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Latest WGA deletes wallpaper
Author: Gareth HalfacreePublished: 28th August 2008
The latest revision of WGA will delete your wallpaper every hour if it believes your copy of Windows isn't genuine.
The latest version of the Windows Genuine Advantage tool – built by Microsoft to programmatically determine whether a version of Windows is legal or not – has introduced some new, in-your-face functionality for remonstrating with users of less-than-legitimate operating systems. First and foremost amongst these, according to BetaNews, is code to reset your desktop wallpaper to a plain colour every sixty minutes. You can change it back again, but until you shell out on a real copy of Windows you'll be doing so on the hour, every hour.
If you're running Vista rather than XP, the new version goes one further – as well as consigning your pretty wallpaper to the void, the Aero graphics interface will be disabled too – pirates will only get to play with the “Vista Basic” theme.
Finally, a semi-transparent overlay in the lower right corner of the screen will display the message “You may be a victim of software counterfeiting.” This text will appear on the top of any open applications – including, it would seem, full-screen 3D applications such as games.
With this latest revision, Microsoft has gone out of its way to irritate and nag users of illegitimate copies of Windows into shelling out for the real deal – and yet has still to come up with an 'advantage' of Windows Genuine Advantage for the end-user. That is, other than the satisfaction that comes from seeing the little “Your version of Windows is genuine” message.
Do we have any piratical types reading who have been wondering where their wallpaper went, or is the latest WGA version simply another thing for the professional pirates to work around? Share your thoughts over in the forums.
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Comments (83)
As if any legit user will care about the "your windows is genuine" msg when doing a ms driver upgrade.
As if anybody cares if you have a honest or pirated windows.
A fortune is relative... People don't bother dishing out €350 for JUST a GFX card, but when it comes to one of the key components, the OS, then every € is one too much...
£60 OEM.
I'd rather build my system with a trustworthy OS version rather than struggle with a dodgy pirate version.
I know, that's what I paid for it - to me, that's a fortune, no matter what you spend it on.
Yeah, with a quad core and a 8800GT it does seem you don't have a lot to spend on your PC, and certainly not on key components like for instance an OS :(
I don't ever recall them being 'cheap', and when people are spending hundreds on a homebuild (I've yet to see a prebuild come without a license), it's hardly unfair to ask them to pay for the software that they're going to use day in, day out for the next few years.
Complaining about the cost, even though it seems pretty damn extortionate, isn't going to change anything. If it's that much of a bind, get a copy of Linux, they're nearly all free.
Admittedly, Windows does a very bad job of being 'nice' to users, but hey, that software is pretty much the base of everything we do. Not like we can change that too easily.
No Not really.
My PC was for christmas.
Ninja Edit:
There's no "Advantage" to having a genuine copy of windows, we just don't get crippled like the detected pirated versions.
They should probaby have called it "WCD" - Windows Counterfeit Disadvantage
I just love it how people prioritise hardware over software, while software is actually more important than hardware... Bleeding edge hardware without software is useless, software without bleeding edge hardware still works, just a bit slower...
It's exactly the same as buying petrol at the price it is, I have to pay it, but I don't have to be happy about it.
I've never seen it getting in my face, I assume it has itself a mug or two of 'sit the **** down and shut the **** up' within legal copies.
And in case you didn't know, if you hate MS so much, or dislike their practices, vote with your wallet... There are (free) alternative OSs... But live with the consequences of your choices. IMHO you should either STFU and pay the price, or do something about it and deal with the consequences. But that is most peoples problem, they whine and whine, yet they take the easy way out... But that's an other discussion I guess...
Windows costs more, but they update it all the time for free.
essentially you are getting a deal with windows.
I bet you're getting it through Uni, yes?
Apple OS's are barely cheaper, though, there aren't any annoying license codes to put in, which is nice.
Near enough... from a mate whom got it on employee purchase ftw :)
ie <£20
However id still feel it would be worth purchasing the os at normal retail or possibly oem if i had to, as Glider correctly says, the OS is as important as the hardware inside the machine, so something to always factor in.
I think its a shame though, I think microsoft turning off the bit that disabled your system in the WGA was a good move - yes notify users that it's a copy, but don't break the whole PC. Now they're going one step backwards. They want to force people to buy it, but die hard pirates never will and those in the margins aren't going to be endeared to Microsoft if they are crippling their software, it's just going to annoy people who will get a fix that will no doubt be on torrent sites a few days after the update.
It's like terrorism in a sense. You can't defeat an ideology by chucking bombs at it until they go 'oh, ok, we give up now and will play by your rules', you need to go through the route of looking at the issue, understanding the motives and finally trying to come to some kind of compromise so that all parties are satisfied.
I wouldn't call it dodgy, it installed quicker than the genuine copies... Also, nlite is a godsend.
You want a game to have a good play time, right? Don't want it to be over too quickly, and get good re-playability factor. Games are roughly £30 for the premium decent games, some offering up to 60-100hrs of play time.
