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Microsoft makes refurbished PCs its latest WGA anti-piracy targetPosted by Mary Jo Foley in All About Microsoft on Nov 9, 2007 6:02 AM
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In its ongoing quest to make sure that no potential Windows revenue source is left untapped, Microsoft is expanding its tentacles deeper into the refurbished PC marketplace. [Read the rest]

More WGA on ZDNet

Internet Explorer 7 update: Now WGA-free
Microsoft has issued an updated Internet Explorer (IE) 7 release that no longer requires Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) validation in order to download. The company has refreshed versions of IE... [Read the rest]
Posted by Mary Jo Foley in All About Microsoft on: Oct 4, 2007 9:43 AM
Microsoft has changed (some of) its monopolistic ways
Having reported on Microsoft since the early 1990s, I can say I've seen a lot of change, regarding Microsoft's business practices and behaviors. These changes aren't, for the most part,... [Read the rest]
Posted by Mary Jo Foley in All About Microsoft on: Sep 14, 2007 8:04 AM
Microsoft dodging the real stealth update issues
I've taken some time to properly digest Microsoft's response to the stealth update issue that I've been discussing here for the last few days and I've come to the conclusion... [Read the rest]
Posted by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes in Hardware 2.0 on: Sep 14, 2007 7:34 AM
Microsoft: WGA meltdown due to human error
The glitch in Microsoft's Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) system that affected an estimated 12,000 users over the August 24-25 weekend was due to "human error," according to a new August... [Read the rest]
Posted by Mary Jo Foley in All About Microsoft on: Aug 29, 2007 7:42 AM
Microsoft WGA servers are fixed, but no word on what went wrong
Microsoft has fixed whatever caused a massive worldwide outage of its Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) system that seemed to last just under 24 hours. So far, however, company officials aren't... [Read the rest]
Posted by Mary Jo Foley in All About Microsoft on: Aug 25, 2007 3:10 PM
Microsoft Windows Genuine Advantage system down for the count?
ArsTechnica and a few other sites are pointing to Microsoft forums where complaints are pouring in regarding problems that Windows XP and Windows Vista users are encountering when trying to... [Read the rest]
Posted by Mary Jo Foley in All About Microsoft on: Aug 25, 2007 2:18 PM
WGA notches win for Microsoft in piracy bust
Microsoft's anti-piracy effort may be annoying to some Windows users, but it has notched a big win catching the bad guys. On Tuesday, Microsoft announced that the FBI and... [Read the rest]
Posted by Larry Dignan in Between the Lines on: Jul 25, 2007 9:15 AM
Posting your Microsoft license keys to Web not the brightest thing to do
Via Digg, it appears as though users of Belarcs Free Personal PC Auditing tool -- a tool which amongst other things, extracts and displays the license information (including activation keys)... [Read the rest]
Posted by David Berlind in Berlind's Testbed on: Apr 16, 2007 7:03 AM
Thoughts on the BIOS emulation crack for Vista
A number of people have asked me about the BIOS emulation crack for Vista that allows the proper activation channels to be bypassed. Here's my take on this latest crack... [Read the rest]
Posted by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes in Hardware 2.0 on: Mar 13, 2007 10:35 AM
Microsoft responds to WGA issues
Last week I had the opportunity to ask Alex Kochis, Senior Product Manager on the Genuine Windows team, a couple of questions relating to Windows Genuine Advantage. The replies are... [Read the rest]
Posted by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes in Hardware 2.0 on: Mar 12, 2007 3:21 PM
Vista WGA problems confirmed
I've seen Vista's new WGA problems up close and personal, and I've got the screenshots to prove it. Why are some programs able to convince Windows that the operating system... [Read the rest]
Posted by Ed Bott in Ed Bott's Microsoft Report on: Feb 26, 2007 1:34 PM
291 Comments
What does Windows Vista reduced functionality mode look like?
UPDATE: Ive now added a gallery showing how to restore functionality if you run into trouble. Over the past few days a project that Ive been working on has mean... [Read the rest]
Posted by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes in Hardware 2.0 on: Feb 26, 2007 9:29 AM
Problems arise with Vista's validation
Microsoft announced its new anti-piracy measures for Windows Vista last fall with an assurance that its tight integration into the operating system would reduce the number of false positives. But... [Read the rest]
Posted by Ed Bott in Ed Bott's Microsoft Report on: Feb 26, 2007 6:41 AM
89 Comments
Microsoft ports license-management system to Windows Server 2003
As Microsoft promised late last year, the company has ported some of its volume-activation technology to Windows Server 2003. One Microsoft corporate customer is none too happy about a virtualization... [Read the rest]
Posted by Mary Jo Foley in All About Microsoft on: Feb 13, 2007 10:06 AM
Genuine Advantage: Can Microsoft recast itself as protector, not punisher?
