Windows 7, what has changed from Beta to Release Candidate?
As Microsoft unveils the Release Candidate to the world today we take a look at what has changed from the original Beta in January to the Release Candidate (RC).
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30.4.2009 What's Genuine About Windows Genuine Advantage?
An article over at Microsoft-Watch has been posted about what Windows Genuine Advantage is all about.
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10.6.2006 Windows update without Microsoft Genuine 2
Not only will it keep you up to date with the latest updates from Microsoft, it will also keep software and drivers from other vendors updated. However, that functionality is currently missing.
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Microsoft changes Windows Genuine Advantage name
Microsoft is giving its anti-piracy/DRM technology a PR face lift with Windows 7. The “Windows Genuine” branding is being supplanted by a new name: Windows Activation.
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7.5.2009 Windows update without Microsoft Genuine test
Two weeks ago, I posted simple javascripts to circumvent the dreaded Windows Genuine Advantage system for the sake of my and others clicky-finger. It was this day, or maybe a few days later, that Microsoft's PR looneys acknoledged the fact it can be worked around and will be patching up the holes in the "next version".
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Microsoft Windows Genuine Advantage Crack
A brief guide on how to bypass Windows Genuine Advantage check on Windows XP.
It took basically 5 minutes to figure out how to bypass this check. However, Microsoft can change his server part of the check in order to block this.
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7.3.2006 Microsoft Windows Genuine Advantage Crack
A brief guide on how to bypass Windows Genuine Advantage check on Windows XP.
It took basically 5 minutes to figure out how to bypass this check. However, Microsoft can change his server part of the check in order to block this.
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8.4.2006 Microsoft Plans Office Genuine Advantage
Despite the criticism leveled at Microsoft Corp. after its recent rollout -- and partial rollback -- of Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA), that tool was just the first phase in the company's latest antipiracy effort.
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28.7.2006 Download everything from Microsoft without Windows Genuine Advantage Check
ghacks.net has found a workaround to bypass the WGA, wonder how long MS will take to fix this.
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8.9.2006 Genuine Advantage: Can Microsoft recast itself as protector, not punisher?
I wouldn't want Cori Hartje's job. She is the head of Microsoft's much-maligned Genuine Software Initiative — the team responsible for implementing Windows Genuine Advantage and Office Genuine Advantage.
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22.1.2007 Microsoft to add the Genuine Advantage nag to Office
Microsoft is set to begin a pilot of a new Genuine Advantage anti-piracy mechanism for Office that will add a “nag-like” feature, akin to what is now part of Windows Vista, to Office.
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9.4.2008 Microsoft Windows Genuine Advantage: An Overview and Screenshot Gallery
Microsoft announced its Genuine Advantage software initiative in March 2006. It's designed as part of the company's wider assault on software piracy (another infamous part of this fight, Product Activation, won fame and fortune for Microsoft went XP was released in late 2001).
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21.7.2006 Microsoft: Turn Pirated Windows Copies into Genuine Products!
Microsoft is providing users with the means to turn their pirated copies of Windows into genuine products. However, the offer is only available for Windows XP, and not for Windows Vista.
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2.10.2007 Microsoft Only sold 244 copies of Genuine Windows Vista in China
Microsoft spent millions of dollars advertising its next generation OS 'Windows Vista' in China, in fact the IT juggernaut threw up the biggest Vista Ad on the 421 meter high Jin Mao tower in Shanghai China.
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20.4.2007 Microsoft Releases Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) Bypass Tool for OEM's
With the introduction of Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA), a computer must be validated as genuine prior to receiving security patches from Windows Update.
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16.10.2006 Microsoft 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.
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26.8.2008 Microsoft issues warning to Volume License customers over Windows Genuine Advantage fail
Phil Liu of Microsoft has reported problems with the Windows Genuine Advantage authentication method for Volume License Key (VLK) customers and a temporary work-around.
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5.10.2006 First Microsoft Genuine Office Validation Download on Download Center
Microsoft has posted the first Office download which has Genuine Office Validation (not required yet). It is sounds.exe the download enables sound in Office 2000,XP and 2003.
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28.4.2006 Is your copy of Windows genuine?
