Slashdot Mirror


WGA Turning Off PCs in the Fall?

thesaint05 writes "We all know about Microsoft's WGA initiative that started last July. Most of us were troubled to learn that the WGA has been 'phoning home' to Microsoft at every boot. Well, get ready, because eventually Microsoft may be turning off copies of Windows without WGA installed. According to a Microsoft technician, 'in the fall, having the latest WGA will become mandatory and if its not installed, Windows will give a 30 day warning and when the 30 days is up and WGA isn't installed, Windows will stop working, so you might as well install WGA now.'" A new version of WGA was released on Tuesday and, at least for the time being, Windows users have the option of removing WGA from their systems.

5 of 857 comments (clear)

  1. Re:How is this legal? by drinkypoo · · Score: 4, Informative
    Is there anything in the EULA that allows them to get away with this?

    Uh, if you didn't pay for it, you're not a party to the EULA - and if you were, you'd already be violating the EULA, which says you have to purchase it; so you'd already be in breach if it were considered a contract - which has not been shown on a broad basis, only in a couple of lower courts.

    The EULA is probably worth more as bumwad than as a contract, and it's printed on paper way too scratchy to be good for that, either.

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  2. Re:TOLD YOU SO! by Kremit · · Score: 5, Informative

    I was in the same boat as you. I switched to Linux (on my main desktop at least -- my servers have always ran some form of *NIX) on October 25, 2001, the same day Windows XP was released.

    Now this, this is absolutely rediculous. This is going to have huge repercussions; I happened to click over to the "Genuine Windows Forum" and saw all kinds of posts there of NEW Dell desktops, valid CDs, and other licensed systems having problems with WGA. When these systems stop working, people are going to flip. To them, this will be akin to the computer crashing and taking their data along with it.

  3. what is the source here? by flynt · · Score: 5, Informative

    Before you get too excited, this is a slashdot link to a zdnet story that links to a blog called Interesting People that posted an email from an end user named David Pollack who got this information from a guy at an 800 number at Windows support. I'll wait until I learn more before making a judgement.

  4. Re:A disturbance in The Force? How stupid is this? by Asphalt · · Score: 3, Informative
    Grab a copy of XP from here.. http://www.torrentspy.com/torrent/781830/Windows_X P_SP2_Gold_Reloaded_Edition_Unattended_Install

    then run the WGA crack that you got from here..
    http://www.torrentspy.com/torrent/782179/Windows_G enuine_Advantage_WGA_v3_3_1_5_540_0_Taag

    Most pirates, don't need to know anything about cracking/pirating other than "what bitorrent" is..

    I have never knowingly pirated a commercial software program. Ever. And I have been using computers since 1982.

    However, if this WGA thing turn out to be true (which honestly it may not), then I will have no qualms about starting. I built my own computer and paid retail for XP Pro. If they are going to screw it up, it will be the last dollar from me.

    I never illegally downloaded music until I started having spyware and rootkits installed on my machine, now I never buy CD's under any circumstances.

    Morally, I consider it fair compensation now. Treat me right, I treat you right. You fuck me, I fuck you. Not a pretty motto, but I've always lived by it and it has worked for me more often than it hasn't.

    In 2004 I bought an Averatec laptop computer with XP Home pre-installed. I have been using it for 2 years. Just last weekend I had a WGA pop-up telling me that WGA had determined that my copy of Windows was "not genuine" and to click a box to "correct" it.

    I did not click the box, and I used Tiny Personal Firewall to block the phoning home of WGA. I paid for the Windows on the machine, and I am not jumping through hoops to prove it. Now, only very select connections can use the Internet through the firewall (which can suck while trying to use Wi-Fi in the airport), and I have to make sure that it cannot possibly phone home.

    My main concern is that they will find a way to make it "phone home" during boot, before the firewall loads.

    In any event, if the copy is disabled, I am actually one of the few who will actually take the time out of my busy life to file a civil suit at my local courthouse. Everyone says they will do these things in internet dick-swinging contests, but I actually will. I may not win, but I will do it anyway.

    Also, I will pirate the living shit out of Microsoft software.

    Again, assuming this rumor us true, which it very well may not be.

    If i'm going to do the time, i'm going to do the time. Period.

  5. Re:A disturbance in The Force? How stupid is this? by Overly+Critical+Guy · · Score: 4, Informative

    Why do people capitalize "MAC?" It's Mac, short for Macintosh. MAC means something else.

    It's like those people who call it OS/X or OS-X. Where are they getting these magic hyphens and slashes from?

    --
    "Sufferin' succotash."