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Counterfitt Windows
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30. May 2006 @ 11:29 |
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Hi. I'm posting this for a friend and hope it hasn't already been covered. She recently purchased a new pc which came with windows professional xp
>already installed. Every time she starts-up she gets a pop up saying 'you may
>be a victim of software counterfitting' which redirects her to a site where
>she can purchase software. Is this genuine? Any thoughts? Thanks.
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The_Fiend
Suspended permanently
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30. May 2006 @ 11:52 |
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irc://arcor.de.eu.dal.net/wasted_hate
Wanna tell me off, go ahead.
I dare ya !
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Member
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30. May 2006 @ 12:07 |
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Yeah we wondered if it was a spoofing attack, but whatever it is it stops validation so she can't download updates, upgrade to IE7 beta and stuff.
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Member
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30. May 2006 @ 12:10 |
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The_Fiend
Thanks for the link, info and quick reply. I used Ad-Aware yesterday and downloaded Spyware Blaster. I will give Spybot a go tomorrow. Thanks.
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KyKy91
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30. May 2006 @ 12:40 |
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No its a windows update i am having the same trouble!
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Member
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30. May 2006 @ 12:48 |
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Interesting. Got this back via email from microsoft:
Dear Sir/Madam,
>
>Thank you for your email about messages on your computer regarding
>authenticity of Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional installed in your
>computer.
>
>I am a Customer Service representative and will do my best to provide
>appropriate support options.
>
>In response to your query, I would like to inform you that recently we have
>released an update to determine the authenticity of Windows installed in
>the computer. This update is designed in such a way that it determines if a
>PC is running genuine or pirated copy of Windows. If the operating system
>is an unauthorised (pirated) copy, a pop-up dialogue box will appear on the
>Windows login screen, informing the user that the copy of the Windows is
>counterfeit.
>
>As you have received this message, I suggest you to speak to the WGA
>(Windows Genuine Advantage) team regarding this issue. The WGA team has at
>their disposal a number of diagnostic tools that will enable them to track
>down where the validation is failing, and assist in providing you with an
>appropriate solution.
>
>You can contact the WGA team on 0870 60 10 100 and select option ?0?. The
>lines are open from 8AM to 6PM, Monday to Friday, excluding public
>holidays.
>
>You can also visit the following link to determine the authenticity of
>Windows XP installed in your computer.
>http://www.microsoft.com/resources/howtotell/ww/windows/default.mspx
>
>You can visit the following links for information on WGA
>
>Frequently asked questions on WGA
>http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/downloads/FAQ.aspx?displaylang=e...
>
>More information on WGA
>http://support.microsoft.com/kb/892130/en-us
>
>Determining the authenticity of Windows installed in your computer
>http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/default.mspx?displaylang=en
>
>Procedure to report Piracy
>http://www.microsoft.com/piracy/default.mspx
>
>You can also visit http://support.microsoft.com for information on support
>options for Microsoft products.
>
>Thank you for getting in touch.
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KyKy91
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30. May 2006 @ 12:57 |
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Will having this mess our PC's up in anyway?
My friend says do a system restore lol but that will have no effect..or will it?
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Member
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30. May 2006 @ 13:02 |
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Thats a good thought. I've done system restores on my own pc a few times and it has got me out of trouble. If its a software update it may get rid of it and if its spyware The_Fiends idea to run Spybot may work.
But if its a software update what is microsoft up to stopping people who have bought its product from using it?
The phone nos above are UK nos, btw.
Regards
Richard
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KyKy91
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30. May 2006 @ 13:05 |
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I think all it can do is stop us from having new features like Internet Explorer v.7 or something kinda like a PSP update...
1. Goto: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Windows Genuine Advantage\data
2. Delete: Data.dat
3. Create a new text document in this folder and save it as data.dat
4. Set properties to read only
5. Reboot
Done!
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 30. May 2006 @ 13:12
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Member
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30. May 2006 @ 13:19 |
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Hi,
Your friend did get the original install disk with the computer, right??
Has she tried validating windows??
If she cannot, it's probably a good idea to get in touch with whomever sold it to her and ask for a refund.
Chuck
"Men are slower to recognize blessings than misfortunes." Titus Livius (59BC-17AD)
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30. May 2006 @ 13:26 |
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Yes we had the original disc. Shop says its ok and to return the pc and they will remove the pop up though they say its really hard. A refund would seem to be in order.
