Validating Your Computer

Seen this?

Just started popping up on all my pc's here at work.

Please wait while windows is validating your pc. No personal info is being sent at the time.

next screen.

Thank you! your copy of windows has been validated.


We have done, auto updates for some time, this time on all the pcs. set to check for updates at 8pm est. would not auto update, instead we got this message. pretty weird?

Its something new from M$,http://news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/20050726/tc_pcworld/121974

Good for MS, now all the little warez kiddies will have to find or pay for a real OS. Plus it will expose any non-legit copies of Windows that a user purchased legally and is unaware of it's status.

El<(')>Maxi said:

Good for MS, now all the little warez kiddies will have to find or pay for a real OS. Plus it will expose any non-legit copies of Windows that a user purchased legally and is unaware of it's status.

Click to expand...

...or they wont download anything from windows.com....

El<(')>Maxi said:

Good for MS, now all the little warez kiddies will have to find or pay for a real OS. Plus it will expose any non-legit copies of Windows that a user purchased legally and is unaware of it's status.

Click to expand...

actually according to there site. it does not send any personal info. If it does Microshaft and Bill gates is exposing themselves to much court battles. They just wont be entitled to any updates.

ShadowPho said:

...or they wont download anything from windows.com....

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They better know how to port/service block or it won't matter pretty soon. Plus they'll be exposed to all the new security risks without updates.

jstutman said:

actually according to there site. it does not send any personal info. If it does Microshaft and Bill gates is exposing themselves to much court battles. They just wont be entitled to any updates.

Click to expand...

Thats true. I think they should disable any non-valid copy personally. But there software probably isn't capable of such a dramatic move yet.

According to that lin, you can still get security updates, you just cannot get other updates. Or did I read that wrong?

I have seen this on my 2k3 server box. It is not a surprise that M$ has come up with another way to put non buying users at an disadvantage (no updates), but it will be less of a surprise when someone finds a way to beat it.

u think this has been implemented for a while. i remember though being able to bypass it to download something

tenchi86 said:

According to that lin, you can still get security updates, you just cannot get other updates. Or did I read that wrong?

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That's what I read too.

While counterfeit copies of Windows will be prevented from downloading updates, Lazar says Microsoft is not including security updates in the lock-out.

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Does this only effect XP/sever 2k3, or is 2k effected as well? I just updated my win2k pc and didn't get anything strange.


Lee

palee72 said:

Does this only effect XP/sever 2k3, or is 2k effected as well? I just updated my win2k pc and didn't get anything strange.


Lee

Click to expand...

cant tell at the moment, But I tried it out on several test machines I have here and I'm wondering how it would be able to determine if win2k were not legit. Because the message you get in xp says "This Cd key was not issued by microsoft" well that proly means its not in thier activation database. Because as a test I used a ______ for windows 2000 and I can recieve updates. Guess thats not all that conclussive but atleast its time to fix my ____ with my partner release editions.

here is what it looks like, if you get this screen contact your vendor immediately.



and btw, I changed my key just to see what it says, always buy software, I do!!

palee72 said:

Does this only effect XP/sever 2k3, or is 2k effected as well? I just updated my win2k pc and didn't get anything strange.

Click to expand...

Windows 2000 is affected. Windows 2000's Automatic Updates components seem to be replaced with Windows XP's or one similar to Windows XP's.

pretty neat

wtf I validated my one system using the program then put in the key thing... but then I try it on my main rig and I get this damn error and it didn't validate it the same way (it was doing some auto detect crap or something. And they are both using legit and different copies of xp pro (unless newegg sold me copied disks with the packaging and the case badge thing and all the other security features)

Validation Incomplete: Unable to collect enough information about your PC to make a determination.... AND HOW IS THIS MY FAULT

Reasons this PC Failed
You are experiencing internet connection problems.
Please verify that your internet connection is functioning properly and try again.

WTF MY INTERNET WORKS FINE HOW ELSE AM I ON THE INTERNET... I am begining to dislike M$ in many ways

Not to mention their feedback link.... links to nowhere

And they are closed at 1:05 AM (when do they open)

Also when I tried to activate my copy of windows today it said my connection was f'ed up... so I had to call them.

THEIR HOWTOTELL PAGE IS ALSO CRAP BECAUSE THEN IT JUST LEADS ME BACK TO THE VALIDATION SOFTWARE THAT IS CRAP... WTF WHY COULDN"T THEY JUST KEEP THE CODE VALIDATION THING


NOTE IF YOU GET THIS PAGE BELOW... its probably not your fault


WTF I guess I am having internet connection problems... NOT

I mean those results speak for themselves

@the adam - you are victim of exactly what I posted about before. Security is a give and take. If you make something too secure, the people you are trying to protect start running into the very walls that are supposed to be protecting them.

I am just trying to setup my comp and im having all these issues that I shouldn't be having... not to metion I have had a migraine for two days straight.

So is anyone else having problems with this "auto validate".... I mean the good old program worked fine but nooooo we have to change it to get on ppl's nerves

EDIT: Well just got off the phone with microsoft and they said their servers were "updating" and the problem should go away in 24 hours

Windows Genuine Advantage has already been circumvented. It's a pretty pathetic effort on MS's part. The circumvention method is almost as easy as pressing the shift key to disable that CD copy protection from a while back.

Bar81 said:

Windows Genuine Advantage has already been circumvented. It's a pretty pathetic effort on MS's part. The circumvention method is almost as easy as pressing the shift key to disable that CD copy protection from a while back.

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Actually it has been very successful internally -- there's data to back that up. It's been widely discussed, but there's an obvious balance between security, privacy, and invasiveness.

Everyone's well aware that any security architecture like WGA can be circumvented; the focus is more on letting people know they don't have a genuine copy when they think they actually do. It's also a deterrent to "casual" copying.