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Running Xp...About a month ago I started gettting this anoying pop up to please visit microsoft site and so as to make sure my software is genuine etc etc. Now I'm also getting a pop up at boot up time which pretty much anounces the same thing and as a side feature stops the boot process untill I click on 'remnd me later'...
What is all this,,, how did this new feature get added, a new blue star icon in the lowerright screen corner etc.
Where is this really annoying process...or what's it called so I can track it down and erase it. I don't see anything that clues me in when looking at Task manager...but then I don't know the name etc.
is it trying to bring you to Microsoft.com? if not, it is probably spyware, or some other form of malware that should be scanned by a virus scanner to be safe.
Is your computer an OEM version? (dell, IBM, etc). Or did someone install XP for you? Do you have an original disk with a serial number that matches the version of XP you have? Did you run the validation tool? If not, that, or a call to Microsoft may resolve it. The 'genuine advantage' (or whatever they call it) update may have been added to your computer through updates. Or maybe sp3 did it? Or going to their webste that required the 'genuine' check. If you didnt buy the machine with an OEM copy, or didnt buy an xp cd and update/install it yourself, then the message is most likely exactly what it says it is... Sometimes even changing hardware can cause a previously 'genuine' system to need to be reactivated. A call to M$ usually resolves it, if all is in order.
It's an HP laptop, bought new, XP installed..OEM etc
I hate letting microsoft have access to any of my computers...any update I have ever let them auto install has not benifited me in the least..unless you count slower running afterwards as an advantage
Yeah, I've got the annoying pop up and countdown window as well. This computer was bought overseas in a country where everything is a pirated knock off.
Oh gee, you mean this may not be a genuine Microsoft product? I'm heartbroken. How dare I use a non licensed operating system?
I'm just afraid that now that Microsoft spyware has determined that I have a pirated version of Windows XP they'll try to install some kind of remote self destructing mechanism into my operating software.
Yeah, I've got the annoying pop up and countdown window as well. This computer was bought overseas in a country where everything is a pirated knock off.
Oh gee, you mean this may not be a genuine Microsoft product? I'm heartbroken. How dare I use a non licensed operating system?
I'm just afraid that now that Microsoft spyware has determined that I have a pirated version of Windows XP they'll try to install some kind of remote self destructing mechanism into my operating software.
Wouldn't put it past them.
if it is a pirated piece of software, I would not be upset if that did happen. The reason why some softwares are so expensive is due to people ripping it off. I have no remorse for people that use pirated software, none whatsoever. ohh, and if you are caught with pirated software, there is a MASSIVE fine, and jail time.
if it is a pirated piece of software, I would not be upset if that did happen. The reason why some softwares are so expensive is due to people ripping it off. I have no remorse for people that use pirated software, none whatsoever. ohh, and if you are caught with pirated software, there is a MASSIVE fine, and jail time.
Are you a M$ illegal/pirated traffic police advocate? Just kidding.
Seriously though they normally go after the companies that use their pirated software and individuals and or companies that sell computers with illegal software and or illegal software for profit.
Even in the Windows Genuine Advantage tool when it's not Genuine M$ lets you purchase a legal copy and they do not go after nor track who has that illegal software when one checks it through their system. I know when I find computers with an illegal M$ OS there's a statement (forgot where) from M$ themselves which states (paraphrasing) that they do NOT use this to track individuals using the WGA tool even when you find out it may be pirated.
I'm NOT advocating use of illegal M$ software, but do you know how many people use pirated M$ OS's that have cracks that make them pass Genuine Advantage Validation and are able to download from M$ just like if someone would purchase it with a legal COA? Answer = MANY, MANY PEOPLE as I find too many computers with illegal M$ Windows as it is myself without the cracks. I don't worry b/c I primarily use Linux 99% + of the time as I stated so many times in these Computer threads.
Last edited by njguy; 08-29-2008 at 10:35 AM..
Reason: typo
I don't worry b/c I primarily use Linux 99% + of the time as I stated so many times in these Computer threads.
+1
But yes, the pirating issue.... overblown. Piracy is actually ignored by MS in many cases, in order to push Windows to more desktops where they would otherwise immediately seek a free alternative (China, for example). They've done this time and time again - piracy has actually helped MS by increasing the user base. So don't immediately believe that piracy causes high prices... because in most cases, its simply not true.
But yes, the pirating issue.... overblown. Piracy is actually ignored by MS in many cases, in order to push Windows to more desktops where they would otherwise immediately seek a free alternative (China, for example). They've done this time and time again - piracy has actually helped MS by increasing the user base. So don't immediately believe that piracy causes high prices... because in most cases, its simply not true.
EXACTLY!!!
I kept a link somewhere and if I find it in a reasonably short amount of time I'll post it here.
It's an article about a M$ executive just saying that he rather see people (individuals) use pirated M$ OS as to keep those users off of Linux and Apple as well as the benefit to M$ to make those users addicted to M$ and to actually purchase other M$ software to go with their OS.
I kept a link somewhere and if I find it in a reasonably short amount of time I'll post it here.
It's an article about a M$ executive just saying that he rather see people (individuals) use pirated M$ OS as to keep those users off of Linux and Apple as well as the benefit to M$ to make those users addicted to M$ and to actually purchase other M$ software to go with their OS.
Okay - I found it!
Here it is below:
http://forums.winamp.com/showthread.php?postid=2164897
If you want to read it from its source you must click the above link then this link from the first post: http://arstechnica.com/journals/mic...hoose-microsoft (broken link) that will work only from there and no place else - it's not even working from here for some reason.
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Microsoft executive: Pirating software? Choose Microsoft!
By Matt Mondok | Published: March 12, 2007 - 07:22PM CT
Microsoft doesn't want you to pirate their software, but if you must choose between illegally installing Windows or a competitor's operating system, Microsoft would prefer that you choose them. While the company obviously won't endorse the illegal use of software, it does believe that piracy can result in profit.
At the Morgan Stanley Technology conference last week in San Francisco, Microsoft business group president Jeff Raikes commented on the benefits of software counterfeiting. "If they're going to pirate somebody, we want it to be us rather than somebody else," he said. "We understand that in the long run the fundamental asset is the installed base of people who are using our products. What you hope to do over time is convert them to licensing the software."
While Raikes' words do not appear to echo the sentiments of his company at first, what he said actually fits right into Microsoft's agenda. Over the last two years, the company has been heading a global effort to crack down on piracy, specifically the piracy of Microsoft products. In a memo on product activation, the company even states, "Software piracy is an enormous drain on the global economy, according to the 2000 BSA Software Piracy Report." Though many have argued that the BSA report was wildly inaccurate, Microsoft still uses whatever weapons it can find to convert pirates into customers. Just as the "Get the Facts" campaign is intended to sway users from Linux, Microsoft's antipiracy offensive aims to sway users away from Windows—counterfeit Windows that is.
According to Raikes' numbers, 20 to 25 percent of all software that is used in the United States is pirated. To Microsoft, those people are all potential customers, and in many ways the company's antipiracy campaign is equivalent to a large marketing push. The FUD, eye-catching images, and cheesy slogans (e.g. Get Genuine) all fit into the scheme. Once a person is converted into a user of Genuine Microsoft software, I highly doubt he will ever stray back to the dark side, but that's just a hunch.
Do you know anyone who has gone from pirating software to purchasing it in the last three years? Do they still use illegal software as well? If they were using an illegal operating system, did they change brands when they went legal (e.g. Microsoft to Apple)?
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get added, a new blue star icon in the lowerright screen corner etc.
Just kidding.
