All Tips $ Tricks
Disable and Remove Windows Genuine Advantage
Notifications Nag Screen
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.
Official Method by Microsoft - more information
here.
First Method
- Lauch Windows Task Manager.
- End wgatray.exe process in Task Manager.
- Restart Windows XP in Safe Mode.
- Delete WgaTray.exe from c:\Windows\System32.
- Delete WgaTray.exe from c:\Windows\System32\dllcache.
- Lauch RegEdit.
- Browse to the following location:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\
Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Notify
- Delete the folder ‘WgaLogon’ and all its contents
- 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.
Latest Update for WGA version 1.5.708.0
latest
Download
cracked and patched version of LegitCheckControl.dll
with thanks to Danny.
Latest Update for WGA version 1.5.554.0
latest
Download
cracked and patched version of LegitCheckControl.dll,
WgaLogon.dll and WgaTray.exe for v1.5.554.0 of Windows
Genuine Advantage Validation Tool and WGA Notifications.
John suggested that it may be rolled out to reduce
the frequency of ‘phone home’ feature. BetaNews has
confirmed this and says Microsoft has completed the pilot phase for
WGA Notifications, officially rolling out the anti-piracy reminders
to Windows XP users worldwide. Anyway if Notifications Tools is
patched, it won’t callbacks at all.
Swissboy found that now there are 15 languages
supported for KB905474 and offers solution.
General release version of Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications
also has updated EULA which says installing of this update is
optional. However, once installed, the update will become a
permanent part of your Windows XP software, means you can’t
uninstall it. The EULA also confirms that information about your
system will be sent to Microsoft. You can just skip installing the
KB905474 by clicking “I Decline” when shown the EULA. If you don’t
want the Automatic Updates or Windows Updates to try install WGA
Notifications again, click Don’t ask me to install these updates
again at Decline EULA window.
Latest Update for WGA version 1.5.532.2
Version 1.5.532.2 of WGA Validation Tool and WGA Notifications is
NOT YET mass released to all Windows system, so your system may not
have this version.
WindowsXP-KB905474-ENU-x86-1.5.532.2-noWGA.exe (as suggested by
swissboy) is the original setup of KB905474, but
with the 3 files as mentioned above replaced with patched version
and re-packed. You can view the contents with WinRAR or 7-Zip.
Download here or here. (Removed due to compliant from Microsoft)
LegitCheckControl.dll-v1.5.532.2-Jun-02-2006.zip (as suggested by
swissboy) contains hacked version of
LegitCheckControl.dll which you have to replace manually over the
existing dll in \Windows\System32 folder. Download here or here.
(Deleted due to complaint from Microsoft)
new More automated WGA removal tool:
RemoveWGA
Latest Update for WGA version 1.5.532.0
LegitCheckControl1.5.532.0.muiz.fixed.rar (suggested by
Picard) is the patched LegitCheckControl.dll and
can be download here or here (removed due to complaint from
Microsoft).
If LegitCheckControl.dll alone doesn’t work, try to patch the other
two WGA files too, namely WgaLogon.dll and WgaTray.exe. Download the
the patches for 3 files here or here (Removed due to complaint from
Microsoft). Overwrite the original files with these hacked version
in \Windows\System32 folder. The patch should remove notifications
nag screen and allows Windows Update.
There are also several automated tools that save the dirty works of
have to manually overwrites and replaces the WGA applications.
WGAPatch905474 (suggested by
SilverBullet) contains 905474.exe that will patch
Windows to allow access to full (custom) Windows Update and get rid
of nag screen. Download 905474.exe here or here (removed due to
complaint from Microsoft).
There are also several patched WGANotify KB905474 installation setup
which will install KB905474 WGAnotify with the 3 patched WGA files
namely LegitCheckControl.dll, WgaLogon.dll and WgaTray.exe. One of
them is HotFix windowsxp-kb905474-enu-x86.exe suggested by
DeaDMan Walking, which will after install, disable
notifications nag screen and allows update. Download here, here or
here (removed coz of Microsoft complaint).
WindowsXP-KB905474-ENU-x86-v1.5.532.0-noWGA.exe (suggested by
Swissboy) is also the patched KB905474 setup file
which is actually the original setup of KB905474, but with the 3
files replaced. Download it here or here (removed due to Microsoft
compliant).
Old Updates
Version 1.5.530.0 of cracked LegitCheckControl.dll (suggested by
chucko), can also be downloaded here or here
(obsolete links, visit
here for updates).
Use the latest cracked LegitCheckControl.dll by searching for
“Windows.Genuine.Advantage.Validation.v1.5.526.0.CRACKED-ETH0″. Can
also be downloaded here (obsolete link, update
here). Cracked LegitCheckControl.dll also available
here or here (obsolete links, updates available
here). Once download the cracked dll, replace the
LegitCheckControl.dll in \Windows\System32 folder with the cracked
version. You may need to restart your PC in safe mode to replace the
files.
Forth Method
Jules found that by disabling and renaming the
files ‘WgaLogon.dll’ and ‘WgaTray.exe’ in C:\WINDOWS\system32 folder
by using the program Unlocker seems to get rid of all
the nags/popups.
Fifth Method
Clear the contents or create a new empty data.dat for WGA, and make
data.dat Read-Only and Hidden as detailed
here.
The following step basically is the same with the above data.dat
method, only different is that you no need to create any file in the
WGA data folder:
- Launch Windows Explorer and go to C:\Documents and
Settings\All Users\Application Data\Windows Genuine Advantage\data
- Go to Tools -> Folder Option -> View.
- Select (click) Show Hidden Files and Folders option.
- Unselect (uncheck) Hide Protected Operating System Files
option.
- Click OK.
- Delete everything in the data folder.
- Right click on data folder, and select Properties.
- Select (Check) Read-Only as the folder’s atributes.
- Click OK or Apply.
Update: After 30 May 2006 with the release of
WGA 1.5.532.0, this method no longer works. If the data.dat is set
to “Read-Only”, WGA may complains that the serial key from the file
could not be read, making the WGA validation failed even with the
cracked dll files. So just delete the file (and make sure the folder
is not set to “Read-Only”), WGA will then automatically regenerate
the file and create the key, so you will pass the validation if you
have the correct patched dll installed.
Sixth Method
Another alternative suggest that three files are installed Windows
XP System Folder for WGA:
\WINDOWS\system32\WgaLogon.dll
\WINDOWS\system32\WgaTray.exe
\WINDOWS\system32\LegitCheckControl.dll
The wgatray.exe process makes the check for genuine windows
software. If WgaLogon.dll is denied execution right, that WinLogon
is unable to call it to check on Windows validity and display
notification package at boot, and since WgaLogon is also responsible
for running and maintaining WgaTray.exe, no more tray popups either.
To change and disable the execute bit of WgaLogon.dll:
- Turn off Simple File Sharing in Tools -> Folder Options ->
View tab.
- Right click WgaLogon.dll in Windows Explorer and open the
Security Tab.
- Click Advanced button.
- Uncheck the Inherit box at the bottom.
- Click the Copy button.
- Click OK.
- Go through each listed user/group and remove the “Read &
Execute” permission for WgaLogon.dll, leaving the “Read”
permission as-is.
- Click OK to apply the permission changes.
- Close the file properties dialog.
- Restart the computer.
- Turn “Use simple file sharing” on (optional).
