Download From Microsoft Without a WGA Check 195
Anonymous Coward writes, "When you want to download a file from Microsoft, a WGA (Windows Genuine Advantage) check is performed. Microsoft installs a small piece of software on your computer that contacts the Microsoft server and checks the validity of your installed Windows software. If the test fails you will not be able to download the file(s). The following method gives you the ability to download every file from Microsoft without a WGA check."
One thing (Score:3, Interesting)
basically (Score:3, Interesting)
The code changes regularly, at which time you need mgadiag.exe to find the new code.
Generalized way to find the hashes (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Correct me if I'm wrong... (Score:5, Interesting)
That sentence alone is enough to get me riled up. Granted, I'm one of the people who stepped gracefully off the Microsoft Bus as soon as 'Product Validation' became a reality. (I even run Windows 2000 and the first version of Office 2000, which are the two last versions on their respective lines to not have the 'phone home' features)
It sorta chills me to think of being afraid to run particular binaries on a machine that I own and am legitimate owner of, because a 'phone home' feature will nark on me.
My copies of Windows 2000 and Office 2000 are the full retail-box versions (about the most expensive way possible to buy Microsoft's products). I used to buy a lot of their stuff. Not any longer. And I'm not alone.
Re:Why the fuck.. (Score:5, Interesting)
I feel your pain. I provide all our company's in house tech support. If a machine goes down and needs a hard drive replaced, I don't fudge around calling up Microsoft when the WPA thing starts bitching. I have a utility that patches an operating system file, and bam, no more WPA or WGA bullshit. If they want to accuse me of being a pirate, they can come on in and look at the product key hologram stickers on every box I do this to. Its not that I'm pirating it, I just don't have time to jump through all their hoops. Alot of my users do all their work on the computer, and if its down for more than 2 hours or so I start to get flak.
Car Analogy (Score:3, Interesting)
I think that the above hypothetical scenario is a simple analogy of what I like to call "The Windows Problem". Nobody likes WGA. Nobody likes the endless parade of patches and hotfixes that require a reboot as often as not. Nobody likes having to be ever vigilant against security threats. People are starting to see that Windows is very flawed. Since we as a society have spent the majority of our IT budget for the last 20 years on making this one OS the (often) only platform for our IT solutions, how do we change course now?
There are those who believe that once people hear the Good News about Linux they will throw off their Microsoft shackles and march hand-in-hand into the FOSS promised land. OK, maybe I overstated that a little, but you get the point and you know the type. Ubuntu is ridiculously easy to install, but my mother couldn't do it. She uses XP because that's what Dell installed on her computer. Even though she sees Windows as the only reasonable alternative, she still bitches about it. "Normal" people had a hard enough time getting Windows to do what they want it to do, and they'll be damned if they are going to learn it all over again.
Unless everyone else switches first.
Re:Correct me if I'm wrong... (Score:4, Interesting)
But you're in a very small room. Most people don't know or care about stuff like this. It measures somewhere between a traffic fine for accidentally running a red light and being late for a video rental.
And how many people do you represent? Do you buy for a corporation? Large group? Somehow, I doubt it.
I'm an OSS kinda guy (I write this on my Fedora Core system, using Mozilla) and love it, and have even made sure that our software works on Windows, Mac, and Linux - but none of our customers have *EVER* used our Linux software. A small (but meaningful) percentage of our users are on Macs.
Truth is, much as we who are interested in this stuff might like otherwise, this stuff just doesn't matter to most people - and to those whom it does, Microsoft really is cheaper.
Ever try to support desktop software? Yes, it's getting worse on Windows, but it's still not too bad, compared to supporting some XYZ linux flavor:
Q. What Operating System are you using?
A. Linux
Q. Ok, what UI are you using?
A. What?
Q. I mean, what Window Manager?
A. What's that?
Q. When you click on the start button, what do you see?
A. There is no "Start" button...
Q. Is there a button where you click on to run a program?
A. Yeah.
Q. When you click on it, what does it say?
A. Enter Command
Q. That's it, "Enter Command"?
A. Yes.
Q. So how do you do stuff?
A. What kind of stuff?
Q. You know, look at a website.
A. Oh, a website! I use Firefox!
Q. Good, how do you find FireFox?
A. It's on my desktop!
Q. So are you using Gnome or KDE?
A. I don't know what you're talking about.
Q. (deep sigh)
A. So, you're looking at a screen, right?
Q. Yes.
A. And there's a task bar on it, right?
Q. No.
See where this is going? Linux is not for end users. It probably could be - but it just isn't there now. Ubuntu just might be getting there. Macintosh OSX is there. But for end users, only through some very controlled interface, and in some limited capacity.
Now, I was talking with my father-in-law the other day, and he indicated that he would *never* use Linux. I laughed, and told me that he did, every day. And not only that, but he raved to me about it!
With a look of surprise, he asked me how/where - and I pointed to his Dish DVR. (which is Linux-based, all the way down to an ext2/3 filesystem)
WTF (Score:3, Interesting)
All that being said, I've written this post on my triple-booting MBP. And just for the record: after having dealt for many years with all of them, I have to admit that I hate Windows, OSX, and Linux with passion (ok, Linux less so simply due to its philosophical supremacy), despite the fact that (or should I perhaps say because?) I use all three on a more-or-less daily basis...
Works with WINE... (Score:2, Interesting)