were clearly too high when WGA first rolled out. In an interview last week, Microsoft WGA director Alex Kochis tacitly
acknowledged that fact, pointing out that weve made major strides in the accuracy of the program in the past two years.
winbeta.org -
05.09.2008Microsoft: Please Don't
Disable UAC
At Windows Vista lab in
Redmond before the release of
Beta 2, Microsoft developers
showed off the new OS to a
room full of MVPs and
enthusiasts. But even the
company's most loyal fan base
turned ugly when User Account
Control took the stage. Now,
Microsoft is begging users not
to disable the controversial
feature...
betanews.com -
28.06.2006Microsoft Pledge: No More WGA Funny Business
Microsoft has been painstakingly reviewing the operations and procedures behind its Windows Genuine Advantage license validation tool, with a view to
ironing out glitches that have cause problems for legitimate Windows users. Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) is designed to combat piracy by installing
software on users' PC that periodically checks to see if their version of Windows is authentic before allowing them to download updates.
In a Tuesday Weblog entry, Alex Kochis, senior product manager in the Windows Genuine Advantage group, said the WGA team
has been studying its WGA
operations and processes and will handle future WGA issues more efficiently than it has in the past. WGA has been a source of much frustration for
users since it was launched in 2005, and recent incidents have fanned the flames of WGA loathing among Microsoft's customers and partners.
The WGA team has changed the way it rolls out updates to the back-end servers and has also been shoring up the infrastructure on which WGA is
based. In addition to revamping its monitoring of WGA servers, Microsoft is also implementing 24x7 customer support and phone based technical support
to its North American customers, Kochis wrote.
neowin.net -
22.11.2007Windows Genuine Advantage: Learning and Improving
WGA Team: While some time has passed since the WGA temporary service outage we had back in August, I wanted to share some more about what we've
learned since then and the steps we've been taking to prevent this sort of thing from happening again.
First off, we've been
taking another hard look at our operations and the tools and processes we use to run the validation service for WGA, and we've made some changes
including to how we roll out updates to the back-end servers (it was a specific upgrade to our system that analyzes product keys that caused the issue
in August) and we've been adding to and improving the tools used to make sure our infrastructure is solid. As part of that, we've revamped the
monitoring that is used to track what's happening within our server infrastructure so that we can identify potential problems faster - ideally before
any customer gets impacted. But also as part of that, we've been making changes in how we can help our customers when an issue does arise that
impacts them.
winbeta.org -
22.11.2007Microsoft Adds Firefox Support
to WGA
Firefox users may still be out
of the luck when it comes to
Windows Update, but they can
now download files from
Microsoft that require Windows
Genuine Advantage validation
thanks to a new plug-in. WGA
checks to make sure the
Windows license is legit and
is now a requirement on the
Microsoft Download Center...
betanews.com -
17.11.2005XP Pro to receive WGA similar to Vista SP1
Remember how everyone was excited about how Vista SP1 received a WGA update to not block you from your computer?
Well, the same is coming
to Windows XP. (Professional only, though. Who would want to pirate XP Home?)
From the WGA Blog:
With this update to
WGA Notifications in Windows XP, we've implemented a couple of related features that draw on the notifications experience we designed for Windows
Vista SP1. After installing this version of WGA Notifications on a copy of Windows XP that fails the validation, most users will discover on their
next logon that their desktop has changed to a plain black background from whatever was there previously (see below).
The desktop
background can be reset to anything else in the usual ways, but every 60 minutes it will change back to the plain black background. This will continue
to happen until that copy of Windows is genuine.
Also, the user will see the addition of what we call the "persistent desktop
notification." This notification is similar to a watermark but works a bit differently. The image (see below) appears over the system tray and is
non-interactive in the sense that you can't click on it or do anything to it.
