Windows Genuine Advantage - Big Brother is watching you

TURN OFF AUTOMATIC WINDOWS UPDATES!

If you are unaware of Microsoft's latest intrusion into your privacy read
the article "Millions of Windows users may unwittingly be test subjects for
an unfinished Microsoft antipiracy tool." on zdnet.com. Every time you boot
your computer it contacts Microsoft, transferring information. Microsoft
claims this is only to verify that you have a genuine version of Windows.
This requires contacting Microsoft every time you boot? I verified that it
was installed on my computer under the disguise of a critical security
update. Furthermore, this "critical security update" cannot be uninstalled.
So from this point forward, regardless of installation of anti-virus,
anti-worm, anti-adware and firewall, Microsoft controls what information my
computer broadcasts.

Microsoft has chosen to go down the road of Sony's root kit installation. I
am opposed to piracy but also believe in privacy. Through Microsoft's march
to total world domination, I have increasingly tried to steer away from use
of their products. Unfortunately, virtually all of the software required for
me to make a living is only available for Windows.

So here I am, typing on a Sony Vaio running genuine Windows XP Professional.
And I thought my life was my own!

The public is so concerned that the government may listen in on telephone
conversations to suspected terrorists without court approval. But, it is not
the government that has access to every personal detail of my life - it is
Microsoft.

What a sad state of affairs.

Please read the following and become informed:

Microsoft Provides Additional Clarity About Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/f...6-08wgaqa.mspx

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

---------------------------------------------------------------------------Â*----------------

"mtflyer" wrote:

| TURN OFF AUTOMATIC WINDOWS UPDATES!
|
| If you are unaware of Microsoft's latest intrusion into your privacy read
| the article "Millions of Windows users may unwittingly be test subjects for
| an unfinished Microsoft antipiracy tool." on zdnet.com. Every time you boot
| your computer it contacts Microsoft, transferring information. Microsoft
| claims this is only to verify that you have a genuine version of Windows.
| This requires contacting Microsoft every time you boot? I verified that it
| was installed on my computer under the disguise of a critical security
| update. Furthermore, this "critical security update" cannot be uninstalled.
| So from this point forward, regardless of installation of anti-virus,
| anti-worm, anti-adware and firewall, Microsoft controls what information my
| computer broadcasts.
|
| Microsoft has chosen to go down the road of Sony's root kit installation. I
| am opposed to piracy but also believe in privacy. Through Microsoft's march
| to total world domination, I have increasingly tried to steer away from use
| of their products. Unfortunately, virtually all of the software required for
| me to make a living is only available for Windows.
|
| So here I am, typing on a Sony Vaio running genuine Windows XP Professional.
| And I thought my life was my own!
|
| The public is so concerned that the government may listen in on telephone
| conversations to suspected terrorists without court approval. But, it is not
| the government that has access to every personal detail of my life - it is
| Microsoft.
|
| What a sad state of affairs.

It just shows you here in America with big corporations, the consumer always
comes in last. It does not matter what you buy, always the consumer gets the
rotten end of the stick. Corporations can do whatever they want and if it
goes bad for the corporations they just stick it to the consumer to make up
the loss, after all if our own elected officials can do that why shouldn't
the corporations follow suit? There's no justice in the economy for the
American consumer anymore. also there's no-privacy for the same reason.

"mtflyer" wrote:

> TURN OFF AUTOMATIC WINDOWS UPDATES!
>
> If you are unaware of Microsoft's latest intrusion into your privacy read
> the article "Millions of Windows users may unwittingly be test subjects for
> an unfinished Microsoft antipiracy tool." on zdnet.com. Every time you boot
> your computer it contacts Microsoft, transferring information. Microsoft
> claims this is only to verify that you have a genuine version of Windows.
> This requires contacting Microsoft every time you boot? I verified that it
> was installed on my computer under the disguise of a critical security
> update. Furthermore, this "critical security update" cannot be uninstalled.
> So from this point forward, regardless of installation of anti-virus,
> anti-worm, anti-adware and firewall, Microsoft controls what information my
> computer broadcasts.
>
> Microsoft has chosen to go down the road of Sony's root kit installation. I
> am opposed to piracy but also believe in privacy. Through Microsoft's march
> to total world domination, I have increasingly tried to steer away from use
> of their products. Unfortunately, virtually all of the software required for
> me to make a living is only available for Windows.
>
> So here I am, typing on a Sony Vaio running genuine Windows XP Professional.
> And I thought my life was my own!
>
> The public is so concerned that the government may listen in on telephone
> conversations to suspected terrorists without court approval. But, it is not
> the government that has access to every personal detail of my life - it is
> Microsoft.
>
> What a sad state of affairs.