Think how long you spend using the core OS, then compare the cost of the OS with the cost of the aforementioned example game. Good value? Of course it is. Nay-sayers shut the hell up.
I personally think that Vista is good value for what you get. I like Vista, it runs more stabily for me than XP and my PC is 4 years old! I've been running Vista for over a year now and never had any form of BSoD, and only twice has it siezed up requiring a restart.
What i do object to, however, is the price difference between Vista Home Premium and Vista Ultimate. I just don't think that the extras included with Ultimate is worth that price difference - even including Ultimate Extras which pretty much just allows you to use videos as wallpapers, and VLC can do that anyway! Even saying that, though, If I was building a PC from scratch (which I will be doing soon) I would still gladly pay for Ultimate x64 as I do believe that the cost is worth it when compared to the cost of the hardware!
yes. university FTW! 2 years down, 2 years to go, don't want the good times to end.
that argument on game prices actually stand up very well. well said.
There's more satisfaction needed then having a valid license key, being able to use your OS properly, and getting Updates and support from Microsoft? :?
downloading a illegal OS is easy, extremely accessible, and it saves £60-100. thats why people do it. and thats why people will NEVER stop. alot of people have a mentality of if its free why pay?
to say i/you/he/she or we spend money on a GPU but not OS is a poor example... the oppurtunity to download/obtain or... steal for a more accurate term a GTX280 is not given to us in the same easy way, so therefore, we do no not. risks are higher, and for a start we have to leave the comfort of our chair.
you cant stop the pirates, and am i being simple? or can you just opt not to install this piece of annoying software called a update, and carry on installing updates from else where? i know ive seen a few places that hold microsft updates with out the need to check you've you a legit copy.
oh! and people download games too, for free, like a dirty pirate.
[i do not support pirates, as developers need money and credit like any other professional. but you cant stop them]
remember.. its not hardware, so it cant fail, oem version costs a whole lot less, sure you wont get support from ms, but what could they help you with anyway?
back to topic, whats the point of telling pirates that they have a illegal copy of the software they are using? like they woudnt know allready, microsoft should grow some brain, if someone decides he doesnt care about the people who loose their job due to piracy then no stupid message on the screen is going to change their opinion.
I just wish MS would enforce their EULA's a bit more, and I'm all in favor of constant online activation (like Steam). Those freeloaders ruin everything for legit users. Like game downloaders, regardless of the fact that anti piracy rootkits don't work, they are there because smartasses steal software.
Hmmm, the OEM version of:
Vista Business 64 100€ Retail 260€
Vista Ultimate 64 125€ Retail 240€
XP Professional 64 110€ Retail 230€
might buy it.
not pirating cause the school is paying for it
but I'm glad I don't have to buy windows
in terms of the whole graphics card/os thing.
I think it's mostly psychological.
hardware of a computer is A) tangible and differen't priced and types of hardware offer differen't user features if you want a media pc or a gaming rig you'll buy special hardware and don't mind paying the price premium for the performance you want. on Pc's an Os is a very universal and basic function of the computer so while yes OS's do have a real cost and should be paid for its sort of like buying a car and then having to pay extra for the dashboard and stearing wheel.
Every PC needs an os and the vast majority run windows and it's really not that special, I think pyschologically it's just taken for granted that the os will be there and people aren't willing to pay extra for it. I know I hate paying for windows I feel like I've already bought it once why do i need to buy it again? luckily I have many legit and legal liscences but still
So you've never broken your OS by doing some silly edit of a file/setting and made everything crash, or gotten some BSOD you cannot figure out how to fix? Have you actually ever called Microsoft?
Their support is pretty good and worthwhile.
Also, the point of telling them they are using an illegal copy is to make them get a legit copy by inconveniencing the person with the illegal copy. There are also many shops that install illegal copies of an OS onto an unknowing customer's computer and tells them they got a "free upgrade" and the customer, being potentially computer illiterate, doesn't think much of it, until they get that message.
I ended up paying for the OEM copy of Vista x64 to ensure I have a secure, up to date system, that I know some pirate hasnt inserted some malicious code onto or that microoft wont be bullying me to 'upgrade' to a full copy.
In fairness its a good argument that you cant expect to shed all your cash on a top of the line computer, then start pirating the OS purely because "its too expensive". If you can afford a quadcore, you can afford Vista, simple as that.
I agree except.... what happens to the poor sod that somehow triggers a false-positive.
Leopard may be £85, and using a pirate copy is still bad, but if you do, there's no validations or WGA stylee crap with it. One disc does ALL Macs. Only the bundles ones are machine specific, but that's down to drivers, where the full version holds everything.
As for Windows:
Home Premium OEM @ £62.26 (32/64 Bit)
XP Home @ £58.74
That's bugger all to shell out for an OS. How many here play a subscription based game such as EVE or WoW, or subscribe to XBox Live? All of which cost more per year to use than shelling out for an OS.
Yeah, enjoy attempting to upgrade your motherboard.
