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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

Fix Windows 7 Update Stopped Working with Fix WU

Often due to missing dlls or other files windows functionality like firewall, automatic updates etc stops working.
download - comments - 10.11.2009

Fix for a Fix that fixes Windows Update fixes

Consider the following scenario. You apply the hotfix package that is described in Microsoft Knowledge Base article 916089.
microsoft - comments - 21.2.2007

Microsoft: We can Fix that for you

Microsoft Windows operating systems like Windows XP and Windows Vista provide troubleshooting options for errors that occur in your PC and sometimes provide a link which can have a solution for that error.
microsoft - comments - 3.1.2009

How to Fix Microsoft in Five (Not So) Easy Steps

It's summer and the living is supposed to be easy. Easy, that is, unless you're Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. Ballmer just can't seem to appease Microsoft shareholders, customers and watchdogs, and no wonder. The company has lurched from one PR mess to the next.
microsoft - comments - 8.7.2006

How to fix Vista's network bottlenecks

As much as I enjoy using Vista, I’ve definitely noticed that in some networking activities, it definitely seems to struggle. Particularly compared with Windows XP.
windows - comments - 27.9.2007

Will Windows Mobile 7 fix updating?

According to a recent job posting, Microsoft might be changing how updates work on Windows Mobile with the release of version 7 next year.
windows - comments - 16.3.2009

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

Xbox 360 crash fix found

A gamer fed up with his new Xbox 360 crashing every 20 minutes has fixed the problem by raising the power supply off the ground with some string.

Dan, from Duluth, or 'goldeneyemaster' as he is known, told the game spot forum here that he thinks the main reason that the xBox 360 freezes is because the power supply overheats. The solution is to lift the power supply off the floor and allow the air to circulate better around it.
microsoft - comments - 26.11.2005

Microsoft tests fix for IE bug as exploits appear

A recently identified Internet Explorer security hole is now being exploited and Microsoft hopes to include a fix for it in its April 11 patch or maybe even earlier, according to a posting on a Microsoft blog. So far, attacks are limited in scope, Stephen Toulouse, head of Microsoft's Security Response Center, wrote on the center's blog on Saturday.
microsoft - comments - 28.9.2006

No fix for 'critical' hole in Windows 98, ME

Microsoft will not fix a serious flaw in Windows 98 and Windows Millennium Edition because a patch could break other applications.
windows - comments - 11.6.2006

MS: $4,000 for Daylight Saving Fix

Customers using Microsoft products that have entered their "Extended" support phase will need to fork over $4,000 for a patch that makes the software compatible with the new March 11 date for Daylight Saving Time (DST), according to Microsoft watcher Mary Jo Foley.
microsoft - comments - 1.3.2007

Microsoft to issue fix for Zune glitch

Microsoft is planning to issue a firmware update next month designed to fix a glitch that is causing some owners of its Zune music player to experience skipping when playing songs purchased from Microsoft's online store.
microsoft - comments - 2.3.2007

Microsoft repairs cursor vulnerability fix

Microsoft on Tuesday plans to push out a fix to repair problems caused by last week's emergency cursor flaw patch.
windows - comments - 10.4.2007

Final iPod fix for Vista delivered

Microsoft Corp. yesterday released what it called the "final" fix for a problem that iPod owners had been having with the new Vista operating system since its Jan. 30 launch.
windows - comments - 10.5.2007

Here’s the list of fixes in those new Vista fix packs

I linked to an AeroXP post this morning listing hot fixes for Windows Vista provided in two new Knowledge Base postings. The AeroXP post is gone now. Poof!
windows - comments - 30.7.2007

Latest Windows 7 Updates Cause BSOD: Fix

TechARP had been providing giving updates on the Windows 7 Downgrade Rights Program. Now Microsoft has confirmed the same in a blog post, regarding the Windows 7 Downgrade rights program.
windows - comments - 16.4.2009

1st fix for Windows 7 RC 32bit

A folder that is created under the root of the system drive is missing entries in its security descriptor, which may cause some application failures on the English version of Windows 7 Release Candidate 32-bit Ultimate
windows - comments - 11.5.2009

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 it’s 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

SafeDisc Windows XP Fix for Microsoft Games

When running a restricted user account with fast user switching under Windows XP, some games will not start correctly. The game requests that the original disk be placed in the drive, even if it is already present. To remedy this issue, download and run this fix.
download - comments - 2.3.2006

Another Microsoft team looks to end ‘hot-fix hell’

You've heard of DLL hell. What about hot-fix hell — the case where multiple Microsoft fixes and/or service packs don't play nicely together?
microsoft - comments - 26.1.2007

Microsoft to Fix Critical Vista Flaw Early

Microsoft confirmed Sunday that it would not wait until April's "Patch Tuesday" to release a fix correcting a critical flaw in Windows Animated Cursor Handling, which affects most supported versions of the company's operating systems. Instead, an update is coming Tuesday.
windows - comments - 3.4.2007

Microsoft's fix for Automatic Updates lockup not working

Windows XP systems are still locking up during patch update attempts -- even after users deployed the fix suggested by Microsoft Corp.
windows - comments - 12.5.2007