Microsoft s trying to change public perceptions of Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) and Office Genuine Advantage (OGA) -- programs that many company observers and customers consider to be much more... [Read the rest]
Posted by Mary Jo Foley in All About Microsoft on: Jan 22, 2007 5:15 AM
Can Microsoft stay a step ahead of the Vista pirates?
Will Microsoft's new update to Windows Vista that is aimed at thwarting downloaders who are circumventing Vista's build-in product activation actually achieve the desired goal? The jury is out. [Read the rest]
Posted by Mary Jo Foley in All About Microsoft on: Dec 14, 2006 12:58 PM
Microsoft tweaks WGA Notifications
Yesterday I blogged about the fact that Microsoft has made some changes to how the WGA (Windows Genuine Advantage) Notifications application works. Today Ill show you some of the changes... [Read the rest]
Posted by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes in Hardware 2.0 on: Nov 29, 2006 6:01 AM
WGA Notifications update
Microsoft has released an update to the Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) Notification tool. This update introduces a new result category for results which are inconclusive.Heres the scoop.In addition to delivering... [Read the rest]
Posted by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes in Hardware 2.0 on: Nov 28, 2006 11:59 AM
Yes, there is an Office 2007 'kill switch'
Buried in a Knowledge Base article that Microsoft published to the Web on November 14 are details of Microsoft's plans to combat Office 2007 piracy via new Office Genuine Advantage... [Read the rest]
Posted by Mary Jo Foley in All About Microsoft on: Nov 20, 2006 5:20 AM
Will Office 2007 get a 'kill switch,' too?
Microsoft all but admitted earlier this month that the company is building a “kill switch� into Windows Vista, as part of its strategy to lock down Vista with Windows Genuine... [Read the rest]
Posted by Mary Jo Foley in All About Microsoft on: Oct 31, 2006 6:16 AM
Windows licensing still a confusing mess and alienates enthusiasts
Microsoft has made a real mess of explaining their Windows Vista licensing agreement terms. If professionals who are familiar with navigating their way around press releases and complex EULA agreements... [Read the rest]
Posted by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes in Hardware 2.0 on: Oct 16, 2006 1:33 PM
ZDNet reader makes good point about WGA and security distractions in Windows
In my last post about Microsofts Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) anti-piracy software, I picked up (third-hand) on a hypothetical mission critical scenario where, for whatever reasons, surgeons who rely on... [Read the rest]
Posted by David Berlind in Between the Lines on: Oct 10, 2006 7:22 AM
Microsoft: 'Software piracy is not a victimless crime'
Microsoft: "Software piracy is not a victimless crime" Me: "Wrongly accusing someone of software piracy is also not victimless" [Read the rest]
Posted by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes in Hardware 2.0 on: Oct 4, 2006 5:37 PM
A Vista kill switch would be good for Linux
There seems to be a lot of talk about a potential kill switch in Windows Vista, but that would be very good news for Linux and open source adoption in... [Read the rest]
Posted by George Ou in Real World IT on: Oct 4, 2006 3:16 PM
Microsoft to include anti-piracy kill switch in Windows (after originally saying it wouldn't do so)
This will undoubtedly descend into a war of semantics when it comes to what technically constitutes a kill switch. But, developers have tried "kill switches" in their code for as... [Read the rest]
Posted by David Berlind in Between the Lines on: Oct 4, 2006 8:34 AM
Another wave of WGA failures
Will Microsoft ever get WGA right? Last week, I reported on a mysterious outbreak of failures that were causing legitimate Windows XP users to fail validation and be tagged as... [Read the rest]
Posted by Ed Bott in Ed Bott's Microsoft Report on: Oct 4, 2006 8:24 AM
156 Comments
For Vista, WGA gets tougher
For Windows Vista, Microsoft is rolling out a new version of its Windows Genuine Advantage program, complete with a new name: the Windows Software Protection Platform. This time, they mean... [Read the rest]
Posted by Ed Bott in Ed Bott's Microsoft Report on: Oct 4, 2006 7:49 AM
102 Comments
What Microsoft still isn't saying about WGA and Volume Activation 2.0
What are some of the Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) and Volume Activation 2.0 aspects that are not common knowledge – but about which Microsoft watchers still might want to know?... [Read the rest]
Posted by Mary Jo Foley in All About Microsoft on: Oct 4, 2006 6:09 AM
Volume Activation 2.0: Another Potential Vista Gotcha?
Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) isn’t the only Microsoft anti-piracy scheme that might raise the hackles of future Vista customers. Volume Activation 2.0 is worrying some Vista testers who’ve had a... [Read the rest]
Posted by Mary Jo Foley in All About Microsoft on: Oct 2, 2006 5:53 AM
WGA horror story #760745
Microsoft continues to insist that there are no problems with its Windows Genuine Advantage anti-piracy program. But pesky customers keep spoiling the illusion by posting problem reports documenting the flaws.... [Read the rest]
Posted by Ed Bott in Ed Bott's Microsoft Report on: Sep 27, 2006 1:17 PM
256 Comments
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