Disable and Remove Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications Nag Screen

This page has been updated, visit the new article on how to bypass and disable the WGA or way to make your Windows genuine permanently.

Microsoft has released WGA Notifications application which effectively turned Microsoft Windows operating system into a ‘nagware’, with a “This copy of Windows is not genuine” warning. What the Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications application does what it will check your Microsoft Windows XP validity. If it found that the copy of Windows XP is not validated, not genuine, counterfeit, unlicensed, pirated, illegal, unauthorised or simply failed the Windows Genuine Advantage validation process, then the notification messages will appear at various places and time.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational and educational purpose only, as most information is found on various part of Internet. Readers should contacts Microsoft if their licensed or OEM software cannot be validated or purchase genuine software.

When you log on to a non-genuine copy of Windows XP, the following notification error message “This copy of Windows is not genuine” will pop-up on the logon process:

And the nicely said “You may be a victim of software counterfeiting” message on the bottom right corner of log-in screen:

Microsoft allows Windows faithfuls to have 2 options: Get Genuine or Resolve Later. Click on Resolve Later will temporarily bypass the notification and let you login into and use Windows nagged with notification icon and messages, which will randomly appear as balloon notification message with an icon in the notification area (system tray).

Clicking on the balloon notification or the notification area icon will lead you to the Windows Genuine Advantage Validation Failure Web page that contains the specifics of the validation failure and the steps that you can take to make the operating system genuine.

To get rid of the WGA notifications that intends to remind you that your Windows is not validated, you can buy a validly licensed copy of genuine Microsoft Windows.

Update: Bypass WGA Validation with Crack or Hack and Disable WGA Notifications Warning Message Workarounds

Latest Version: 1.5.554.0 on October 2006 (distribute to some computers with no known roll-out pattern), 1.5.708.0 on September 2006 (distribute to whoever wants to download from Microsoft Download Center), 1.5.540.0 on 28th June 2006, 1.5.532.2 on 6th June 2006, 1.5.532.0 on 30th May 2006, 1.5.530.0 on 23rd May 2006, 1.5.526.0 on 26th April 2006.

More information on WGA Validation Tool (KB892130) and WGA Notifications (KB905474) which install LegitCheckControl.dll, WgaLogon.dll and WgaTray.exe.

With new release of WGA, some methods no longer works, and some has been updated. Several methods that has certain success on certain people, you may try until you success.

First Method

1. Lauch Windows Task Manager.
2. End wgatray.exe process in Task Manager.
3. Restart Windows XP in Safe Mode.
4. Delete WgaTray.exe from c:\Windows\System32.
5. Delete WgaTray.exe from c:\Windows\System32\dllcache.
6. Lauch RegEdit.
7. Browse to the following location:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\
   Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Notify
8. Delete the folder ‘WgaLogon’ and all its contents
9. Reboot Windows XP.

Note: With this method, you may be prompted to install WGA Notifications again which can still be unselected.

Second Method

Another alternative suggested by dman is by using System Restore to restore the PC to a previous restore point that WGA Notifications hasn’t kicked in, and then carefully stop KB905474 from been applied to the system. To use System Restore, go to Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> System Restore.

Note: Again, you may be prompted again to install WGA Notification, so it must be bypassed.

Third Method updated

This method involves using a cracked version of LegitCheckControl.dll to replace the original copy of LegitCheckControl.dll, and thus bypass the WGA validation and make Microsoft believes that your copy of Windows is genuine. To get rid of WGA Notifications warning messages, the patched version of WgaLogon.dll and WgaTray.exe to replace the existing files.

To apply the patch by replacing the files manually, try to end the respective processes in the Task Manager before deleting the existing files. Most likely is you will have to restart your PC in Safe Mode in order to replacing the original copy of LegitCheckControl.dll and related files. However, there has been automatic updater and even cracked WGA installer that automatically apply the patched version of WGA files.

How to Find and Change Windows Product Key and Registration Information

Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder is freeware utility by which you can you do the following:
Find your Windows 95, 98, ME, NT4, 2000, XP, Server 2003, Windows Vista product keys.
Find your Windows 95, 98, ME, NT4, 2000, XP, Server 2003, Windows Vista registration information.
Change your Windows 95, 98, ME, and XP product key. (Windows 2000, 2003, NT4 and Vista supported)
Change your windows registration information.
Find your Microsoft Office 97, Office XP, and Office 2003 installation key. (Office 2000 not supported).

The screenshots provided below illustrate the process of changing your windows product key and registration information.

Is this software legal?
Yes this legal because Microsoft itself has knowledge base article which describes how to change your windows key and provides the script for this process. This freeware utility utilizes those scripts.

You can download this freeware (File Size: 260Kb):Download 1
Download 2

Disclaimer:
Certain antivirus software like Mcafee and Nod32 consider this file as spyware and delete it, but this file is absolutely harmless you can go ahead and try it.

