Archive for the 'Windows Genuine Advantage' Category
WGA exploit finder coming, changes made to WGA in Vista SP1
Tuesday, February 26th, 2008Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA), Microsoft’s antipiracy feature in Windows, has undergone many changes and has caused many headaches over the years. Once again, the software giant has announced that it will be tweaking WGA. With the release of Service Pack 1, the company will disable the two most common exploits to the product activation technology, [...]
Vista phones home to check for piracy
Tuesday, April 10th, 2007When Windows XP first came out, it only checked online once after you installed it to check the key for piracy reasons, if the key wasn’t valid, you were asked to purchase a legal one and the copy of XP was deactivated. Things are different now, even for XP users. Usually when Windows [...]
Vista Still Seems Buffeted By Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) Falls Positives
Saturday, March 3rd, 2007Hello, my name is Alex and I’m apparently running a bogus copy of Windows Vista. At least that’s what my computer told me earlier today after I booted up. Funny thing is, I got my copy of Vista directly from. . . Microsoft. Apparently, I’m not the only one with this problem. If you troll [...]
22% of Windows Installs Non-Genuine
Thursday, January 25th, 2007Microsoft disclosed Monday that over one in five Windows installations were deemed non-genuine through the company’s Windows Genuine Advantage program, which requires users to validate their operating system before downloading updates from the company. Since WGA launched in July 2005, over 512 million users have attempted to validate their copy of Windows, Microsoft said. Of [...]
Windows SPP and Reduced Functionality in Vista
Sunday, November 12th, 2006One aspect of Microsoft’s Windows Vista operating system that has raised users’ hackles is its new antipiracy system, called Software Protection Platform (SPP). To understand SPP, it’s necessary to take a few steps back. Microsoft began its aggressive campaign against software piracy in Office XP and Windows XP with functionality called Office product activation (OPA) [...]
WGA = SPP, SPP=Kill Switch, Killed Vista => Linux Desktop!
Sunday, October 8th, 2006All the Linux fans and developers of desktop software should rejoice! Today is the day of the beginning of new era for Linux desktops and distros. The server side of Linux is taking care of itself with the likes of Redhat, SUSE, Centos and the likes. But the desktops are in the form of waking [...]
Microsoft risks backlash with stance on piracy
Sunday, October 8th, 2006Microsoft Corp. is cracking down harder than ever on software piracy as it tries to boost profits, but some say the harsh repercussions facing people who use unlicensed versions of its new Windows Vista operating system could spur a backlash.
UAC good. SPP not so good
Sunday, October 8th, 2006In the midst of a post about Microsoft’s new viral marketing campaign for Windows Vista (which I wrote about last night), Dwight Silverman tosses off this aside:
Whether [the Demetri Martin campaign] will be enough to get consumers to pony up the bucks for a Vista upgrade, and once they have it, make them forget [...]
For Vista, WGA gets tougher
Thursday, October 5th, 2006For Windows Vista, Microsoft is rolling out a new version of its Windows Genuine Advantage anti-piracy program, complete with a new name: the Windows Software Protection Platform. This time, they mean business.
Technically, it’s not a kill switch, but it’s arguably a near-death experience for your PC. Let’s call it WGA Plus, shall we? The Plus [...]
What Microsoft still isnt saying about WGA and Volume Activation 2.0
Thursday, October 5th, 2006Microsoft lifted the veil – sort of – about its Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) and Volume Activation 2.0 plans for Windows Vista and Longhorn Server on October 4. I say “sort of” because Microsoft is providing publicly little more than bare-bones details about these technologies and how they’ll figure in its next-generation products.