What upgrade, phone MS, get a new key, enjoy, whats difficult there?
True, but don't forget that Apple are practically guaranteed to have made money from you already when they sold you the machine that runs the OS. Microsoft don't have that advantage; they get nothing at all if you pirate the software.
I'll openly admit that when I was a student I did run a pirate copy of windows on one of my two PCs, simply due to the fact that money was tight. However, as soon as I had a proper job, I "upgraded" to a legitimate copy, simply because my conscience didn't like the fact that the software was stolen and nagged me to sort it out as soon as I could afford to. Besides, despite various niggles, I reckon that XP home is probably worth the £57 I paid for my genuine copy.
Rather than just say "No! Bad!" they should just irritate the hell out of Pirates.
Obviously a work around will be made, but that's why they should keep doing new things.
Until then. We will be shelling out a stupidly high amount of money for dodgey software. Because you see, it isn't that Windows is the greatest, its that its the only option if you want high-end gaming content on a computer. And Apple is fine-- if all you want to do is work with photo/video editing and check your email while wearing an Oxford shirt while sitting in Starbucks sipping your overpriced latte. Mac's and their OS are beautiful to look at and stable as hell, and I love World of Warcraft-- but forgive me if I want to play something on a computer with REAL graphics sometime. Linux is getting there, but slowly. And until the DEVELOPERS start support OpenGL or Linux in some other way-- we'll have this problem.
Software is important. As Glider said, without it-- you just have a box of parts. However that doesn't mean that our two choices should be limited to a moldy apple and a gilded apple. One you'd eat only because of desperation and one you CAN'T eat because its solid gold. Pretty to look at, but a bitch on the teeth. Open source makes sense with an operating system. I think the majority of mature adult end-users that would choose a solid free OS over something like Windows-- i think with them you'd find them willing to voluntarily donate money to the project.
All in all, it doesn't justify pirating a copy of whatever, for now. But as someone else said-- its like complaining about the price of gas. I will pay it cause I have to, but I damn well won't be happy about it. And its my given right to complain about it. If you don't like it, don't listen. Voting with your wallet only works if you're in the majority and/or have the upper-hand. Combined, what is MS and Apple's market-share? We will never be the majority until a good free alternative comes out for the gaming demographic as well as the mom-and-pop demographic.
---
For those who'll TL;DR this: Linux needs better high-end game support to sway alot of people.
That would be a reasonably valid point if WGA was accurate. Or, indeed, if a pirate copy ever had any problems beyond all of the problems that Windows has regardless.
When MS makes a good OS, people won't have an issue paying for it. Unfortunately, they don't, so they have to result to dirty tricks and abusing their monopoly.
nope. and it's still clearly marked in windows update as "windows genuine advantage tool" or something. if you are running a pirated version of windows and install that update, you deserve whatever microsoft does to you and your system.
i am running a pirated copy of windows, but i have an unused purchased copy sitting in a box, so i don't feel bad. i have never seen the WGA message on my pirated copy, but on my purchased copy i kept getting bugged to activate and then my activation would fail because i had reinstalled so many times, or had windows running virtually inside windows or something. so i use a pirated copy, it's just easier.
A point that sadly I have to agree with. Last week I swapped my DVD drive... and my legitimate copy of Windows locked my machine down and demanded that I re-register the installation. Fine, I connected to the internet and it worked again, but I was wondering to myself; what will happen when Microsoft get fed up with XP and decide to terminate their validation service? Some of our work PCs are still running windows 98, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Hell, one of them still runs DOS6.22. In ten years or so, will Microsoft issue a patch to let us bypass the registration system and run XP after they pull the plug on the registration service? Sadly, just like with DRM, you pay for something, and ultimately get less functionality from it than if you were using a pirate copy.
You sir, should go back to DOS.
I'm running genuine versions of Windows and don't have any issues or crap and hoops to jump through.
Some time ago when I went through a benchmarking phase, trying to beat overclocking scores (constantly changing hardware) it could be a pain having to call MS, but not on a normal system I use for day to day use.
read bodgers post above. and sometimes it doesn't even need to be new hardware. my computer crashed once, and when i turned it back on windows decided that i had new hardware and i needed to reactivate. calling microsoft to get permission to use my computer after it crashed was the last straw for me. now i have a cracked copy and can do whatever i want with my hardware without having to explain it to microsoft.
I have a plain color wallpaper and the windows classic interface.. By choice.
If this is all they can do to make me pay I don't think I'll be buying the next one! Haha.
Correction:
"Did" make a lot of hardware changes.
1) Install operating system.
2) Enter product key and check the box to activate Windows when I'm online. (easier in Vista because it has most of the drivers already)
3) If you have a Dell or other computer that won't let you activate online, take the 3 minutes (literally, I do this all the time) to call Microsoft and get your activation code.
Then if I have to download something off of MS's website, all I have to do is download a little exe which gives me a code to copy and paste into the box on the web page. Not all that intrusive if you pay for your software, is it?