Download From Microsoft Without a WGA Check

Anonymous Coward writes, "When you want to download a file from Microsoft, a WGA (Windows Genuine Advantage) check is performed. Microsoft installs a small piece of software on your computer that contacts the Microsoft server and checks the validity of your installed Windows software. If the test fails you will not be able to download the file(s). The following method gives you the ability to download every file from Microsoft without a WGA check."

Comments

Correct me if I'm wrong...

[Ninwa]

But I just tryed this with an invalid version of Windows, and no dice. I think the article is misleading, and this isn't even newsworthy. I don't believe this is a way to "skip" authentication, but simply a way of manually entering your key into the URL, essentially what you would've done anyway, except in a form text area. No?

Re:Correct me if I'm wrong...

[Darkman, Walkin Dude]

Even better, when you're submitting a story to slashdot as AC, it might be best to omit linking directly to your email address.

Just a thought.

Re:Correct me if I'm wrong...

[Jade E. 2]

I did the same thing, went to a test machine with an old blocked VLK and tried it, no dice. Then I realized... Hey, wait a minute. This looks like it's just a shortcut to inputting your product ID by using a hash... I wonder what would happen if I just replaced the hash with one from a valid system?

Not having a valid windows system handy I was willing to run a somewhat questionable executable on, where could I get a valid hash? Oh hey, look at that. Right there in the article it says "(example &Hash=6VJPCR9)". I appended that to the URL, and bingo. "Genuine Microsoft Software".

Re:Correct me if I'm wrong...

[Bing Tsher E]

Not having a valid windows system handy I was willing to run a somewhat questionable executable on,

That sentence alone is enough to get me riled up. Granted, I'm one of the people who stepped gracefully off the Microsoft Bus as soon as 'Product Validation' became a reality. (I even run Windows 2000 and the first version of Office 2000, which are the two last versions on their respective lines to not have the 'phone home' features)

It sorta chills me to think of being afraid to run particular binaries on a machine that I own and am legitimate owner of, because a 'phone home' feature will nark on me.

My copies of Windows 2000 and Office 2000 are the full retail-box versions (about the most expensive way possible to buy Microsoft's products). I used to buy a lot of their stuff. Not any longer. And I'm not alone.

Hmm...

[Anonymous Coward]

Doesn't an email address defeat the purpose of being an anonymous coward?

Re:Hmm...

[Surt]

Doesn't an email address defeat the purpose of being an anonymous coward?

I don't think you understand the momentousness of this occassion.

HE'S THE GUY The anonymous coward. How many times have we been irritated with his postings? How often has he trolled? Now we finally know who he is! I foresee the greatest email bombing to ever hit the net in final retaliation for his long years of tormenting us all.

Mirror for the lazy

[stevetures]

mirror for the lazy:
http://mirrordot.org/stories/3627c5be2ac21048d6da6 04b34dc63bb/index.html

Generalized way to find the hashes

[Anonymous Coward]

You don't even need some silly executable to find the daily hashes to append to the url. Microsoft provides a ready community where the latest codes are reported!

Re:Why the fuck..

[topham]

As I mentioned in a post in a different article, I've had a painfully annoying run in with Window Activate while in the middle of a computer upgrade.

The short description, XP decided it needed to Activate (could NOT log in without activating it), but I hadn't finished installing drivers; forcing me to phone up their support instead of doing it online.

Then, because I had not yet installed the rest of the hardware (which; without the drivers installed were causing the machine to reboot, or bluescreen before windows even started). the Windows Activation bitched at me again when I was done. At least this time it gave me a 3 day window before it would deactivate; this gave me an opportunity to install the rest of the drivers, etc.

This second time it forced me to call Microsoft again, even though the network connection was now working fine, because the machine had changed too much, and been activated too many times.

Then it lead me to believe I could just use the automated method (the voice recognition is actually pretty good), but after reading a billion digits to the computer it decided I wasn't allowed to do it that way and passed me off to an operator.

And you think I want to trust WGA if I need a hot-fix to add security patches, etc?

The only people not having problems with Windows XP Activation and WGA are the damn pirates.

Re:Why the fuck..

[matt328]

As I mentioned in a post in a different article, I've had a painfully annoying run in with Window Activate while in the middle of a computer upgrade.

I feel your pain. I provide all our company's in house tech support. If a machine goes down and needs a hard drive replaced, I don't fudge around calling up Microsoft when the WPA thing starts bitching. I have a utility that patches an operating system file, and bam, no more WPA or WGA bullshit. If they want to accuse me of being a pirate, they can come on in and look at the product key hologram stickers on every box I do this to. Its not that I'm pirating it, I just don't have time to jump through all their hoops. Alot of my users do all their work on the computer, and if its down for more than 2 hours or so I start to get flak.