On Wed, 14 Jun 2006 08:16:03 -0700, mtflyer
<> wrote:

>TURN OFF AUTOMATIC WINDOWS UPDATES!
>
>If you are unaware of Microsoft's latest intrusion into your privacy read
>the article "Millions of Windows users may unwittingly be test subjects for
>an unfinished Microsoft antipiracy tool." on zdnet.com. Every time you boot
>your computer it contacts Microsoft, transferring information. Microsoft
>claims this is only to verify that you have a genuine version of Windows.
>This requires contacting Microsoft every time you boot? I verified that it
>was installed on my computer under the disguise of a critical security
>update. Furthermore, this "critical security update" cannot be uninstalled.
>So from this point forward, regardless of installation of anti-virus,
>anti-worm, anti-adware and firewall, Microsoft controls what information my
>computer broadcasts.
>
>Microsoft has chosen to go down the road of Sony's root kit installation. I
>am opposed to piracy but also believe in privacy. Through Microsoft's march
>to total world domination, I have increasingly tried to steer away from use
>of their products. Unfortunately, virtually all of the software required for
>me to make a living is only available for Windows.
>
>So here I am, typing on a Sony Vaio running genuine Windows XP Professional.
> And I thought my life was my own!
>
>The public is so concerned that the government may listen in on telephone
>conversations to suspected terrorists without court approval. But, it is not
>the government that has access to every personal detail of my life - it is
>Microsoft.
>
>What a sad state of affairs.

I am surprised you only just noticed this it has been around for at
least 6 weeks here. If you allow Automatic Updates to run and iinstall
whatever it wants I am afraid I have no sympathy.

You can remove it if you wish, its not hard to do.

google for the removal instructions

I agree totally with your points about this pernicious WGA crap that
victimises innocent users and not distributors of pirate software. You
can either work around WGA and get your updates from elsewhere (google
windiz updates) or you can live with it, or you can use another OS.

This is posted using Forte Agent running in WINE on a SuSE 10 Linux
Box. There are alternatives.

Jonah

"Carey Frisch [MVP]" <> schreef in bericht
news:OjU%...
> Please read the following and become informed:
>
> Microsoft Provides Additional Clarity About Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications
> http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/f...6-08wgaqa.mspx



"read my lips: I did not have s*x with that woman"

Shame on you, MSFT, lying about this disgraceful "Genuine unwanted beta Disadvantage"
to honnest paying customers like myself.

Whatever a lip-syncing MVP is posting here,
WGA is one of the worst mistakes MSFT made in 2006.




Time to "become informed" indeed:


http://windowssecrets.com/comp/060615/#story1


Quote from the URL above:
--

Windows Genuine Advantage is Microsoft spyware


By Brian Livingston

Windows Genuine Advantage — the controversial program Microsoft auto-installed as a
"critical security update" on many PCs starting on Apr. 25 — not only causes problems
for many users but has now been proven to send personally identifiable information
back to Redmond every 24 hours.


This behavior clearly fits any plausible definition of "spyware." Some tech writers
have said categorizing WGA as spyware is arguable. But I have no hesitation in
calling the program a security nightmare that Microsoft should never have distributed
in its present form.



In my May 25 newsletter, I called Microsoft's WGA download a "severe blunder." It
causes serious problems for some legitimate Windows users and was sprung on customers
with no notice other than a press release the day before.

No PC-using company that values security and reliability can allow a program like WGA
to send data to a distant server, download additional software, morph its behavior,
or remotely change the functionality of Windows (as I describe below). I don't
believe individuals should put up with this, either.

Today, I'll explain the problems and let you know what you can do to fix them.





If the spyware label fits, wear it

In a statement released on June 8, Microsoft officially denies that WGA is spyware.
Let's settle this question right off the bat so we can quickly move on to more
important things.


Microsoft's denial is based on its own definition of spyware:

"Broadly speaking, spyware is deceptive software that is installed on a user's
computer without the user's consent and has some malicious purpose. WGA is installed
with the consent of the user and seeks only to notify the user if a proper license is
not in place. WGA is not spyware."
This is patently absurd. Many spyware programs, such as peer-to-peer file sharing
applications, are knowingly installed with the user's consent. The user downloads the
software to get music, a screen saver, or whatever other benefit is promised.