Safely Remove Hardware fix for Windows Vista

When you click the Safely Remove Hardware icon in the notification area on a Windows Vista based computer, and then you click Safely remove Device_name, the device may not be removed as expected.
windows - comments - 5.9.2007

Addressing 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 - 26.08.2007

Microsoft 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 - 10.06.2006

Microsoft 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 œweve made major strides in the accuracy of the program� in the past two years.




winbeta.org - 05.09.2008

Microsoft 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 - 22.11.2007

Windows 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 - 22.11.2007

Microsoft 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 - 17.11.2005

XP 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 - 27.08.2008

Microsoft: We can Fix that for you

Microsoft Windows operating systems like Windows XP and Windows Vista provide troubleshooting options for errors that occur in your PC and sometimes provide a link which can have a solution for that error. But finding a proper fix has always been a difficult task for many. Sometimes we may think why can't Microsoft fix this for me? The Fix-it teams' purpose is to help users fix their problems in a click of a button. The Microsoft KB articles and the Windows Error Reporting are now fix-it enabled with a list of steps that can be followed to resolve the issue.

Read full story.....
neowin.net - 03.01.2009

Microsoft 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 - 13.03.2007

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. 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 - 13.03.2007

Seven ways to fix WGA

Microsoft's Alex Kochis has blogged an explanation of the glitch behind last weekend's Windows Genuine Advantage screwup that left users being told their copies of Windows were pirated, and Vista users having features like Aero and ReadyBoost disabled. In short, buggy preproduction code accidentally got rolled out to the production servers that verify whether a copy of Windows is legit or not. Oops!



Kochis's post is pretty detailed, humble, and up-front. But I hope it's only the start of Microsoft's response to the weekend mess. If a copy protection scheme can leave thousands of paying customers with their copies of Windows disabling functionality and accusing them of using pirated copies of the OS, it's simply too fragile to trust. Even if this particular problem never crops up again. (And this recent unpleasantness is far from the first time that WGA has caused trouble.)




winbeta.org - 30.08.2007

Microsoft 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 - 02.07.2006

Microsoft 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 - 17.09.2007

Microsoft 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 - 22.02.2008

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. 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 - 19.07.2008

The 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:

œBecause 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 œpirates� 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 - 05.10.2007

New 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 - 20.04.2006

WGA meltdown raises doubts about Microsoft reliability, say analysts

The 19-hour blackout of the Microsoft Corp. servers that identify copies of Windows XP and Vista as legitimate or counterfeit shows that serious flaws exist in the process and raises questions about the reliability of Microsoft's services, analysts said today.



From about 8 p.m. EDT Friday to 3 p.m. Saturday, a still-unspecified "server-side issue" with the system that validates Windows XP and Vista erroneously fingered users as pirates, preventing them from downloading most software from the Microsoft Web site, and in the case of Vista, disabling several features, including the operating system's Aero graphical user interface. Windows users lit up the company's support forums with more than 450 messages, some of which were collected in threads have been viewed by as many as 45,000 people.



As of midday Monday, Microsoft had not explained the problem with the Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) servers, although on Saturday program manager Phil Liu promised that after the team had generated a fix, " get you all what you are looking for, an explanation and cause."



Michael Cherry, an analyst at Kirkland, Wash.-based Directions on Microsoft, took the company to task over the snafu. "Despite the fact that Microsoft has rolled out WGA slowly and methodically to ensure they have the capacity, availability and reliability to handle customer validation requests, it appears that any plans they had to handle a service problem are not adequate.




winbeta.org - 28.08.2007

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.



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

Microsoft Remains Silent on AutoPatcher

Yesterday morning an Internet Investigator representing Microsoft called me at home requesting that Neowin cease all activity with AutoPatcher, a program headed by Antonis Kaladis and endorsed by Neowin for little under 4 years. Antonis received a standard take down request email through his AutoPatcher.com email address. We complied by pulling the forums on Neowin and the download page at AutoPatcher.com.

The news was quickly picked up by the likes of CNET, Slashdot and others but as of this posting we are yet to receive any sort of clear explanation as to why this decision was made 3 years after the program had been widely adopted by Neowin members, computer magazines and the industries system admins who use the program to speed up the installing of corporate machines.

A Microsoft Featured Communities representative as well as the Internet Investigator handling the case has pledged to look into the situation to find out exactly what prompted this sudden move. The only short explanation offered was the possibility of delivering malicious files with the package, something the AutoPatcher team has never done.

Updates which require WGA (Windows Genuine Advantage) validation are included, and can be installed (since the WGA validation only takes place on the machine that downloads them, not the one that is installing them) which theoretically bypasses the validation check users would normally have to go through if updating through Windows Update. Antonis had asked when WGA became common if this would affect the AutoPatcher project and the concept of administrative updates and a Microsoft representative said "No", arguing that the purpose behind WGA was mostly educational. The WGA tool itself (the one offered by Windows Update as a critical update) is included in AutoPacher, though not marked for installation by default.


Read full story.....
neowin.net - 30.08.2007