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Linux Passes the Microsoft WGA Test
Wil writes "Here's a good one for the Linux fans -- running Wine on Linux and attempting to download a Windows Genuine Advantage protected file from the Microsoft website works just fine. It seems that Bill Gates has a soft spot for Tux after all, or at least isn't bothered about him downloading updates."
Wine (as mentioned in one of the links) shows up as Windows 98 to microsoft, which, as far as I know, isn't even supported anymore. So, I guess since it isn't supported, it won't be validated or not validated and just lets the user pass through as if it was.
I wonder if a pirated copy of Windows could use Cygwin running WINE to bypass the WGA...
Help a poor college student. Send a couple cents via paypal to chucks86@gmail.com
Wine doesn't even use MS code, so that's why it's kinda interesting.
Too bad it won't work on my XP Volume license anymore without a crack . . .
As reported in Microsoft Admits Targeting Wine Users.
This is clearly something that those out to criticise Microsoft's attempts at reducing software piracy will jump on and crow about. However, the fact that a windows application checking for the characteristics of a pirated copy of Windows cannot find them on WINE shouldn't be a surprise to anyone rational. At the end of the day, its important to remember that Microsoft are just trying to raise the bar. They aren't trying to stop Joe Cracker and his friends from reverse engineering the activation process and hex editing the checks out of the binaries (at least with this measure), they're trying to stop small computer shops loading systems with pirated 'free' copies of Windows by making the piracy visible and clear to the end user.
I don't agree with Microsoft's policy of restricting updates (such as the essential SP2) from unlicenced products, but cheap headlines like this help noone
Business Voyeur
My favorite WGA experience was recently trying to download some WMV codecs from microsoft.com . For the first time since I've been doing that for upgrades after installing Win2K, I got a "we suggest you verify your Windows installation with Windows Genuine Advantage" message. Though it was a "suggestion", I couldn't proceed to download until I let them install software that went through my computer's HD, siftin whatever data, with the "Microsoft assurance" that they weren't uploading any data to their server. After forcing me to let them frisk me, while presenting it as a mere "suggestion", their assurance of course had no credibility. But it was a tabula-rasa new install of a legit Windows OS on my machine, so it passed me without really bothering anything but my dignity.
:P.
Then I downloaded the codecs, and copied them to my Linux machine's ffmpeg folder
--
make install -not war
afaict wine isn't really much of a sandbox.
sure windows apps may see what they think is windows but i don't think there is anything to stop them making linux syscalls directly once they realise they are in wine.
note: i'm known as plugwash most places but i screwd up registering that here somehow in the past and now can't register
This was noted on there awhile ago. WGA checks for Wine's registry key, and initially, demonstrated the behavior initially noted; that is, claiming non-valid Windows.
A bit after WGA was initially released, however, the WGA authentication dialog started accepting WINE-generated WGA codes with no explanation.
I don't know if WGA still checks for WINE, but if it does, it's something Microsoft can disable on their end quickly and easily, any time they want.
This isn't newsworthy, and it's not even news. The above comments about how WINE is being checked for were noted in the first March issue of WINE's newsletter, and the fact that Microsoft began accepting WINE-generated WGA validations was noted a few issues thereafter, though Google can't seem to find it.
It's only an insult if it's not true.
It's always nice to hear that Linux/WINE users can download updates from Microsoft.com, menwhile my legit Windows 2000 install can't.
Seems like the more they try, the worse things get.
I'm really thinking of wiping the drive and installing good-old NT4. Never had any problems with it, and it smokes 2000/XP by a longshot. Who really wants DirectX 7+ anyhow?
Slashdot gets worse every day... Pipedot: News for nerds, without the corporate slant
This is quite true. Most slashdotters don't actually use Linux. Read the "Operating Systems" portion.
What is humor if not pain tempered by time?
Well, apart from the "reading /. at work on Windows" mentioned by other posters, there is also the question whether this is actually a representative percentage of the slashdot readers that followed a link to rianjs.net. I do not know what kind of articles they have there, but I think an even distribution of any parameter
(such as operating system or browser) is highly unlikely. The only real way to get the meassure would be analyzing slashdots log. If there is one. Was this ever done and published??
Well, Microsoft knows of WINE, their WGA FAQ specifically says WGA doesn't work - specifically isn't designed to work - in WINE. WINE folks don't care whether or not WGA works, they're just coding the program like before, minding their own business.
If Microsoft designed their check to not work in WINE, they should fix it to make it not work, then. Kind of like when Windows gets updated, and some app gets broken - generally speaking, it's app vendor's problem to make sure the software works in the new version.
A nice hack would be to drop this gecko MSHTML.DLL in a real windows and see if IE would use gecko as a backend. :-P
[]'s Victor Bogado da Silva Lins
^[:wq
im `Zidane from Bit-Tech, who posted this over there. in response to those people who think i "cheated" somehow, i didnt, and im sure just about anyone with wine can do the same thing. i just ran the checker exe in wine and copy-pasted the code into the site, and it worked. is it news? i'd have thought so, its checking if i have a valid copy of windows, and i dont, im completely linux based here. as for the windows updates, i dont think you could use this method because the windowsupdate site doesnt like firefox, it demands IE, although, you could probably forge IE's useragent to appear as IE, but iirc the windowsupdate site needs activex to run for the updater thingie. is it an uber-31337 haxx0rizing of microsoft? hell no, its just a funny thing i noticed whilst trying to get Black&White to run on my nix box.
FallenSword, a free MMO you can play at work!