What makes a program spyware, among other things, is that it operates in ways that
aren't clearly disclosed before installation and it reports data back to a central
server. Furthermore, this activity needn't be malicious. Many spyware programs do
nothing more than serving up targeted advertising or tracking anonymous marketing
behavior. If a user wants such tracking functions, they might be fine. But if the
user wasn't clearly made aware of this, whether or not such software has a malicious
purpose, it's still spyware.

The majority of published definitions of spyware focus the fact on that a program
quietly gathers and transmits data. For example, here's an excerpt from the first
definition returned by Google when define spyware is entered:

"Any software that covertly gathers user information through the user's Internet
connection without his or her knowledge, usually for advertising purposes."
To help you understand the latest revelations about Windows Genuine Advantage's
behaviors, let's walk through the latest facts that have been discovered about WGA.






What Genuine Advantage actually does:

What we've found about WGA fits neatly into four behaviors that are typical of all
spyware:

1. Lack of disclosure before installation. Windows users in the affected countries
(U.S., U.K., Australia, etc.) who had Automatic Updates set to "auto-install"
received WGA without user action, as though it was a critical security update — which
it clearly was not. Even those users who ran Windows Update or Microsoft Update
manually, however, were misinformed about what WGA would do. In 17 pages of screen
shots, ZDNet blogger David Berlind demonstrates this, concluding:

"I was not asked for consent when the WGA Validation Tool — the one that, like
spyware, phones home — installed itself. In fact, as can be seen from this screenshot
which immediately preceded the automatic download and installation of the WGA
Validation Tool, I could easily argue that I was misled into thinking I was going to
download and install something else when in fact, I was downloading and installing,
without my consent, software that apparently phones home."
A separate WGA Notification Tool is also downloaded. This program does not contact
Microsoft's server, but merely displays warnings on a user's PC if a Genuine
Advantage test is failed for whatever reason. After clicking several links in the
manual download process, Berlind found only a vague explanation of WGA through what
he calls a "circuitous route."

2. Transmits data to a central computer. The WGA Validation Tool contacts a Microsoft
server every time a PC is booted up and every 24 hours after that. (Some of the
earliest alarms about this were sounded by Lauren Weinstein, a co-founder of People
for Internet Responsibility, in postings June 5 through 13.) WGA's "phone home"
events, like all Internet packets, contain the IP address of the affected PC and the
date and time, indicating when it booted up or had run for 24 hours. In addition,
Microsoft's WGA director, David Lazar, told the Associated Press in a June 7
interview that the program also:

"...gathers information such as the computer's manufacturer and the language and
locale it is set for."
This is enough data to easily identify individual PCs. And, of course, WGA can be
modified remotely to collect additional information (as explained in point 3).

3. Downloads other software and morphs itself. WGA's daily contact with Microsoft's
servers is specifically designed to allow the company to download new instructions.
According to Microsoft's June 8 statement and Lazar's interview, this includes:

• Changing how often WGA contacts Microsoft's servers;
• Disabling features of WGA or disabling the WGA software entirely;
• Adding to the license keys that WGA treats as invalid; etc.

4. Cannot easily be uninstalled. No entry appears in the Add/Remove Software control
panel for patches 892130 or 905474 — the Validation Tool and the Notification Tool.
If you manually delete WGA's executable file, Windows regenerates it. (I'll discuss
remedies for this below.)

Perhaps most shocking is a trait of WGA that most other spyware doesn't suffer from.
WGA is beta software that even Microsoft doesn't consider ready for release.

Section 4 of the WGA Validation Tool EULA (End User License Agreement) states:

"4. PRE-RELEASE SOFTWARE. This software is a pre-release version. It may not work the
way a final version of the software will. We may change it for the final, commercial
version. We also may not release a commercial version."
Microsoft's June 8 statement confirms this by repeatedly calling the WGA rollout a
"pilot program" or a "pilot version." Of course, "pre-release software" and "pilot
version" mean exactly the same thing — beta.

At least that explains some of the many problems that Windows users are having with
WGA.






Problems with WGA — and some solutions:

It's important to remember that Windows Genuine Advantage is not an omnipotent,
do-everything program. Its stated goals are simple. If an instance of Windows doesn't
seem to have a valid license, (1) display notices to the user and (2) prevent any
updates being downloaded from Microsoft.com except security upgrades that are rated
"Critical."