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dannyboy
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30. May 2006 @ 13:27 |
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Hi Altercuno, probably a stupid question but did your friend purchase the computer from a reliable source? because otherwise there is the chance the software IS counterfeit. If she was sold a PC with counterfeit Windows software, she can report it to Microsoft and get a genuine copy for free providing she gives the details of who sold the fake version to her in the first place.
It's probably Microsoft making a mistake or spyware, but don't rule out the fact that it may not be genuine software.
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KyKy91
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30. May 2006 @ 13:30 |
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Just follow these steps until you get the real ver
1. Goto: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Windows Genuine Advantage\data
2. Delete: Data.dat
3. Create a new text document in this folder and save it as data.dat
4. Set properties to read only
5. Reboot
Done!
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Member
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30. May 2006 @ 13:30 |
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KyKy91
I see you have edited your last post. What's this?
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KyKy91
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30. May 2006 @ 13:31 |
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It removes the pop ups from your PC.
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dannyboy
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30. May 2006 @ 13:31 |
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sorry, that will teach me to read all the posts, ignore my last.
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Member
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30. May 2006 @ 13:37 |
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Dannyboy
The pc came from a high street shop that's been there for years. I bought my pc from them. I think they are ok, but perhaps they got conned. Didn't know Microsoft will exchange for free - thanks for that.
KyKY91
Well done! How did you figger it out?
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KyKy91
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30. May 2006 @ 13:41 |
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Complete Genius....
LOL GOOGLE SEARCH XD
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Member
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30. May 2006 @ 13:49 |
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I did a Google search but couldn't find the answer. Will try it tomorrow. Thanks.
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KyKy91
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30. May 2006 @ 13:51 |
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Did you get yours to work?
I cant seem to get mine working when i change the text file to data.dat it turns into a dat file!
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Member
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30. May 2006 @ 14:00 |
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Hi
No I havn't had chance to try it yet. Don't know what to do - but as this is a tech forum no doubt somebody will come a long soon who will.
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Member
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30. May 2006 @ 14:51 |
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I think you better back-up files, folders and applications you have in your machine and reinstall windows, formatting your HD.
Or talk to microsoft's rep and explain. lol
Chuck
"Men are slower to recognize blessings than misfortunes." Titus Livius (59BC-17AD)
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Senior Member
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30. May 2006 @ 19:14 |
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Couple things.
Download the WGA tool, it'll tell you for positive if it's counterfit. Actually, it'll tell you if that copy has been registered before. Most likely the store bought a reseller pack from a cheap, or unlicensed distributor, who just cloned a buncha cd's.
If it's counterfit you have 2 choices, really at that point. Number 1, call them up and tell them you want it back w/i 24 hours, fixed, plus money back for the hassle, and/or a free upgrade. Be pissed. All they'll do is bypass WGA if you don't record the serial number, google "magical jellybean" to get the keyfinder. If they give the same one back to you w/ WGA bypassed, tell MS, and also sue the store.
Secondly, you can bypass WGA, which is a topic banned by this forum, so I cannot tell you how to do it. It is, however, very, very easy. It was cracked in less than 24 hours, and now there's a ton of tools to fix it.
I don't ever use windows update anyway, because it's dumb. Instead, I go here:
http://windowsupdate.62nds.com/
and use FireFox to get my updates. It's legit, they link you to downloads on the MS site, skipping the ones that you don't need, and you can get them regardless of the status of your WGA.
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Member
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30. May 2006 @ 22:15 |
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Thanks for that. This thread gets more and more interesting with plenty of options. I use FireFox and didn't know it could download windows updates. As I said its not my pc so I don't want to make things worse by monkeying too much.
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orb.fl
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31. May 2006 @ 11:22 |
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I won?t talk about bypassing wga either. I think it would be o.k to tell you how to stop the nag ware in your system tray. Go to http://www.sysinternals.com and download Autoruns v8.51.
This utility is a better one then msconfig. Run the program and go to the Winlogon tab. Uncheck wgasystem tray, close the program and reboot. No more nag ware.
This does not circumvent anything. It only stops the call of nag ware at boot. This is a free utility that shows you all the Process and Threads. Just make sure you open Autoruns and not Autorunsc. Autorunsc is a command line user interface.
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