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Windows Nag Windows to Counter Piracy
Vicegrip writes "Microsoft is enhancing its Genuine Advantage program in the US, Australia, UK, Malaysia and NZ to now include persistent nag screens to remind that your version of Windows is not licensed. These nag screens will keep appearing until you license your version of Windows or, presumably, convince Microsoft they've made a mistake."
The 8th edition : MS Windows Vista $hareware
cracks in 3...2...
So can I presume that it will then start telling me to clean my room, do the dishes and take out the bins?
Hey, why not? After all, I'm sure you're like me and you've registered every bit of shareware that had nag screens, right?
If it's for-profit but free, you're not the customer -- you're the product (e.g., the Slashdot Beta's "audience").
I won't even notice that message with all the other Window's errors I get on the screen and all the reminders from every program that needs to update.
Install a virtual desktop manager. Move nag screen to an unused desktop. Voila, problem gone (or at least out of sight).
"Even though you are using an unlicensed copy, you're still helping up maintain marketshare. Thank you."
And not at the expense of existing paying Windows customers.
I don't think Microsoft is going to be convinced otherwise, and if people are pirating when they would really not use anything else, then hell, they should pay for their Windows license.
It might move those who pirate just for fun into other OS's :-)
Make sure everyone's vote counts: Verified Voting
These nag screens will keep appearing until you license your version of Windows or, presumably, convince Microsoft they've made a mistake
Or until you remove the notifications program. From Microsoft's Genuine Advantage KB article (i.e. TFA):
You can uninstall Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications by using Add or Remove Programs in Control Panel.
-- Andy Jeffries Scramdisk for Linux (Change the orgy to org to reply)
For the hack to fix this.
If you could reason with religious people, there would be no religious people
FTA: Microsoft says that every time a notification is displayed, the user will receive detailed information about the specific validation failure. The information includes steps that can be taken to resolve the problem.
These don't seem to include, "try Linux instead".
Oh to be able to hack Genuine Advantage...
GetOuttaMySpace - The Anti-Social Network
is the genuine check on genuine product..
Your copy of windows is genuine and activated.. but lets check it anyway. again. again and again.
Seesh.
There are no atheists when recovering from tape backup.
Well, the software got out the door, so aren't we a little late on this? :)
From my standpoint, what was more interesting was:
a) This was a high priority item. Yes, this is as important as fixing IE flaws. Surely.
b) How it's listed in the license agreement:
MICROSOFT PRE-RELEASE SOFTWARE LICENSE TERMS
MICROSOFT WINDOWS GENUINE ADVANTAGE VALIDATION TOOL
So they're putting BETA software into high priority updates?
stored on computers from birth to the grave
I sometimes wonder what planet Microsoft are on. On todays page we have news that the Vista firewall is to be crippled and now we find that there will be nag screens.
Do these guys WANT to drive users to open source?
Ed Almos
The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws. - Tacitus, 56-120 A.D.
I'd like one for the wallpaper on my very proper corporate desktop. Just to give the Sysadmins heart failure.
Question: The new "Genuine Advantage" tester is an Update on Windows Update. What happens if you just don't install it?
has _anyone_ done this?
It used to be that in my area of Shanghai I could see people selling pirated copies of Windows everywhere (about 16 stands of CDs in a 5km radius). Now, about half of those stands have stopped selling Windows, and are now selling Linux. Coincidence, I think not- MS activation is getting so annoying that they're giving up and going to Linux.
OSx86 FTW
Genuine Advantage Notification = GAN = NAG spelled backwards. Coincedence?
I fully support Microsoft's anti-copying measures. I'd love to see them really lock up Windows updates so that only legitimate users can get access to them, or even better, I'd love to see them create a Windows and an Office that is too tough to crack.
I don't think all of the current Windows users are willing to pay for Windows, and if they are forced into doing it, there's a good chance they'll look elsewhere. Those that do decide to pay for Windows will also eventually be tempted by any alternative that has zero cost.
In trying to make all users pay for Windows, Microsoft would be shooting themselves in the foot, and I think they realise that they need illegitimate copying. Not too much, but not too little, either...
Did I just violate the DMCA by disclosing this?
Yes.
We'll see you in a few minutes. Thanks.
- BSA
Developers: We can use your help.
