WGA Soon to be Shutting down your PC.

[Scubar]

Microsoft is refusing to deny that it plans to turn its Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) program into a method of shutting down PCs it considers are running pirated software.

According to one punter who contacted ZD Net, he was told by Windows support that those that do not run WGA in Autumn will have their computers switched off. Windows will give you a 30 day warning and then if it's not installed, Windows will stop working.

The official Volish quote on the matter was that as the WGA Notifications program expands in the future, customers may be "required to participate".

Sources

The Inquirer

ZDNet

Knowing Micro$hafts coding skills it will probably fail miserably and shut down legitimate users pcs causing a massive uproar and them having multiple law suits.

Edited June 29, 2006 by ScubaSteve

[atomizer]

Since i have nothing intelligent to say, i'll just say that M$ can $hove it where the $un doesn't $hine.

idiots

and i'm saying that even though i'm running a legitimate copy, albit one on which WGA has not, is not, and never will be installed.

Edited June 29, 2006 by atomizer

[PROBLEMCHYLD]

What if you have a legit copy

but this WGA tool is faulty and don't detect correctly

then you have a problem on your hand.

sometimes i don't blame #ackers + %rackers for some

of the stuff they do becuz this right here is uncaused for.

I think if M$ stop bloated the product and give a affordable price

people wouldn't pirate.I don't support pirated stuff in case u r

wondering.

[oioldman]

what a nightmare, and how if your pc is forcibly switched of do you manage to to make it legit with out a re-install.

agree, with all previous comments, especially PROBLEMCHYLD, because it if was affordable people would be less inclined to pirate etc

another well thought out mess by M$

[trickytwista]

Knowing Micro$hafts coding skills it will probably fail miserably and shut down legitimate users pcs causing a massive uproar and them having multiple law suits.

totally agree with ya on that one

[ripken204]

how is this suppose to work tho? how are they going to connect to our computers to see if its legit?

[Scubar]

Well since microsoft admitted that WGA calls home everyday, although they said this was because its in "beta" stages and its to make sure it isnt going wrong. M$ will probably leave it phoning home everyday knowing them.

Eitehr way theres no way WGA is ever going back on any pc i own after i found out it calls home everyday.

[ripken204]

but say that your computer isnt hooked up to the internet, then what? thats where im getting at.

[i'm not ophiel]

this is definitely going to backfire. the hackers aren't going to be affected one bit by this, it will take us 5 minutes to reverse their silly code.

it's like the gun control paradigm, outlaw guns and soon only the criminals have them.

[03GrandAmGT]

Two word's. F*&CKING STUPID!!!!!!!!! This seems like NOBODY will be able to purchase windows from a store as Micros*** is steering everyone to a Dell, HP or what have you. To enforce the LEGIT BS. MS Get a F*&king GRIP on life!!

jd

[Scubar]

Microsoft is being Sued already

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2006/06/30/mi...ti-piracy_tool/

Maybe Micro$haft will get the msg now and stop thinking they can control ppls pcs with their crap. I seriously hope lots of ppl take action and Sue the f*ck outta MS and make them get rid of all these crap features.

Edited June 30, 2006 by ScubaSteve

[Kelsenellenelvian]

I was waiting for the lawsuits to start. Hopefully there will be enough of them that MS will dump WGA alltogether..

[Biohead]

I am in favour of Microsoft enforcing their piracy policies etc - but this is entirely the wrong way to do it. If it's calling home everyday who says thats the only thing they're checking? What happens if theres a massive security hole in it where other people can see what you've been upto.

Nothing but troubles for M$ if they go ahead with it.

[janus zeal]

i cant find the source for this, so you can beleve it or not, but MS people have already said that any system running windows belongs to them.

its fine for MS to not want people to copy windows, and maybe even WGA isnt that bad.. if it worked right.

My girlfriend got a brandnew acer travelmate laptop that used a VLK. we couldnt do updates because it was a VLK. we called MS and they said that it was either leaked, or something was wrong with the update validator. then they offered to give us a cheeper price on xp pro.

yeah, we want to pay 150$ for xp pro after paying 1500$ for a laptop.

Also, wga says that the copy of XP on my hp laptop is not valid, tho windows updates says it is. wtf?

[Zxian]

Microsoft denies WGA kill switch in Windows XP

I'm with Biohead on this one. Microsoft has every right to protect their product, but they're going about it in a really backward manner...