As with previous releases, if a copy of Windows fails
validation, notifications will appear above the system tray regularly - and we will continue to have the pre-logon message, the logon interrupt
message and the messages that appear from the system tray. jcxp.net -
27.08.2008Microsoft clarifies WGA 'phoning home'
A
post has
been made to the Windows
Genuine Advantage team blog,
explaining why the latest WGA
Notifications package sends
install telemetry when
installed or canceled.
Article continues
at source...
jcxp.net -
13.03.2007Microsoft WGA phones home?
Analysts over at the German
web site Heise Online have
uncovered a curious behavior with the
latest Windows Genuine
Advantage (WGA) update. The
update is intended to patch
the latest hole that hackers
have used to work around the
WGA utility, which checks to
see if the users' copy of
Windows is genuine or pirated.
According to tests conducted
with an Ethernet sniffer
program, if the user clicks
the close button to cancel the
installation of this WGA
update, Windows sends some
information back to Microsoft
over the wires.
This information
includes version numbers of
both Windows and WGA, the
language of the operating
system, some registry
information, and a cookie.
Some hackers are worried that
Microsoft is going to use this
information to identify
potential pirates, but
Microsoft claims that the data
is only used to try and
diagnose failures with the WGA
utility itself. The outgoing
data can be blocked, if
desired, by personal firewall
software or hardware router.
jcxp.net -
13.03.2007Microsoft Denies Kill Switch
Earlier this week there were
reports flying about that
Microsoft was actually using
the WGA as a means to shut off
pirates or anyone who doesn?t
comply with the update. The
people at Redmond now have
made a statement to dispel
those rumors.
Microsoft Corp. today denied
speculation that it plans to
cripple copies of Windows XP
for users who refuse to
install its controversial
antipiracy tool, Windows
Genuine Advantage (WGA).
All the WGA has
netted Microsoft at this point
is bad press and even a
lawsuit or two.
jcxp.net -
02.07.2006Microsoft sued over WGA spyware allegations in China
Microsoft's Windows Genuine Advantage woes aren't likely to end any time soon. Soon after a global WGA failure caused by human error comes word that
a privacy suit has been brought against the company in China over alleged WGA behavior. This joins similar suits in the US that have described WGA as
"spyware."
Lu Feng, a student at Beijing University, is asking for compensation and a reversal of practices from the Redmond giant,
saying that WGA's analytical methods are akin to snooping technologies. According to scattered reports, some of which are contradictory, Lu Feng
first installed WGA on his Windows XP computer before realizing what it was. Feng believes that Microsoft failed to provide him with proper notice of
WGA's capabilities or how it would affect his use of his computer.
Feng's complaint asserts that WGA monitors his computer usage closely
enough to constitute a privacy violation. Microsoft has long insisted that WGA does not invade privacy and only monitors what is necessary to prevent
unauthorized modifications to anti-piracy tools in Windows.
neowin.net -
17.09.2007Lenovo lets you disable your laptop with a text message
In the next couple months Lenovo will be rolling out a BIOS update for its Montevina laptop users which enables remote shutdown and subsequent
encryption via text message. The tech relies on the laptop having a WWAN connection and activates when a custom string, defined by the user and sent
from a single, paired phone, is received. In other words, you can choose whatever you want as the shutdown signal, from a cool "Kill" or
"Self-Destruct" to a long, patronizing multi-part message about the thieving youth of today. Constant Secure Remote Disable, as it's called,
isn't being touted as a first line of defense.
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
25.11.2008Microsoft: Malware can disable UAC in Windows 7 "by design"
A month has barely passed since the public beta debut of Windows 7 and we have our first horror story. UAC (user account control) was the major gripe
with Windows Vista which annoyed most tech savvy users and confused ordinary consumers. Microsoft has changed the behavior in Windows 7, lowering the
requirement for user interaction when changing system settings. The apparent downside to this is, according to reports, the way Microsoft has changed
the behavior makes it extremely easy for malware authors to write code to disable UAC without user intervention.