XP expires

To reduce instances of "casual copying" (a nice name for software piracy), Microsoft has implemented a two-stage antipiracy scheme in its upcoming OS. The first stage is the installation and registration counter: this lets you install Windows XP only five times on the same system. (Note that you'll be able to install the final version of XP on only one machine, as opposed to the current beta, which can be installed on five machines for testing purposes.) The second stage creates a profile of the system to prevent you from reinstalling or registering the OS on different PCs.

To make this scheme work, you must activate your copy of Windows--over the Internet or by calling for an activation code--within 30 days of installation. Activation differs from a classic registration process in that no personal information is requested by or sent to Microsoft, just a record that a specific copy of Windows XP is installed on your specific PC. If you fail to activate your copy of the OS within 30 days, your login will fail. (Since XP is based on Windows NT-like privilege levels, you can't use your computer until you log on.)

Microsoft says the scheme should not prevent you from reinstalling your copy of XP on your PC as many times as you need to, as long as it's the same PC or close to it, allowing for some hardware changes. It's the "some" that has most folks worried. In theory, you might have to reactivate your OS if you upgrade significantly or swap out a lot of components because XP might think it's running on a new PC. So far, Microsoft isn't saying what system information the OS uses to determine the "same PC or close to it" status. That means we don't know to what degree you can upgrade your hardware before you cross the invisible line. We also don't know how much, if any, personally identifiable data Microsoft is gathering from your PC.

Microsoft says you can, of course, change at least one and possibly several hardware components--RAM, video or sound cards, CPUs, motherboards, and so on--without having to reactivate your OS. But if you try to reinstall your copy of Windows XP on what Microsoft calls a "different or significantly upgraded or changed PC" (again, the company declined to specify how different), the activation will most likely be rejected, requiring you to call Microsoft to explain and get a new (free) activation code.

Microsoft plans to set up a new call center for U.S.-based customers to expedite activation issues. Many non-U.S. customers will likely have to go through the existing, shared Microsoft technical support lines they currently use. Microsoft says it expects only 2 percent of the total installed base of Windows XP to have to reactivate the OS. Whether the anti-piracy initiative will present problems for consumers or result in fewer upgrades to XP remains to be seen. Remember, the final release is at least a few months off.

Automated System Recovery

This tip will attempt to show you how to set up and use Automated System Recovery in Windows XP.
ASR is a two–part system of recovery:
1.ASR backup
2.ASR restore.
You should make Automated System Recovery (ASR) sets regularly as part of your plan for system recovery in case of it failing.
IMPORTANT: ASR should be a last resort for system recovery, it should be used only after every other option has been exhausted, such as Safe Mode Boot and Last Known Good Configuration.
1. ACCOMPLISHING THE ASR BACKUP
The backup part uses the ASR Wizard located in Backup to complete this task. The wizard backs up:
the system state
system services
and all disks associated with the operating system components.
It also creates a file containing:
information about the backup
the disk configurations (including basic and dynamic volumes)
and how to accomplish a restore.
HERE'S HOW TO CREATE AN ASR SET USING BACKUP
1.You will need a blank floppy disk to save your system settings and media to contain the backup files.
2.To open Backup. Click Start-->All Programs-->Accessories-->System Tools-->then click Backup. The Backup Utility Wizard starts by default, unless it is disabled.
3.Click the Advanced Mode button in the Backup Utility Wizard.
4.On the Tools menu-->click ASR Wizard.
5.Follow the instructions that appear on your screen.
IMPORTANT: Only those system files necessary for starting your system will be backed up using the Backup Utility Wizare.
HOW DOES ASR WORK?
You can get to the restore portion by pressing F2 when prompted in the text–mode portion of setup. Automated System Recovery will read the disk configurations from the file that it creates and restore all of the disk signatures, volumes and partitions necessary, so that, at least, you'll be able to start the computer. Although, under some circumstances, it might not be able to restore all of the disk configurations. ASR then installs a simple installation of Windows and automatically starts restoring using the backup that was created by the Wizard.
RECOVERING FROM A SYSTEM CRASH USING ASR
Here's how:
1.Make sure you have the following items before you begin:
Your previously created Automated System Recovery (ASR) floppy disk.
Your previously created backup media.
The original Windows XP installation CD.
2.Insert the Windows XP installation CD into your CD/DVD drive.
3.Restart your PC. If prompted to press a particular key in order to start the computer from CD, do so.
4.Press F2 when prompted during the text–only mode section of Setup. You will be prompted to insert the ASR floppy disk you have previously created.
5.Follow the directions on the screen.
Important To Remember:
ASR will not put back your data files.

