Genuine Advantage Notification - what's it doing every morning?

[Guest]

I installed the Windows Genuine Advantage Notification application and
presumably it did its checks and decided my system was genuine. I would
think that's it.

So why is it trying to access the internet every day as soon as I switch on?
What's going on?

John Deas

 

[Mistoffolees]

I installed the Windows Genuine Advantage Notification application and
presumably it did its checks and decided my system was genuine. I would
think that's it.

So why is it trying to access the internet every day as soon as I switch on?
What's going on?

John Deas

....because that is what it was programmed to do. However, newer
versions are supposed to call home every fortnight. If this is
undesirable, either deactivate WGN or block the outgoing call by
a firewall.

 

[Noozer]

I installed the Windows Genuine Advantage Notification application and
presumably it did its checks and decided my system was genuine. I would
think that's it.

So why is it trying to access the internet every day as soon as I switch
on?
What's going on?

It's telling Microsoft what hardware and software you've got installed and
any changes that you've made. It also monitors your input as well.

 

[Guest]

Thanks - how do I deactivate it?

 

[Charlie Tame]

It's telling Microsoft what hardware and software you've got installed and
any changes that you've made. It also monitors your input as well.

Idiot - care to show some actual evidence of that?

 

[Alias]

Idiot - care to show some actual evidence of that?

From the horse's mouth:

Information collected during validation
Q: What information is collected from my computer?
A: The genuine validation process will collect information about your
system to determine if your Microsoft software is genuine. This process
does not collect or send any information that can be used to identify
you or contact you. The only information collected in the validation
process is:

* Windows product key
* PC manufacturer
* Operating System version
* PID/SID
* BIOS information (make, version, date)
* BIOS MD5 Checksum
* User locale (language setting for displaying Windows)
* System locale (language version of the operating system)
* Office product key (if validating Office)
* Hard drive serial number

Q: How does Microsoft use this information?
A: The information serves three purposes:

* It provides Web page flow, tailoring the pages you see based on
your responses.
* It conveys demographics, which help Microsoft to understand
regional differences in Windows or Office usage.
* It confirms user input. User input is often compared

Alias

 

[Charlie Tame]

As part of the update system the tool is checking for updates to itself,
that is because if you think about it MS may want the ability to turn it off
in case of errors. Imagine a simple error causing the tool to deny updates
to legitimate owners, that would be most annoying and would defeat the
purpose of the tool completely. It is unfortunate that MS did not originally
put this in large case letters right at the start of the EULA but to most of
us it is pretty obvious that a tool that depends on communicating via the
internet is going to, well, communicate via the internet

Charlie

 

[Charlie Tame]

From the horse's mouth:

Information collected during validation
Q: What information is collected from my computer?
A: The genuine validation process will collect information about your
system to determine if your Microsoft software is genuine. This process
does not collect or send any information that can be used to identify
you or contact you. The only information collected in the validation
process is:

* Windows product key
* PC manufacturer
* Operating System version
* PID/SID
* BIOS information (make, version, date)
* BIOS MD5 Checksum
* User locale (language setting for displaying Windows)
* System locale (language version of the operating system)
* Office product key (if validating Office)
* Hard drive serial number

Q: How does Microsoft use this information?
A: The information serves three purposes:

* It provides Web page flow, tailoring the pages you see based on
your responses.
* It conveys demographics, which help Microsoft to understand
regional differences in Windows or Office usage.
* It confirms user input. User input is often compared

Alias

So where the bit about "It also monitors your input as well." ? That is what
you said is it not?

All the rest has legitimate demographic use in establishing how the tool is
working.

Did you miss this part "This process does not collect or send any
information that can be used to identify you or contact you." ? Or did you
just choose to ignore it?

Charlie

 

[antioch]

Have you ever considered to enquire first before insulting somebody.
Perhaps not - engaging brain before mouth{or in this case fingers} is a
common fault with all of us.
Do a bit of reading/browsing - there has been enough written about WGA and
what it does etc.
Start here if you are really interested

http://windowssecrets.com/comp/060615/

It has also been well discussed over the last 6-8 weeks in most of the
newsgroups. I cannot say that I have noticed any contribution from yourself
in any of those threads.
I doubt you have even read them.
Can you prove WGA does not do what others are saying it does.
Its a form of spyware - I do not want it on my computer. Its done what it
was supposed to do, so why should I have it there calling its HQ every day.
Antioch

 

[Alias]

So where the bit about "It also monitors your input as well." ? That is what
you said is it not?

All the rest has legitimate demographic use in establishing how the tool is
working.

Did you miss this part "This process does not collect or send any
information that can be used to identify you or contact you." ? Or did you
just choose to ignore it?

Charlie

Um, Charlie, I made no comment. I just posted what Microsoft has on
their web site.

Alias

 

[DanS]

So where the bit about "It also monitors your input as well." ? That
is what you said is it not?

