[mahdee]

Only what i can say is, wga crack is the best way to make sure, you are not getting this warning ... I have never got since i use wga on illegal copies :p

[mahdee]

you are way behind current OSs , i think :}

[Horrabin]

The basic question, it seems to me, after reading this discussion, is:


If, as has been suggested, Micro$oft's WGA is constantly being hacked, to the point where you can't tell from year to year if what you've bought really is legitimate, then why is Micro$oft subjecting the world's consumers to WGA in the first place? If it's meant to reassure you that you have legitimate software, but in reality no one seems to really know, then the fault certainly can't be laid to the purchaser. Micro$oft should issue a valid key in this instance since it has already declared the software legitimate once. It has already conceded at that point it doesn't really know how to tell its own product from a fake.

[WinTard]

Nonsense.

Legitimate copies of Windows perform flawlessly most of the time and are impervious to (known) malware. But they require constant (automatic) updates.

Those experiencing troubles with their computers are usually infected with malware, causing the trouble in the first place.

Hackers can play the cat&mouse game all they want. They can run, but they can't hide...

~~~~~~~~~~
When fire and water are at war, it is the fire that loses.
{Spanish Proverb}

[bbvammy]

Yes, you are a thief.

If Microsoft's WGA say so.

[smax013]

WinTard said:

Nonsense.

Legitimate copies of Windows perform flawlessly most of the time and are impervious to (known) malware. But they require constant (automatic) updates.

First, nice revisionist edit to your original post...it made it at least moderately reasonable and true.

But, Windows is NOT impervious to known malware.

FWIW, NO OS is impervious. I do not care what any Mac head, Windows fan or Linux follower tells you...they are all vulnerable to malware (i.e. trojan horses, rootkits, viruses, worms, spyware, etc), whether known or not. And this is even before you take into account the biggest of "weak links"...the person sitting at the keyboard...many of which will let through bad stuff. The only impervious OS is the one that is on a computer that is NEVER turned on.

[dblj35]

microsoft said it was legit. their on the hook. what's the promblem?

[JcHc3in1]

I am sure that the majority of "MS's BS" is because of cheats like you. Thank you for increasing costs and making things more difficult for the rest of us who obey the law and copyrights.

[JcHc3in1]

Your post is noted. Thank you troll. You may now continue on to another board in which to spam.

[JcHc3in1]

Your post is noted. Thank you troll. You may now continue on to another board in which to spam.

[JcHc3in1]

Your post is noted. Thank you troll. You may now continue on to another board in which to spam.

[JcHc3in1]

Your post is noted. Thank you troll. You may now continue on to another board in which to spam.

[WinTard]

Thx for the compliment. I write, submit, proof-read, edit until satisfied, and am done within 5 minutes usually... I didn't know you watched like a hawk what people are posting in real-time? Or do you read all the 'archives' if such a thing exist? Do you have that much free time? Hmmm...

Like OS X, and Linux, Windows isn't 100% bulletproof. But case point is the Conficker scare. Once the vulnerabilities are patched, a system is immunized. A bit like a human organism.

And for the record, I've still got that system running XP-SP3 with NO AV, as a honey pot, on the Internet on a static IP, and still virus/malware free...

In addition, stupid people cause malware to be installed onto systems by using Administrative rights, or 'root' equivalent in Unix terminology, something most people wouldn't do in OS X or Linux, since it is merely one of a multitude of variants of Unix to start with. Something akin to shooting themselves in the foot.

So we agree on most fundamental things, except we come at it from a different perspective...

I also believe most problems root causes sits between the chair and the keyboard.

[coastie65]

JcHc3in1, Please keep your comments limited to the topic being discussed and refrain from personal attacks. This will not be tolerated and this will be your only warning. coastie

[coastie65]

Hey Win, As you probably surmised, we Mods do have our stealth modes. :D

[bbvammy]

@coastie

me too ... me too .....



you see me .... you see me not ..... ]:)

I am no XP thief .....

[Me2BFD]

"In the case cited in the article, the person tried to determine if it was a legitimate copy of Windows and MICROSOFT told him it was."

As I noted earlier, smax, he didn't call them to check if it was legit; he let WGA check it (and probably with his fingers crossed). The fact that the WGA program wasn't initially sophisticated enough to detect the pirated copy, doesn't legitimize the pirated copy. It's still illegal software.

'tip of the hat, wag of the finger'

[quark]

What is Windows Genuine Advantage?
Windows Genuine Advantage is Microsoft's not so subtle crackdown on illegal piracy of Windows XP and Microsoft Office products. Microsoft started with an ActiveX component to force owners of Windows XP to validate their version before downloading security updates. Unfortunately this particular scheme was rather easily foiled by groups on the net and workarounds appeared almost instantly including cracked files and javascript fixes.

Now Microsoft is becoming more advanced in their attack on pirated versions of Windows XP or Microsoft Office. They are including a Windows Genuine Advantage security patch in the updates of Windows XP. The newest patch, released the first week of June 2006, actually produces popups on the login screen and on the desktop explaining that this version of Windows XP is not genuine and the owner may be the victim of software counterfeiting.

If your version of Windows XP is not genuine and does not pass the validation schemes, you will not be able to download security patches from Windows Update, or install the latest version of Internet Explorer 7 and other software. For those users that do have a valid version of Windows XP, Microsoft offers some special promotions.

This quote of from PC HELL. This should the buyer of a counterfeit XP feel not only better, but teach him how to purchase in future!

[Boomshadow]

It's hard to say, based on the article, if the copy of Windows was even a non-legitimate copy. I seem to recall quite a few stories of WGA bringing up false positives when it first came out. Considering their track record with buggy releases, is WGA 7 already here to fix that? ;)

Seriously, though, unless the suspicions he had came from paying a much lower than normal price, I think the guy did his due diligence by running WGA and trusting the results. I mean, with Windows, that's all any of us can do, thanks to WGA.

Hope your copy of Windows stays legal! ;)

[WinTard]

I don't have to hope. I trust. But then again, I never had this occur to me... But if it did, you can be sure I'd go back to the place I bought in the first place. I'd even go to the legal authorities and also Microsoft; Oh did I say I don't buy from fly-by-nite? And only do business with people with a track record?