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
30.01.2009Microsoft removes another one of WGA's fangs
This morning Microsoft announced another noteworthy change to its flagship Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) program - an update to be rolled out later
this month to all Vista users that will display a WGA warning dialog box when it detects either of two common Vista activation cracks. In the same
announcement, they also for the first time showed screen shots of how WGA changes debuting in SP1 will take some of the bite out of a longstanding
Windows product activation rule as well.
Now-departed Microsoft marketing chief Michael Sievert announced last December that Service Pack 1
would drop Vista’s “reduced functionality mode” (the notorious “kill switch”) in favor of a series of notifications and
nag screens. WGA senior product manager Alex Kochis posted the details of today’s changes, with screen shots, on Microsoft’s Windows
Genuine Advantage blog today.
Read
full story.....
neowin.net -
22.02.2008WGA and OGA Servers Down
According to Ars Technica, the servers responsible for activating new installs of Windows and Office are currently down due to an unspecified reason.
The issue became apparent after several users attempted to activate Office 2003 with no avail, even as early as this morning, and a Microsoft
representative confirmed that the servers were offline. Fortunately, this seems to be simply a case of prolonged downtime, rather than an actual
activation error, as was this case in August of last year, when the Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) software acidentally labelled legitimate installs
as pirated versions. Users affected by this issue can still take advantage of the built-in 30-day grace period until the servers are brought back
up.
neowin.net -
19.07.2008The real reason(s) behind Microsofts move to exorcise WGA from IE7
A day after Microsoft rolled out a refresh of Internet Explorer (IE) 7 that no longer requires Windows Genuine Validation (WGA) checks, industry
watchers are speculating as to why the company did so.
The IE team, for its part, will say nothing more than what it posted on
October 4 to the IE Team Blog:
Because Microsoft takes its commitment to help protect the entire Windows ecosystem seriously, were updating the
IE7 installation experience to make it available as broadly as possible to all Windows users
In other words: Microsoft was worried that
pirates might not be protected by all the security goodness the company has added to IE, so it decided to remove piracy checks from the IE 7
download process.
Not surprisingly, there are other theories as to why Microsoft removed WGA from the browser...
winbeta.org -
05.10.2007Addressing WGA validation issues
From what I personally noticed while reading about the WGA issue around the web, it was much more than just a "very few customers were affected".
Perhaps Microsoft should rethink their validation strategy after this near-disaster?
Earlier today (25 August) we began
receiving reports of Windows Vista customers running genuine systems but experiencing failures when attempting a Windows Genuine Advantage validation.
This situation has since been resolved and validations are now being processed successfully.
We've since learned that very
few customers were affected. Sr. Product Manager Alex Kochis and a team of engineers have been working on the issue and
has blogged about it to keep customers
up-to-date. Customers who received an incorrect validation response can fix their system
by revalidating. I'd encourage anyone who received a validation failure since Friday evening to visit this site now; after
successfully revalidating, any affected system should be rebooted to ensure that genuine-only features are restored.
Alex will be
updating his blog with information as more information comes to light.
winbeta.org -
26.08.2007New Version Of WGA Soon.
A source close to Microsoft
told german Windows enthusiast
site WinFuture about plans to
introduce a new version of the
windows genuine check.
According to the source the
activation of Windows XP is
going to be required to get
access to ALL downloads listed
in Microsofts Download Center.
Additionally a message will
pop up every time the system
boots, if Windows has not been
activated yet. The message
will remind the user of
activating Windows and start
the validation process via
WGA.
Source:
WinFuture.de
(German)..
jcxp.net -
20.04.2006Microsoft to target Windows XP Pro users with Genuine 'nagware' notifications
Microsoft is stepping up its war on software pirates by rolling out new Windows Genuine notification software for what it is calling its most pirated
version of Windows: Windows XP Professional.
In an August 26 posting to the Windows Genuine Advantage blog, Director of Genuine
Windows Alex Koch said XP users should expect Microsoft to begin rolling out
a new version of Windows Genuine
Advantage (WGA) notifications starting this week. Microsoft is expecting the rollout to take several months.
winbeta.org -
27.08.2008
