Via WGA update

Mar 25, 2009 16:38 GMT  ·  By

Having dealt with the SoftMod Windows Vista activation crack, Microsoft will start hunting down pirated copies of Windows XP Professional, the flavor of the operating system labeled by the company as most popular with pirates. The software giant has cooked and will release an update to Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications designed to sniff out and flag as non-genuine unlicensed or otherwise hacked copies of XP Pro.  “The WGA in Windows XP does not reduce a computer’s functionality, even if the OS is determined to be a non-genuine copy,” a Microsoft spokesperson explained.  Alex Kochis, Director Windows Genuine Advantage, revealed that the latest update to the anti-piracy mechanism was capable to identify the latest fake and stolen/leaked product keys, as well as any cracks or additional methods used to bypass the activation process. At the same time there are other enhancements introduced to WGA Notifications by the refresh.

“With this release we've improved the design making it easier to install the update and to stay up to date with the latest release of WGA. This release focuses on the product edition that we find is most often counterfeited, Windows XP Professional,” Kochis added. “This update includes the latest validation information including recently stolen or misused product keys and other information.”

Microsoft has also tweaked the installation process of WGA Notifications. The WGA refresh will be served automatically to Windows XP operating systems that have Automatic Updates enabled, and the installer will allow the user to deploy the update on the next reboot after the bits were downloaded. Users that have already integrated past WGA releases with the operating system will have the bits updated in the background, and will not need to go through the installation process again.

“After installing this version of WGA Notifications on a copy of Windows XP that fails the validation a users experience of Windows would include (same as with the last release) first a message at their next logon indicating that they might be a victim of software counterfeiting. They would see that their desktop has changed to a plain black background and they will see a persistent desktop notification above the system tray as well as messages from the system tray offering additional information and ways that the customer can report the piracy or obtain a genuine copy of Windows,” Kochis revealed.

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