How to Tell helps you verify that your Microsoft products are genuine.
To begin, choose the product category that best describes your Microsoft product. On the following product category page you will be able to select your specific product and the method by which you acquired it to learn more about genuine Microsoft products.
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Internet Explorer 7 Genuine Crack!
Thanks to Matt for the article.
Genuine Users may skip all steps, just go to step 2a to only get IE7! Pirated users Please Follow all Steps including (step 7. Windows XP HotFix and Step 8)!
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19.10.2006 Genuine Software Initiative’s First Year and Beyond
This first year represents only the beginning of a marathon, and Microsoft is committed to this race, says Cori Hartje, Microsoft's anti-piracy director.
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2.4.2007 Office 2007 Genuine Advantage
Thanks to hwh1226 for this download. Office 2007 Genuine Advantage - 05/27/2007 This will make any Office 2003 or 2007 genuine! you will be able to update with any application of Office.
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11.6.2007 Windows Genuine Advantage works
IT may have cost Microsoft millions of sales, but Redmond claims that Windows Genuine Advantage has forced punters to buy legitimate copies of its software.
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26.11.2007 Windows Genuine Advantage now supports Firefox
Microsoft Genuine Windows Validation process now works in Firefox and other Mozilla browsers. Firefox users can manually install the Windows Genuine Advantage validation Firefox plug-in available on Microsoft's website to complete the Windows validation process.
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17.11.2005 Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) Not Spyware!
Thanks MrCobra for the heads up on this update in Back Page News on our forums.
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9.6.2006 Office Genuine Advantage (OGA), Now Mandatory
If you don't like the mandatory anti-piracy checks that Microsoft now enforces for Windows, brace yourself. The Microsoft Office productivity and collaboration suite is about to get a similar program.
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27.10.2006 Windows Genuine Advantage crack 1.5.726
Anonymouse user report to us - This is the last Windows Genuine advantage (WGA) probed in a computer whit just Windows installed (My Volks3" computer) and they work!
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8.2.2007 Windows Genuine Advantage Validation 1.7.18.1
Thanks to setter_gr who report this download in our forum. This is newest version on WGA Validation patcher.
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27.3.2007 Windows Genuine Advantage Validation 1.9.40.0
Windows Genuine Advantage Validation 1.9.40.0 [2 Authors Exclusive]. Users who have an unlicensed version of , as we know, can not updates from the official site.
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2.4.2009 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.
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19.5.200622% of Windows Installs Non-Genuine
Microsoft disclosed Monday
that over one in five Windows
installations were deemed
non-genuine through the
company's Windows Genuine
Advantage program, which
requires users to validate
their operating system before
downloading updates from the
company...
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23.01.2007Microsoft Debuts New Licensing Program to Enable Resellers to Help Enterprises That Are Victims of Counterfeit Software
Q&A: Cori Hartje, director of Microsoft's Genuine Software Initiative, discusses the Get Genuine Windows Agreement and other efforts the company has
put in place to help customers become properly licensed and acquire genuine Microsoft software...
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02.10.2007What's Genuine About Windows
Genuine Advantage?
An article over at
Microsoft-Watch has been
posted about what Windows
Genuine Advantage is all
about. In short it was
mentioned that the first time
you run the WGA validation
check, Microsoft's servers
collect the following
information:
The Windows XP product key,
PC Manufacturer, Operating
system version, PC BIOS
information and User locale
setting and language.
In the past WGA
pinged your system everyday to
see if your notifications are
running, not if you're valid.
This changed on June 8th
where it now pings your system
every 14 days. According to
Microsoft, no identifying
system or user information is
sent to Microsoft as part of
this check.
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10.06.2006Microsoft changes 'Windows Genuine Advantage' name
Microsoft will be changing to name of it's activation and validation system from "Windows Genuine Advantage" to "Windows Activation
Technologies" according to a report by Mary-Jo Foley. However, the "Genuine" brand isn't completely disappearing. A press release states that
Microsoft will continue to deliver genuine updates and notifications for XP users. The program has been criticized for its punishment tactics and
false-positive results, even though Microsoft has fixed some of these problems in Vista SP1. According to Microsoft, Windows 7's activation will
be built on the same software protection platform that was part of Vista, with some minor tweaks made for Windows 7.
