Microsoft has updated software that verifies whether a copy of Windows is genuine in its Windows XP Professional edition. The company said it made the changes to the Windows Genuine Notification (WGA) alerts for XP Pro because it is “the product edition that is most often stolen.”
Now when a version of Windows XP Pro is found to be pirated or counterfeit – [or at least Microsoft thinks it is] – the next time a user logs on to the system, the desktop screen background will be black, replacing whatever custom desktop may have been set by the user. This will reappear every 60 minutes, even if a user resets the screen’s background. Previously, this was not a part of the WGA notification for Windows XP Pro.
Another new feature of the alert system is to put the PC into “persistent desktop notification” mode, with a banner at the bottom of the screen informing the user that the copy of Windows is not genuine. The notification is translucent and users can interact with any objects underneath it; however, it will continue to appear on the screen until a user installs a genuine copy of Windows.
The office pool for this month will be – how many legit copies of XP Pro will end up saddled with the Microsoft accusing finger?
Funny, the image of Windows XP I run in VirtualBox doesn’t have this problem. What a bunch of maroons.
“Hey guys, Apple’s got a better OS! What will we do?”
“Let’s make the user experience even worse!”
Standard
Upgrade of
Computer
Software
So all of the corp copies of XP pro my employer bought will all get this notification? I can’t wait to get those calls…
Some geek will brew up a patch that will render this useless.
Time for GNU/Linux, OpenOffice, and Firefox !!! Sayonara, Redmond Rectums !!!
I’m surprise it isn’t telling you to move to Vista.
So, this only stops people who are trying to pirate the version of XP with the most advanced anti-piracy software…
Why would anyone with a pirated version of XP even have WGA enabled?
#7 – Jetfire – I’m surprise it isn’t telling you to move to Vista.
With a torrent link…
“The office pool for this month will be”… how fast until there’s a fix. My guess, less than two days.
Then again, I remember TweakTown had a “fix” to enable the installation of XP’s SP1 on “pirated” systems about a week before SP1 was officially released.
Well, now I’m glad I declined the recent 500MB service pack 3 update.
My XP Pro is legit but fear I may find myself in some long Microsoft hell or purgatory with my installation because of a registration error.
The real kicker will be when a pirated XP copy is found, will the user be forced to acquire a Vista license? Or will it still be possible to go to a legit XP? If so, then even more XP systems will be “sold”…augmenting the “fiasco” label on Vista.
#12 Dallas, upgrade to SP3 for the security updates before you’re toasted
#13 joaoPT, when such a situation is detected, the updates no longer work, and you are nagged whenever you reboot or log in.
Nothing bad happens.
Yeah, more endless stupid worthless updates from Microsoft for something that I paid for years ago. Well, one reason I bought the XP was that I think Vista renders the machine useless if it decides that the user is playing the wrong content or has not registered the copy of Vista. Sometimes that could be inconvenient.
Hehehe, hahaha, lol, woot woot.
Yhis will matter for about 30 seconds. Why do they even bother.
Yeah, you guys are just weeping for those people with legit copies who will be labelled as pirates. Your sorrow has nothing to do with the inconvenience for people stealing software.
#14 Clearly, you missed the point…
#17: Hey, c’mon. Tracking down working crackz and serialz for pirated software is hard work!
But seriously, what’s worse is trying to activate or register a legal install of no-longer-supported software and the mothership says you can’t because it’s been registered too many times. This happened with my copies of Nero and Soundforge 5.
They probably want this in place before they try to choke off the flow of legitmate XP to OEMs to force them onto Vista. The black market in XP will expand.
Like the airlines, MS seems to focus on finding new ways to make their customers hate them.
Here is the reality tho, once linux, or a flavor thereof ,runs windows games including the directx thing, then windows ceases to be relevant and will fade faster than Balmers hairline.
Do something for me Microsoft, not against and designed for your own anal tendencies. Since it is apparent that the marketing department is driving ‘innovation’ I would suggest deleting every other Vice-President/Department Head until such a time as the deletion notices stop – only then will you have trimmed the fat enough to manner.
#15 DRM is a fail on Vista. A laughable ‘why did they even try’ fail. So funny that I am laughing in the immortal words of eca – AGAIN!
Little hint DRM Microsoft guy – if you think DRM is relevant you just became irrelevant.
Since those with “pirated” copies of XP are generally smart enough to get a patch or work around, it will be only the “legal” copies of XP that will fail. The people that paid for their copy will be harmed.
Sorry Lyin’ Mike if your copy doesn’t work.
Oh you mean microsoft won’t stop you from using your computer, just try to annoy you? Yeah it didn’t work with shareware bubbles asking to buy or donate to the creator, so why would it make anyone buy windows?
Shortly MS will release another program to ensure that Vista is still a piece of shit.
The fairer comparison would be:
% of false positives on XP Pro test
vs
% of iPhone apps being yanked or bricked.
how can they resolve it?
they wont let me buy it.
so they should give me a copy for free
i wonder if you call them and tell them that the activation code isnt working and that you only have it on one machine.
my question is, when they drop support entirely. how are you going to activate then (when the servers are down)? are you just not going to be able to install / use windows xp anymore?
or will they release a keygen for that, then?
How many people complaining about this have actually experienced their geniune copy of Windows XP displaying a false “not genuine” message ?
#27: I remember reading last year somewhere that there was going to be a Windows Update download that would fully activate the OS just before all official M$ XP support stops in 2014. Seriously.
*yawn* They have to justify the shareholders on why they spend billions of dollars on research.
So, has anybody been bit by this bug? I don’t know of any.