Despite these limited tasks, WGA seems to cause a wide variety of headaches. Since my
May 25 article appeared, I've collected reports from the field and from readers
describing the following categories of issues:





1. False positives of legitimate copies of Windows. Numerous users report that WGA
refuses to validate licensed copies of Windows that are unquestionably genuine. At
Microsoft's official online forum called WGA Validation Problems, many people report
problems even with packaged copies of Windows that were purchased directly from
Microsoft.

2. No updates at all unless WGA is accepted. Although a WGA failure is supposed to
only prevent affected users from downloading nonsecurity updates, many Windows
Secrets readers report that legitimate copies of Windows refuse to display any
updates except the WGA download — until the Validation and Notification Tools are
installed. Phillip "Skip" Lehrfeld writes:

"I chose to download the Windows Genuine Advantage Validation Tool (KB 892130) on
March 6, 2006. I followed this with Windows Genuine Advantage Notification (KB
905474) on May 4, 2006.

"On June 2, 2006, I was checking the Update site as I was informed that there was a
new Critical update to be downloaded. I checked the site and it told me I could not
get my update as I was missing a critical tool. I checked it out and it told me I was
missing the Windows Genuine Advantage Validation Tool. I checked my history and sure
enough I had installed it on March 6.

"OK, I will bite, and I downloaded it again. Yes, the number was KB 892130, the same
as before. Then it wanted me to install the second one again. I installed Windows
Genuine Advantage Notification, KB 905474, for the second time. Having installed the
two for the second time, there were no new updates to install. Those were the updates
to be installed. ...

"After the reinstallation, I checked the history section of the site and now I have
the two updates installed twice successfully.

"I have an authorized copy of Windows XP and had no problems with the above events;
but it leaves me to wonder what is going on and are they now doing something else to
my system without revealing what is going on."

The redundant WGA install messages are probably caused by changed code that Microsoft
wished to download to defeat some workarounds that disabled WGA.

Numerous other readers say that Microsoft's update site also reported to them that
there were no patches except WGA, although important updates were, in fact,
available.

3. "Notify only" options disabled. We have some reports that the "notify only"
options in Automatic Updates are greyed out and can't be selected. G. Allen Taylor,
M.D., writes:

"With regard to the OS updates, which I have so faithfully and obediently installed,
I now suspect that one of them has 'grayed out' the Options menu in Windows Update on
both my computers. "While formerly I could choose to automatically or manually
download and/or install the periodic updates, I now have no choice on either of my
computers. Whether I want them or not, all updates are downloaded when I'm online and
installed then or the next time I reboot."
Dr. Taylor offers a fix, which involves the fact that a Group Policy was somehow
enabled that prevents any option other than auto-updates.

The solution requires a change to Group Policy or the Registry. The procedures are
described at the Windows XP MVPs site.

4. Reinstalls from valid CDs fail the Genuine Advantage test. By far the most serious
side-effect of WGA is that it doesn't validate instances of Windows that are
reinstalled, even when a genuine CD-ROM from a major computer maker is used. Lauren
Weinstein writes:

"It appears that it is exceedingly common for repair operations to reinstall based on
"cloned" or otherwise duplicated copies of the Microsoft OS, rather than try to
restore or reauthenticate based on the original users' OS serial numbers or
authentication codes. Original restore disks and key information cards/labels are
frequently missing, making it difficult to duplicate the original authentication
environment."
I've seen reports of this on Microsoft's own forum involving such cases as Best Buy's
Geek Squad reinstalling Windows with the user's original, licensed Dell CD-ROM.

Despite all of the reported problems, Microsoft officials aren't very forthcoming on
the subject of WGA. On June 9, I asked to interview David Lazar in Redmond and
submitted a few questions in writing. Five days later, a spokesman replied,
"Unfortunately, we will not be able to participate in this opportunity."

Many Windows users seem to be in denial that WGA could be spyware, because Microsoft
is such a big, well-known company. Unfortunately, that was what people thought of the
Sony BMG recording label before it started distributing music CDs last year with
rootkit software that infected PCs.

I don't feel that Microsoft or Sony BMG are evil incarnate. But we must recognize
that Microsoft is now just one more spyware distributor among the many we have to
watch out for.

--end of quote--



Time for an Apple.