Read full story.....
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08.05.2009Microsofts Genuine Software Initiative Makes Steady Progress on Protecting Customers
Q&A: Cori Hartje, Worldwide Director, Microsoft Genuine Software Initiative, discusses Microsofts continued investments to help customers and partners
realize the value of genuine software...
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08.04.2008Microsoft prepares Genuine
Software initiative
The recently rolled out Office
Genuine Advantage, along with
its widely known Windows
counterpart, seems to have
made Microsoft decide to
protect all of its paying
software using a Genuine
Advantage initiative.
The new tool, named
simply Genuine Advantage
Initiative, is aimed at
protecting all Microsoft
retail desktop software other
than Windows and Office, which
will both remain under their
own Genuine Advantage. It is
based on the Office version,
but the changes it adds from
this version is currently
unknown.
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28.07.2006Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications (v1.8.0031.0)
Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications is a tool to help reduce software piracy. This tool will confirm that the copy of Windows installed on the PC
is genuine and properly licensed. If it is not genuine, the tool will provide periodic reminders to help you take the appropriate action.
This is the most current release of Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications. We encourage you to upgrade to this version. This release
includes enhanced features that reflect ongoing input from customers, as well as Microsofts continually improving anti-piracy technology.
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27.08.2008Microsoft Genuine Software Initiative Enters 2nd Year
Microsoft continues to press
forward with its Genuine
Software Initiative, saying it
is seeing progress in
combating pirate software.
However, it also warns that
the battle is far from over...
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30.03.2007MS Office Validation Now Mandatory
Want to use the extra features
within Office? Be prepared to
verify that your copy of the
productivity suite is genuine.
While the so-called Office
Genuine Advantage has been
around since April, Microsoft
did not make it mandatory
until Friday...
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28.10.2006SP1 Unsuccessful in Preventing Vista Hacks
It seems that Microsoft has been unsuccessful with SP1 in preventing hackers from
turning a pirated, non-genuine copy of Vista into genuine copies that pass activation. The article initially looked at two of
the most popular hacks (OEM BIOS hack and the grace timer hack) but after a little digging ZDNet were able to transform a non-genuine install into a
genuine one. 'After a few minutes of searching the darker corners of the Internet and a few seconds in the Command Prompt I was able to fool Windows
into thinking that it was genuine.'
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11.02.2008Get Genuine Kit
The following download links include a 1 page document containing information for resellers to help customers get legal when they have non-genuine
Windows XP Professional installed on their PC and a 4 page document containing frequently asked questions (FAQ) on the Get Genuine program.
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21.11.2007Microsoft Seals Cracks
With the impending release of Service Pack 1 for Vista, Microsoft looks to slow down the pirates by cutting off two popular hacks to circumvent the
Windows Genuine Advantage Program.
Testing both these methods of circumventing Windows activation and Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA)
has shown me that SP1 effectively ignores both these hacks. Systems that previously were shown to be genuine prior to the installation of SP1 then
require activation - and if the system isn’t activated it is marked at non-genuine and enters the nag state.
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11.02.2008Microsoft Pushes New Piracy
Initiative
Expanding upon its Windows
Genuine Advantage program,
which requires customers to
verify their licenses before
downloading operating system
updates, Microsoft has rolled
out a new effort called the
Genuine Software Initiative.
The undertaking will combine
the company's anti-piracy and
counterfeit prevention
efforts...
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09.03.2006Microsoft 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.
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27.08.2008Microsoft slams the door on Vista pirates
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes: With the launch of SP1 Microsoft promised to put an end to two popular hacks used by pirates to allow a non-genuine install of
Windows Vista to function in the same way as a genuine install. Testing that Ive carried out in the lab today suggests that Microsoft has been true to
its word.
The two most common hacks used were the OEM BIOS hack and the grace timer hack (of which there were two flavors which
were widespread).
Testing both these methods of circumventing Windows activation and Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) has shown me
that SP1 effectively ignores both these hacks. Systems that previously were shown to be genuine prior to the installation of SP1 then require
activation - and if the system isnt activated it is marked at non-genuine and enters the nag state.
