[Windows Xp Genuine Advantage Download
Amancio Mccrae
I am about to apply updates to a windows xp installation I have not booted in a couple of years. When going to update.microsoft.com, it forced me first to accept an activex installation and now it wants me to install wga:
Windows Genuine Advantage Validation Tool (KB892130) 1.1 MB , less than 1 minute The Windows Genuine Advantage Validation Tool enables you to verify that your copy of Microsoft Windows is genuine. The tool validates your Windows installation by checking Windows Product Identification and Product Activation status.
Update for Windows XP (KB898461) 477 KB , less than 1 minute This update installs a permanent copy of Package Installer for Windows to enable software updates to have a significantly smaller download size. The Package Installer facilitates the install of software updates for Microsoft Windows operating systems and other Microsoft products. After you install this update, you may have to restart your system.
Brief Description This installation package is intended for IT professionals and developers downloading and > installing on multiple computers on a network. If you're updating just one computer, please visit Windows Update at . ... File Name: WindowsXP-KB936929-SP3-x86-ENU.exe
I am currently downloading this file. Will installing this bring my installation up to date with security updates? What about later updates whenever a new problem is discovered, how can i update without using wga?
Without WGA installed you will have trouble installing any optional updates from Microsoft though there are presumably "ways and means" if you have the time to search for them and the determination to avoid Windows-Genuine-Spyware.
If you can live without optional updates though, you'll be fine. Microsoft would not be daft enough to deny anyone security updates (at least until XP is officially fully deprecated) as the extra abundance of hacked Windows machines causing hassle would be extra embarrassment. You won't be able to use the WindowsUpdate web site - just the local client, and you'll need to be careful with that as WGA creeps in unexpectedly with other updates (make sure you always do a custom download and install of updates).
Caveat: I long since gave up trying to avoid WGA, though I've not stopped resenting the "guilty until proven innocent" attitude it implies. Note also, that you will not be able to avoid it at all if you upgrade to Vista or Windows 7.
Since the only thing WGA does is phone home and share machine gossip, then "bad things" are phoning home, and sharing machine gossip. Ipso facto, big brother. On this point, the OP might want to read this thread on the Microsoft forums, since it discusses the two levels (types) of WGA, and how often they "phone home".
Assuming one downloaded only from MS, I can't see how doing it manually would be any more likely than the more usual MS automatic updates to carry any hacks or infestations. However, if one was doing all this manually, one might also take a shortcut and download somebody else's version of the update files. Doing it all yourself would be a lot of work.
Anyway, the OP got good answers on "how-to" do the manual updates and avoid WGA. Given the number of XP updates, though, I have to agree with the opinions that it isn't worth the trouble. Every set of updates would have to be examined in detail. And new updates are still coming.
If you want to avoid most kinds of big brother stuff, then you need to use linux. Apple is vengeful big brother with draconian measures to prevent software from working (look at the iPhone) and Microsoft is just plain big brother. Trying to avoid it is, in my opinion, a HUGE WASTE OF TIME. Fine, don't like it, but wasting the time downloading everything off line and patching manually is a recipe to be hacked or otherwise suffer from malware infestations.
To date, helping others in various forums and from my own personal consulting experience, I have not seen one incident that WGA caused a major problem with. That doesn't mean it can't or hasn't happened, but to me, it's an irrational fear - if you have properly obtained your copy of Windows, then you have nothing to be concerned about. The odds of a problem are probably up there with the odds of dying in a plane crash - yes it could happen, but statistically, your safer than when you drive to the airport.
The OGA program had been put into place in late 2006 as a follow-up to Microsoft's Windows Genuine Advantage tool, which does similar checks to make sure copies of Windows are not pirated in order to receive updates and security patches.
ZDNet's Ed Bott, who discovered the end of the OGA program via a reader tip over the weekend, notes that Microsoft has done little to alert users to the end of the program besides mentioning it at the top of a knowledge base article. Additionally, a page called "Benefits of genuine Office" remains up on Microsoft's Office site, detailing what the company considers advantages of using genuine software.
One program that's not being shelved as part of OGA's end of life is Microsoft's policy of replacing counterfeited software with genuine copies in cases where customers believed they were buying the real thing. That program, which also began in 2006, aimed both at helping people who had accidentally bought good fakes, as well as giving Microsoft leads on where it was coming from.
The removal of OGA does not mean a lapse in the front-line security Microsoft employs to keep software pirates at bay. Users still need to enter in a 25-character activation key when first installing the software in order to unlock its license. Just like in its Windows operating system, users who skip this step are still able to use the software, but with reduced functionality.
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