Are they going to have the annoying Windows XP style message box hovering over the tray that tells me that my USB 2 device could work faster if it was plugged into a non-existant USB 2 port on my USB 1.1 system?
Maybe they could have the annoying Search Mutt take up the left hand window and do a little animation while I have to figure out how to turn it off?
Or they could have that bastard Clippy come on screen and tell me something like "It looks like your copy of Microsoft Windows" isn't licensed properly." with a list of solutions on how I can throw more money at MS.
Lastly there is the universal message box that could pop up right in the middle of the screen stealing focus. That's a classic.
Microsoft Windows has so many annoyances to choose from that most users will probably just click OK when the message box pops up. After all, it's worked so well for WinZip.
I just suggested this to a friend and he reported back that it says it can not be uninstalled.
The point of this program is not to nag people who knowingly pirated Windows. They're just going to uninstall/hack it or whatever. It's to notify people who DON'T know that they're using a pirated XP install. Then they know not to buy computers from "John's Shady Computer Store" in the future.
I'm a tad suprised at the negative view that the Slashdot crowd has around WGA.
... a perfectly functional WGA would be Linux's best friend. Who the heck is going to shell out $300 bux for an OS on a $300 PC? Suddenly the value proposition around Linux becomes much more appealing.
Seriously, it's nothing but good for everybody.
1. Microsoft gets to protect the copyright on its products. Protecting copyright is good for everyone. Proprietary, GPL, Open Source, it all boils down to Intelectual Property Law, and if there were no circumvention of it, people would be forced to make more appropriate choices. You're pretty pissed when companies violate the GPL, right? You should be equally pissed when someone violates the Windows EULA. Look at it this way: for every pirated copy of Windows, there is one less Linux User. If they can't afford Windows, welcome to the Free World.
2. If you can't run a bootleg copy of Windows, maybe you will try something else/better
== feh ==
"...In your answer, ignore facts. Just go with what feels true..."
XP is very stable.
:)
I agree, the botnet running on my cousin's PC hasn't crashed in months. Go, Microsoft!
I read an article about this yesterday, I think it came from Google News (now I can't find it, and I was going to submit it to /. too) where the journalist actually corresponded via email with someone from Microsoft and got explicit answers to questions on how easy it is to install, decline to install, and remove. I think this was from some tech publication in New Zealand or Australia.
At any rate, what I remember being the bottom line was that you can decline to install the Notification system without penalty, by declining the EULA. However, how many people really read those EULAs, and how many people just click through them? We all know the answer to that. Once you've clicked through and agreed to install the software, it's not designed to be removable. Regardless of whether or not it may be possible to remove (much like IE is removable, if you're really determined) it's not supposed to be. This was made pretty clear in the email from the MS rep.
It's not uninstallable, it may perhaps be removable, is I guess the bottom line here. Those are two different things.
The closest you can get to "uninstalling" it is disabling the notifications, but they'll go back on automatically the next time a new release is downloaded.
"Ladies and gentlemen, my killbot features Lotus Notes and a machine gun. It is the finest available."
And since the read bit is still there, you won't trip Windows Update to force you to reinstall it; the DLL still matches with the WU catalog and all the WGA registry keys are still in place.
Now, let's change the permissions for WgaLogon:
Now we have a local copy of the ACL which we can modify.
You can now turn "Use simple file sharing" back on, if you want.
once you strip it down. I don't bother and just install server 2003 (same thing really)
XP adds over 2000:
*) Volume Shadow Service (finally...)
*) MFT defragmentation support
*) 64-bit virtual memory support and 64-bit file mmaps
*) application prefetch
*) better page retiring algorithms and PTE management
*) new (faster) locks for kernel objects for SMP
*) Built-in Terminal Server and detachable console (nee remote desktop)
*) support for read-only NTFS (like on a CD or ZIP disk)
*) redesigned registry and configuration subsys (much faster, less mem, mostly lockfree)
*) slow int 0x2e syscalls replaced by sysenter/sysexit (big difference in context switches)
and a bunch of other little things behind the scenes.
So its worth going to NT 5.1/2 if you can whip it into shape.
THIS THING CAN TURN ON A DIME, MACROSSZERO STYLE ALSO FUCK BETA, ~NYORON