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11.02.2008Pirating Windows? No free Security Essentials for you!
Microsoft has confirmed via its Genuine Windows Blog that only those Windows users running genuine, validated copies will be able to download and
install the new Microsoft Security Essentials software. The Director of Microsoft's Genuine Windows team, Alex Kochis, stated in his post that,
"During installation, you'll be asked to validate Windows running on your PC to make sure that it's genuine." Windows validation is by no
means a new technology, and has been implemented in many of Microsoft's software packages with a few notable exceptions: Internet Explorer 8, for
example, and Windows Update which allows users running pirated copies of Windows to download essential security patches without validation.
Read full story.....
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01.10.2009Microsoft to add the Genuine Advantage ‘nag' to Office
Microsoft is set to begin a pilot of a new Genuine Advantage anti-piracy mechanism for Office that will add a “nag-like” feature, akin to
what is now part of Windows Vista, to Office.
Office already currently
includes an Office Genuine Advantage (OGA) validation mechanism (for Office XP and Office 2007), but Microsoft doesn’t do
a whole lot to “punish” those it deems to be running non-Genuine versions of Office. However, as part of a
new OGA notifications pilot program — which
Microsoft is launching in Chile, Italy, Spain and Turkey, according to an April 8 announcement buried in a Q&A on Microsoft’s Web site —
Microsoft is set to turn up the unpleasantness a notch.
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09.04.2008SP1 brings with it a softer, gentler, naggier WGA
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes: Windows Vista SP1 brings with it a new tweaked version of the WGA (Windows Genuine Advantage) anti-piracy scheme. How does
this look to the end user?
Check out the complete SP1 WGA gallery
here.
Currently Vista offers two different user experiences to those considered to be running non-genuine
installations of Vista <...> As of SP1, both these states are gone and if a system is considered to be non-genuine it will enter what I can call a nag
state. In this state users will see:
- A nag screen to activate at logon that cannot be dismissed for 15 seconds.
-
Every hour the desktop background is switched to black (it can be changed back, but after an hour its set to black again).
- Activation
dialogs and balloon dialogs appear regularly.
- Optional Windows Updates arent delivered.
So, instead of losing
functionality, the user is nagged to activate...
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10.02.2008Microsoft is to Push Out AntiPiracy Tool
Microsoft will soon start
pushing out a new version of
its controversial Windows
Genuine Advantage
Notifications antipiracy tool
to Windows XP users.
The updated WGA
Notifications package includes
additional changes in response
to continued criticism
Microsoft has faced over the
software, the company said
Tuesday. Microsoft in June
also updated the tool after
critics likened it to spyware
because it checked in with
Microsoft after each Windows
restart.
In the
latest update, Microsoft has
changed the installation
procedure of the tool so it's
clearer to people what it
does, said David Lazar,
director of the Windows
Genuine program at Microsoft.
In the original version, WGA
Notifications displayed only a
wordy user license, which
people don't typically read.
"We received a
lot of feedback that people
wanted more information when
the package came down through
Automatic Updates and was
offered to them," Lazar said.
The first screen of the new
version gives an introduction
to WGA Notifications in plain
English, explains the benefit
and the possible consequences
if the XP copy is pirated, he
said.
WGA
Notifications, part of
Microsoft's effort to combat
software piracy, displays
alerts on systems running
illegitimately acquired copies
of Windows. Users get the tool
the same way they receive
security updates, via
Automatic Updates or Windows
Update. Microsoft plans to
push out a new version about
every three to four months,
Lazar said.
"It
is necessary because we
continue to discover new,
compromised product keys,"
Lazar said. "We want to
update our notifications and
validation tool from time to
time to also check for those
compromised keys."
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29.11.2006Microsoft + Novell at One: What's Changed for Interoperability?
It was one year ago this week that Microsoft and Novell proclaimed their historic and still controversial agreement to not hold each other responsible
for using any technology the other may have created or have rights to. One year later, the state of affairs between Windows and Linux has changed
significantly, and for the better. But will certain users on both sides acknowledge that fact?..
betanews.com -
08.11.2007
