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Giorgina Makara

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Aug 2, 2024, 7:23:08 PM8/2/24

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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.

To verify if your Windows 10 is genuine, you can check the activation status in the Settings app: go to Settings > Update & Security > Activation. If it says "Windows is activated with a digital license," your copy is genuine.

Hi I did as you said again after activating my windows and I got it as you mentioned above. But i read somewhere that to test if it's genuine we have to use see if the windows is activated through a digital license but my one says that it's activated through organisation

I have shared the screenshot of my current operating system. I think I have a genuine Microsoft Windows as I have purchased it while buying the new personal computer. Please reply either whether I am correct or not

Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) was an anti-infringement system created by Microsoft used to validate the licences of several Microsoft Windows operating systems upon accessing services such as Windows Update and Microsoft Download Center.

It consisted of two components: an installable component called WGA Notifications that hooks into Winlogon and validates the Windows license upon each logon and an ActiveX control that checks the validity of the Windows license when downloading certain updates from the Microsoft Download Center or Windows Update.

The WGA validation process validates the present installation of Windows and its license key against the detected computer hardware and determines if the software was licensed from Microsoft. It is accessible by either a stand-alone program, a Netscape-compatible web browser plug-in, or as an ActiveX control within Internet Explorer, the latter of which is relevant to any attempt to access Microsoft updates via its browser. It includes the following steps:

On Windows Vista without service packs, WGA validation failure has a greater impact. In addition to persistent notification and the disabling of non-critical updates, WGA also disables Windows Aero, Windows Defender and Windows ReadyBoost. The user is given a grace period in which to then pass validation, after which most of the operating system is disabled and Windows reverts to reduced functionality mode. This behavior however has been removed in Service Pack 1 of Windows Vista in favor of prominent notices on systems believed unlicensed.

A Windows Group Policy was added by later updates, causing this option to be unavailable by default, but still accessible if the policy were removed. As of July 2006, the latest update blocks management by other means.

On Windows XP, if WGA determines that a user's copy of Windows is unauthorized but was installed from seemingly legitimate media (i.e., the CD/DVD and holographic emblem present on real copies of Windows seems genuine), then Microsoft will supply the user with a new CD/DVD. However, newer versions of Windows will still require the user to purchase a new copy. Microsoft also offers discounts to people who want to purchase a legitimate copy of Windows but do not have a valid CD. Microsoft has indicated that they will continue to deliver critical security updates through their Automatic Updates service as well as via the Microsoft Download Center, so that all systems, including those that fail to pass validation, will still continue to receive critical security updates.

The company has made installation of Windows Genuine Advantage a requirement for use of the Windows Update and Microsoft Update websites, in part to be sure that customers who use support resources of the company are aware when their software is unlicensed. According to Microsoft themselves, it is legal to run Microsoft Windows without Windows Genuine Advantage [citation needed].

However, since non-critical Windows updates are not presented by Automatic Updates, installation of WGA is required for installation of such non-critical updates, which are only available through Windows Update or the Microsoft Download Center.

On April 25, 2006, Microsoft began distributing Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications[4] as "critical update" KB905474 to Windows users. For Windows 7, KB971033 has the same function.[5] Back in 2006, users with copies the WGA believed to be unlicensed were exposed to alerts[6] at startup, login, and during use of the Windows OS, stating that they do not have a genuine copy of Windows. Users with legitimate copies are not supposed to see the alerts (although some do anyway[7]). On May 23, 2006, Microsoft updated the program, closing some forms of circumvention, but reportedly not all.[8] It was updated again on May 30, June 6 and June 27, 2006, though some forms of circumvention are still usable. The latest versions do not roll out worldwide at the same time: the dates given are the earliest dates on which the versions appeared, so the actual version being offered in some places will be an earlier version than the latest release. It is still possible to opt out of receiving this update using the "do not show" option at the Windows Update site (Windows XP), and the "Hide" option in the right-click menu of Windows Update in Control Panel (Windows Vista/7/8). In addition to these notifications, Windows Genuine Advantage will also notify users with the message "This version of Windows XP is no longer secure" if users on an XP Operating System are not using Service Pack 3, and it will provide a link to help users to update their systems to the new service pack.