Hi.
I keep getting a warning about Genuine Advantage.
Uh-oh. I knew people were going to have a problem with this. Microsoft
snuck a software tool into the automatic Windows Updates, knowing that many
people have Windows updates set to download and install automatically (this
is Microsoft's recommendation, of course). They wouldn't realize what they
were installing on their computers until it was too late.
The Genuine Advantage tool runs after installation and determines whether
the operating system is a genuine Microsoft operating system. If you're
getting a warning that says, . . . well, I don't know what it says, but I
suspect it's telling you that you appear to have a counterfeit version of
Windows installed on your computer. In other words, you may have a pirated
version of Windows. The name "Genuine Advantage" should have been "Software
Pirate Detector," but that would have been obvious to people automatically
downloading the Windows Updates and checking the list before installing,
huh? Microsoft's marketers are probably still laughing about their clever
name. ;-)
Can someone tell me how to
resolve this pleas?
You can ignore it, like you've been doing ever since the warning first
showed up, but that's only a temporary solution. Eventually, Microsoft is
going to make OS validation a mandatory requirement to use automatic Windows
Updates. And many free downloads already aren't available to you for
download if you have a pirated version of Windows, including Internet
Explorer 7 and Windows Defender. That list of free downloads is only going
to increase.
As to resolving this, the warning message should have directed you to
Microsoft's Web page, which tells you about what you can do, such as get a
free copy of Windows if you can prove that you've been swindled with
counterfeit software (proof of purchase and CD's required), or pay $99 for
Windows XP Home or $149 for Windows XP Pro online for a legitimate license,
or buy a copy of Windows from a legitimate retailer, and install it on your
computer.
HTH.
Gunny
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