McAfee Command Line Tool for removing Virus

Follow the steps to clean Virus:

1) Click Here to Download a File (Download) (OR) Go to the following link
http://www.mcafee.com/apps/downloads/security_updates/superdat.asp?region=us&segment=enterprise
I. Select SDAT tab
II. Click on sdat5598.exe and save the file
NOTE: Verify that the file should be more than 100MB
2) Create a folder SDAT at c:\
3) Copy the file into SDAT folder.
4) Turn off System Restore on All Drives.
I. To turn off System Restore Do the Following.
II. Right Click on My Computer icon on Desktop Select Properties.
III. Select System Restore tab, put a click on Check box and click ok
5) Reboot the System and Press F2/F8/ or whatever your computer document suggest when the POST begins but before Windows start.
6) Select Safe Mode and allow the system to boot in Safe Mode.
7) Click START Select Run and type CMD to get Command Console.
8) Type cd \SDAT.
9) Type sdat5598.exe /e at command console .
10) This Command will Extract 19 files.
11) After Extracting all files Type "scan /adl /all /clean" Command.
12) This Will Clean virus from your system.
13) After Completing scanning restart your computer Normal Mode.
14) Turn on System Restore point (For this user Point 4)
System Restore Window

Using sfc /scannow for your windows repair

Self File Protection System In Windows

Windows XP has the ability to protect itself from system instability caused by the overwriting important system files. This is a problem with Windows 95 and Windows 98. With the introduction of Windows Millennium Edition, Microsoft made a strong effort to stop this from happening. Now, in Windows XP, there is a much better protection of these important files. This system is called Windows File Protection



Windows File Protection is always enabled and allows Windows digitally signed files to replace existing files safely. If you introduce a file replacement in any other way, Windows File protection will overwrite your file!



An important part of Windows File Protection is the command line utility: System File Checker (sfc.exe) This is a great tool for troubleshooting Windows XP problems.

The main reason for using this utility is when you suspect there may be a problem with a Windows XP system file. Perhaps you get a dialog box appear informing you of a problem with a .dll file, or your program will just not load! It is therefore worth checking to see if there are any corrupt system files using scannow sfc.



To do this simply go to the Run box on the Start Menu and type in: sfc /scannow



This command will immediately initiate the Windows File Protection service to scan all protected files and make sure of their correctness, replacing any files that it finds with a problem.



Note : Make Sure That OS CD On Drive.



A box should appear to give an indication of how long the process is taking.

If all goes as it should, any corrupt, missing or incorrect files would be replaced by this process. However, as with most actions in this world, things can go wrong and the following should help!



The most frequent complaint with scannow /sfc is that a dialog box appears asking you to insert your Windows XP CD-ROM to continue.





Why Does This Happen ?



There are several settings in your computer's registry that are checked when you run scannow /sfc.



As stated before, the Windows File Protection constantly monitors for any changes to the main system files. These are usually stored in:C:WINDOWSSystem32Dllcache (C: in most cases is the root drive) The dllcache folder is extremely important so Windows XP hides it from you! To view it go to:



My Computer -> Tools -> Folder Options -> View -> "uncheck" Hide protected operating system files.



There is normally no need for the original XP CD to be inserted as your computer has a copy it can get hold of in this cache.



But, if the Dllcache folder, or part of it, has become corrupted for some reason then you will be prompted for the XP CD - so your computer can get a clean copy!



However, not ALL installations of Windows XP have ALL the system files cached into this folder! You may only have around 25-50MB of files in this folder under Windows XP depending on the settings in the registry.

If your Task Manager is Disabled

Main

1) Click "Start" Button
2) Select "Run"
3) Type "regedit"

4)Navigate HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System
5) After Point System Check in the right pane for Disabletaskmgr, if you find it double click and change the D-word Valu to zero(0)
6) Close the regedit and restart system
7) Last but not Least When ever if u find any errors like this, That means Your System is infected with Virus. Better Update your anti virus software.

OR

Method 1 - Using the Group Policy Editor in Windows XP Professional

1. Click Start, Run, type gpedit.msc and click OK.
2. Under User Configuration, Click on the plus (+) next to Administrative Templates
3. Click on the plus (+) next tSystem, then click on Ctrl+Alt+Delete Options
4. Find Remove Task Manager in the right-hand pane and double click on it
5. Choose the option "Not Configured"  and click Ok. 
6. Close the Group Policy Window

Method 2:  Change the Task Manager Option through the Run line

1. Click on Start, Run and type the following command exactly and press Enter

REG add HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System /v DisableTaskMgr /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

Method 3: Change Task Manager through a Registry REG file

1. Click on Start, Run, and type Notepad and press Enter
2. Copy and paste the information between the dotted lines into Notepad and save it to your desktop as taskmanager.reg

------------------------------------
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System]
"DisableTaskMgr"=dword:00000000
-------------------------------------

      3. Double click on the taskmanager.reg file to enter the information into the Windows registry

Method 4: Delete the restriction in the registry manually

1. Click on Start, Run, and type REGEDIT and press Enter
2. Navigate to the following branch
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Policies\ System
3. In the right pane, find and delete the value named DisableTaskMgr
4. Close the registry editor