Is Microsoft out of its collective mind?

[Bert Hyman]

I go to Windows update and I'm offered "Windows Genuine Advantage
Notification" which says "The Windows Genuine Advantage Notification
tool notifies you if your copy of Windows is not genuine."

What?

I need to download and install something that will "notify" me if my
copy of Windows is not genuine?

Are they suggesting that my "genuine" copy of Windows might somehow
become "non-genuine" and I need to have this thing installed in my OS to
"notify" me of that event?

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

You'll need to contact Microsoft directly:
http://support.microsoft.com/oas/default.aspx?gprid=1173

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows - Shell/User
Microsoft Community Newsgroups
news://msnews.microsoft.com/

---------------------------------------------------------------------------­----------------

:

| I go to Windows update and I'm offered "Windows Genuine Advantage
| Notification" which says "The Windows Genuine Advantage Notification
| tool notifies you if your copy of Windows is not genuine."
|
| What?
|
| I need to download and install something that will "notify" me if my
| copy of Windows is not genuine?
|
| Are they suggesting that my "genuine" copy of Windows might somehow
| become "non-genuine" and I need to have this thing installed in my OS to
| "notify" me of that event?
|
| --
| Bert Hyman St. Paul, MN

 

[Guest]

The Windows genuine advantage tool is a peice of software that enables you
access to (for free) certain downloads and regular updates (providing you
have a Genuine version Of Windows installed).

As an end user it is in your best interest to run this tool; It will help
you to identify wether you are running illegal/counterfeit software; Only
genuine Microsoft Windows provides you with amongst other things - Free
Downloads, complete and updated security and bonafied unmodified - unhacked
software.

By implimenting this tool Micrsoft are not only helping you to stay legal
but they are attempting to ensure that Every Windows Desktop has Genuine -
reliable (updated) and unmoddifed Windows software; This helps is a step
toward slowing down the growth of virus, worms and akin.

Running the tool is simple -

Give it a go and Good Luck

CRaven

 

[Galen]

In Bert Hyman had this to say:

My reply is at the bottom of your sent message:

Are they suggesting that my "genuine" copy of Windows might somehow
become "non-genuine" and I need to have this thing installed in my OS
to "notify" me of that event?

Snipped.

Yes that's what they are suggesting. Don't blame me - I just relay what I
see. So, well, install it and see. It's small and doesn't break anything.

--
Galen - MS MVP - Windows (Shell/User & IE)
http://dts-l.org/
http://kgiii.info/

"At present I am, as you know, fairly busy, but I propose to devote my
declining years to the composition of a textbook which shall focus the
whole art of detection into one volume." - Sherlock Holmes

 

[Bert Hyman]

In

By implimenting this tool Micrsoft are not only helping you to stay
legal

Are you suggesting that I could suddenly ->become illegal?

 

[Bert Hyman]

In news:[email protected] "Carey Frisch [MVP]"

You'll need to contact Microsoft directly:

No thanks.

 

[Bert Hyman]

In

The Windows genuine advantage tool is a peice of software that enables
you access to (for free) certain downloads and regular updates
(providing you have a Genuine version Of Windows installed).

You seem to be a little confused.

I was offered, and downloaded, the "Windows Genuine Advantage Validation
Tool" back in early March.

I'm ->now being offered something else entirely, the "Windows Genuine
Advantage Notification tool" which, apparently, will run each and every
time I boot my system.

That's ->really stupid.

And really annoying, especially since if I do chose do download it, I'm
presented with this:

"MICROSOFT PRE-RELEASE SOFTWARE LICENSE TERMS"

Pre-release software?

They have to be kidding.

 

[Jupiter Jones [MVP]]

Bert;
The language in the EULA has been brought to Microsoft's attention.
I suspect it was a mistake from an early Beta and the EULA simply was not
changed.

 

[Steve Reed]

[...] I was offered, and downloaded, the "Windows Genuine Advantage
Validation Tool" back in early March.

I'm now being offered something else entirely, the "Windows Genuine
Advantage Notification Tool" which, apparently, will run each and every
time I boot my system.

That's really stupid.

I'd agree, and so, I think, would the reporter from "Information Week" who
outlined what seems to be the latest MS anti-piracy but user-frustration
initiative:

http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=186701032

"== Microsoft Nags U.S. Users of Fake Windows ==
If Microsoft thinks your copy of Windows is pirated, the software will display
a nag screen upon login."

 

[Robert Moir]

[...] I was offered, and downloaded, the "Windows Genuine Advantage
Validation Tool" back in early March.

I'm now being offered something else entirely, the "Windows Genuine
Advantage Notification Tool" which, apparently, will run each and
every time I boot my system.

That's really stupid.