All the rest has legitimate demographic use in establishing how the
tool is working.

Did you miss this part "This process does not collect or send any
information that can be used to identify you or contact you." ? Or did
you just choose to ignore it?

Charlie

Well Charlie, while it (supposedly) does not send any info that can
'identify YOU or contact YOU', by name, the PC you are using has been
logged by M$.....hardware serial numbers, s/w ID's, etc.

With your IP address in hand, and a cooperative ISP, they can absolutely
identify the owner of the ISP account.

It's not beyond the realm of possibility with M$.

 

[DanS]

Well Charlie, while it (supposedly) does not send any info that can
'identify YOU or contact YOU', by name, the PC you are using has been
logged by M$.....hardware serial numbers, s/w ID's, etc.

With your IP address in hand, and a cooperative ISP, they can absolutely
identify the owner of the ISP account.

It's not beyond the realm of possibility with M$.

And to add to this, I can see it now, just like the whole DTV
fiasco..........

Vendors of hardware that could be used to program smartcards had been
shutdown with customer records confiscated. DTV then threatened to sue
every name on the lists they had, sent each of them letters, demanding
several thousand dollars or they would be taken to court. Many just paid
because it would be less expensive than going to court.

All of this just because they bought a card programmer, which has
legitimate uses outside of stealing satellite TV. DTV had no other proof
than an purchase of a card programmer. They had no proof that the person
ever used it, or if so, even used it for stealing DTV, whether the person
even owned any DTV equuipment, etc. IMO, it was plain extortion.

So now, M$, actually has proof that you are using an illegal copy of
Windows, along with access to the account holder via the ISP.

Plain as day to me.

 

[Jeff]

And check this out::: from Yahoo
WGA Notifications will be rolled out worldwide by the end of the year,
Microsoft said

Jeff

 

[kurttrail]

So where the bit about "It also monitors your input as well." ? That
is what you said is it not?

How is it to confirm user imput, without monitoring it?

All the rest has legitimate demographic use in establishing how the
tool is working.

LOL! "Legitimate!" What BS!

Did you miss this part "This process does not collect or send any
information that can be used to identify you or contact you." ?

Which is a lie, since even MS reps say that IP info is logged as part of
the process.

Or
did you just choose to ignore it?

Like I dismissed GWB when he lied about the massive stockpiles of WMDs
prior to the Iraqi War in 2003.

I don't believe the lies of known liars.

MS is a proven predatory monopoly, and IP infringer. Why would you
place your faith in anything they say?

--
Peace!
Kurt Kirsch
Self-anointed Moderator
http://microscum.com
"It'll soon shake your Windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'."

 

[kurttrail]

As part of the update system the tool is checking for updates to
itself, that is because if you think about it MS may want the ability
to turn it off in case of errors. Imagine a simple error causing the
tool to deny updates to legitimate owners, that would be most
annoying and would defeat the purpose of the tool completely. It is
unfortunate that MS did not originally put this in large case letters
right at the start of the EULA but to most of us it is pretty obvious
that a tool that depends on communicating via the internet is going
to, well, communicate via the internet

Yeah, that was the spin MS put out AFTER they were caught hiding the
phone home feature.

There have been plenty of users complaining about WGA mistakes, yet
there isn't ONE report of MS remotely disabling WGA.

--
Peace!
Kurt Kirsch
Self-anointed Moderator
http://microscum.com
"It'll soon shake your Windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'."

 

[antioch]

Nicely put, Kurt - please keep away from that WMD - I could not read through
all that again
Antioch

 

[Larry Gardner]

There are a number of solutions for this:

1. Your dta file may be corrupted, so Windows keeps connecting out.

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Windows Genuine
Advantage\data

2. Rename the data.dat file
3. Go to www.microsft.com/genuine and re-validate Windows and Office (if
have Office). There are buttons on the page
4. Close IE
5. Reboot.

See if you connect.

If you do:

1. Reboot in Safe Mode Command prompt
2. CD C:\Windows\System32
3. RENAME wgatray.exe wgatray.bak
4. CD C:\Windows\System32\Dllcache
5. DEL wgatray.exe
6. Reboot Normal mode

No Automatic Connections at Startup (if it was WGA problem).

 

[Guest]

Thanks everyone. Microsoft's own Q&A says

Q. Is genuine Windows validation a one-time process?
A. Yes, validation is a one time process.

so when I found it trying to call home every day I thought it was probably
spyware. I'll block that with Zonealarm and then consider the advice in the
useful reference from antioch's second post:

http://windowssecrets.com/comp/060615/

 

[Noozer]

Uhm... Only idiots resort to name calling. Have you even read Microsofts
page about what WGA does?

.... Read below, again... and keep doing so until you understand it.

 

[Noozer]

* It confirms user input. User input is often compared