I like others turned on the automatic updates since I am busy and don't have
time to remember to check them. All the time thinking that if Microsoft said
it was critical, then it was. What a joke that was! I now have no clue of all
the so called critical updates on my computer that have to do with this WGA,
what kind of damage they can do to your computer, and if #905474 can be
gotten rid of or not. I read on Microsoft.com that some can be disabled or
uninstalled but I didn't see anything about whether the rest could and if I
uninstalled some would it cause more problems with the ones still on my
computer!?! If you can get rid of the rest does anyone know how and what are
all the updates #'s for this? Does anyone know if it can cause you to not be
able to get on certain sites too? I would greatly appreciate help if anyone
knows.
I've read alot of comments on this and as far as I am concerned it should
have been an option not sent out as critical. I don't really care for the
fact of someone downloading stuff from my computer after they never asked me
if they could to begin with along with not being able to go to my add/remove
and click uninstall. I want to at least have that option if I feel the need
to.
I guess this is what we have to look forward to as long as we have
Microsoft, problems with almost every update.



--
Sage


"mtflyer" wrote:

> TURN OFF AUTOMATIC WINDOWS UPDATES!
>
> If you are unaware of Microsoft's latest intrusion into your privacy read
> the article "Millions of Windows users may unwittingly be test subjects for
> an unfinished Microsoft antipiracy tool." on zdnet.com. Every time you boot
> your computer it contacts Microsoft, transferring information. Microsoft
> claims this is only to verify that you have a genuine version of Windows.
> This requires contacting Microsoft every time you boot? I verified that it
> was installed on my computer under the disguise of a critical security
> update. Furthermore, this "critical security update" cannot be uninstalled.
> So from this point forward, regardless of installation of anti-virus,
> anti-worm, anti-adware and firewall, Microsoft controls what information my
> computer broadcasts.
>
> Microsoft has chosen to go down the road of Sony's root kit installation. I
> am opposed to piracy but also believe in privacy. Through Microsoft's march
> to total world domination, I have increasingly tried to steer away from use
> of their products. Unfortunately, virtually all of the software required for
> me to make a living is only available for Windows.
>
> So here I am, typing on a Sony Vaio running genuine Windows XP Professional.
> And I thought my life was my own!
>
> The public is so concerned that the government may listen in on telephone
> conversations to suspected terrorists without court approval. But, it is not
> the government that has access to every personal detail of my life - it is
> Microsoft.
>
> What a sad state of affairs.

I want to know what Microsoft plans on doing to fix this problem so I can go
back to being able to use my computer like before I got spyware aka WGA. I
never had any problems before now I can't access certain sites because of it
and it runs like crap. Either give us a real update or tell us how to
uninstall this crap so we can actually use our computers again. If it is not
fixed soon I will be getting rid of all Microsoft stuff and going with Apple,
with them at least you know what your getting. Don't refer me to this link
like you did with others, I want real answers not this crap.

"Carey Frisch [MVP]" wrote:

> Please read the following and become informed:
>
> Microsoft Provides Additional Clarity About Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications
> http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/f...6-08wgaqa.mspx
>
> --
> Carey Frisch
> Microsoft MVP
> Windows - Shell/User
> Microsoft Community Newsgroups
> news://msnews.microsoft.com/
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------Â*----------------
>
> "mtflyer" wrote:
>
> | TURN OFF AUTOMATIC WINDOWS UPDATES!
> |
> | If you are unaware of Microsoft's latest intrusion into your privacy read
> | the article "Millions of Windows users may unwittingly be test subjects for
> | an unfinished Microsoft antipiracy tool." on zdnet.com. Every time you boot
> | your computer it contacts Microsoft, transferring information. Microsoft
> | claims this is only to verify that you have a genuine version of Windows.
> | This requires contacting Microsoft every time you boot? I verified that it
> | was installed on my computer under the disguise of a critical security
> | update. Furthermore, this "critical security update" cannot be uninstalled.
> | So from this point forward, regardless of installation of anti-virus,
> | anti-worm, anti-adware and firewall, Microsoft controls what information my
> | computer broadcasts.
> |
> | Microsoft has chosen to go down the road of Sony's root kit installation. I
> | am opposed to piracy but also believe in privacy. Through Microsoft's march
> | to total world domination, I have increasingly tried to steer away from use
> | of their products. Unfortunately, virtually all of the software required for
> | me to make a living is only available for Windows.
> |
> | So here I am, typing on a Sony Vaio running genuine Windows XP Professional.
> | And I thought my life was my own!
> |
> | The public is so concerned that the government may listen in on telephone
> | conversations to suspected terrorists without court approval. But, it is not
> | the government that has access to every personal detail of my life - it is
> | Microsoft.
> |
> | What a sad state of affairs.
>
>