I'd agree, and so, I think, would the reporter from "Information
Week" who outlined what seems to be the latest MS anti-piracy but
user-frustration initiative:

http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=186701032

I'd agree too. heh. It seems that some people at Microsoft are so scared
that their software might be pirated that they simply don't care how many
legitmate users they drive away.

With Linux looking better all the time and OSX always looking good and now
starting to be available on affordable hardware, this is no time to be
driving customers away!

--
--
Rob Moir, Microsoft MVP
Blog Site - http://www.robertmoir.com
Virtual PC 2004 FAQ - http://www.robertmoir.co.uk/win/VirtualPC2004FAQ.html
I'm always surprised at "professionals" who STILL have to be asked "Have you
checked (event viewer / syslog)".

 

[Leythos]

It seems that some people at Microsoft are so scared
that their software might be pirated that they simply don't care how many
legitmate users they drive away.

Except that the majority of the people with legit software don't have a
problem with it and never see any difference.

I've only seen it catch the pirates so far.

 

[Robert Moir]

Except that the majority of the people with legit software don't have
a problem with it and never see any difference.

I've only seen it catch the pirates so far.

Well there is no doubt that the impact to people with illegitmate software
is far higher. However, I've seen people who are not pirates posting with
problems with the software.

Then we have the 'grey' area - people who purchased copies of software in
good faith but were ripped off by their supplier. Now these people are
obviously using illegitmate copies of Windows, however it is *not* their
fault. These people are going to be upset when this update goes off on their
machine, after all, they know they have a 'legit' copy of Windows.. after
all, they paid "Honest Steve" to build them a new computer, including the
latest version of that there Windows, when their previous Windows 98 machine
finally gave up the ghost.

And "Honest Steve" wouldn't rip them off, after all, he's built all their
computers for them and did a great job on each one. So it must be
Microsoft's fault ;-)

More seriously, there is a complaint on one of the NGs right now from a Dell
customer about a computer with an OEM licence for XP. You can't get a Dell
home computer without an OS, and I'm damn certain that for all their many
faults, Dell are not shipping "pirated" OEM software to their customers.

 

[Leythos]

Well there is no doubt that the impact to people with illegitmate software
is far higher. However, I've seen people who are not pirates posting with
problems with the software.

The only people I've seen having problems are the ones that have
reinstalled OEM to many times on a different machine or who were using
VOL keys that were made invalid due to the number of activations.

Then we have the 'grey' area - people who purchased copies of software in
good faith but were ripped off by their supplier. Now these people are
obviously using illegitmate copies of Windows, however it is *not* their
fault. These people are going to be upset when this update goes off on their
machine, after all, they know they have a 'legit' copy of Windows.. after
all, they paid "Honest Steve" to build them a new computer, including the
latest version of that there Windows, when their previous Windows 98 machine
finally gave up the ghost.

And "Honest Steve" wouldn't rip them off, after all, he's built all their
computers for them and did a great job on each one. So it must be
Microsoft's fault ;-)

There is nothing Gray about that situation - they are using a pirated
copy, it's black and white. Sure, I feel sorry for them, but that
doesn't change anything. If they bought a stolen TV and the police
recovered it, they would still be out the money and not have a TV, the
same applies to their pirated copy of Windows.

More seriously, there is a complaint on one of the NGs right now from a Dell
customer about a computer with an OEM licence for XP. You can't get a Dell
home computer without an OS, and I'm damn certain that for all their many
faults, Dell are not shipping "pirated" OEM software to their customers.

And you need to follow the specific details in that case. The only
people having real problems are the ones with Pirated copies and the
ones with to many installs on multiple machines with a single key.

We support a large number of systems and have not seen any issues with
it for legit installs, and most of them are OEM installs. We have seen
several systems that SP2 would not install on due to WGA and other
issues - the patches stated that the WXP key was invalid or pirated,
which, as it turns out, was the truth - the owner of the systems had
knowingly installed pirated copies....

 

[Bert Hyman]

(e-mail address removed) (Leythos) wrote in

Except that the majority of the people with legit software don't
have a problem with it and never see any difference.

I've only seen it catch the pirates so far.

Unless it's being distributed in some other way than via the update
site, why would a pirate ever download and install the thing?

 

[Leythos]

(e-mail address removed) (Leythos) wrote in


Unless it's being distributed in some other way than via the update
site, why would a pirate ever download and install the thing?

Pirates are normally stupid people, who knows why they would install it,
but they do. I know people that have never paid for software of any
type, and they still do stupid things.

 

[Wesley Vogel]

I know people that have never paid for software of any

type, and they still do stupid things.

And stealing software is a smart thing?

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In

 

[Leythos]

And stealing software is a smart thing?

That was the point - they are not any smarter now that before and stupid
people do stupid things.