Talk:Windows Genuine Advantage

Why it is necessary to define genuine product one by one
To me, I would treat every software like a drug product. According to FDA or TGA's practice, every drug product has to be offically assecssed to avoid counterfeit effects. Since software is prone to computer virus, this kind of practice is a necessary mean to avoid computer virus spreading--222.67.203.130 (talk) 08:24, 29 October 2009 (UTC)

The same principle could apply to invoice and receipt, if there are no official ones which can fit all.--222.67.203.130 (talk) 08:42, 29 October 2009 (UTC)

Further discusssions can be found in the following --222.64.25.25 (talk) 00:07, 30 October 2009 (UTC)
 * Talk:Windows 7 editions--222.64.25.25 (talk) 23:59, 29 October 2009 (UTC)
 * Talk:Windows XP editions
 * Talk:Windows XP editions
 * Talk:Windows 2000

Another way of managing genuine products is to follow car, electronic and machinary industry's practices where their products are usually labelled by serial numbers and part numbers etc. Therefore, if an OS is bundled with a machine as OEM, its distributed discs should be noted as such.--222.64.22.137 (talk) 01:51, 30 October 2009 (UTC). One of the problems rising from this kind of practice is that when the machine is in legacy status such as being a second hand one, sometimes its parts are not completely genuine. In such cases, I'm not sure whether only using product key protocols could prevent piracy.--222.64.22.137 (talk) 02:00, 30 October 2009 (UTC)

Virtualization Software
Some Windows versions can detect that they are running in a virtualized environment (I believe this includes Windows XP SP1 and later.) Running the Windows softwrae that can detect that it is in fact in a virtualized environment may cause WGA to fail intentionally. My WinXP Pro x64 does not activate in Vbox because of this, but can activate on my real hardware. 24.241.229.253 (talk) 16:02, 3 December 2009 (UTC)

Windows XP CAN detect virtualization but does not refuse to pass on that basis alone. The following cases can cause this issue 1) XP MODE only is genuine if ran on a windows 7 ultimate computer. It will fail to validate if it's not. This is the intentional detection. It detects virtualization, and thus checks for a special hook to query the host OS to validate.  Transferring the virtual machine to another os, or a program that doesn't allow for the check will make it fail. 2) Your SLP key will most likely not work, because the virtual machine doesn't contain the same BIOS. This is not intentional detection, and is probably what actually happened, as the virtual machine players can't legally include the SLP info. 3) a virtual machine will register as new hardware, requiring a phone activation if the installation was on real hardware before. Use of a new key will be fine. 99.99.70.93 (talk) 04:46, 15 August 2010 (UTC)
 * 1 is not correct. Specifically, it has to be on WINDOWS VIRTUAL PC, and thus on Professional or higher, not just Ultimate.


 * 1) 2 is not correct-it's the hardware signiture.Jasper Deng (talk) 05:12, 1 January 2011 (UTC)

Notifications apparently mandatory as of Windows 7 SP1
It seems to me that WGA Notifications is no longer voluntary with Service Pack 1 for Windows 7. This article, which discusses the offensive Notifications component, is outdated and difficult. Up until the present the Notifications component of WGA was voluntary. My W7 Home Premium Toshiba protects me from Notifications by having KB971033 automatically unchecked. I appreciate that. Unless I accept Notifications, however, I will not be offered SP1. If I do the massive all-versions download of SP1, Microsoft states that Notifications is incorporated in that. Since it seems that Service Pack 1 for Windows 7 makes Notifications mandatory, someone should document this as one of the new "features" in the SP1 section of the Windows 7 article, and in this WGA article. - 67.224.51.189 (talk) 16:08, 27 April 2011 (UTC) -(update)-  I added WAT (KB971033) to WGA (KB905474) in the article. For a while now, the Notifications "feature" has been practically mandatory - not so easy to escape. Perhaps Win 7 SP-1 makes it completely mandatory - inescapable. - 67.224.51.189 (talk) 20:33, 30 April 2011 (UTC)
 * I should learn not to shoot off my mouth. Notifications has not become mandatory in Windows 7 SP1. Although it takes some care not to pick up KB971033 up on the way to getting SP1, assuming that KB971033 has not been installed prior to beginning the SP1 install, it will still not be installed after the SP1 install completes. - 67.224.51.189 (talk) 09:38, 1 May 2011 (UTC)

Downloads
Apparently downloads on the Microsoft Web site as of 2015 no longer require validation to download. 216.145.67.128 (talk) 23:26, 11 January 2018 (UTC)

WGA and Windows 8 & 10
The article states in the infobox that WGA only applies to Window XP through Windows 7 but does not state why it's not in Windows 8, 8.1, and 10. Did they remove it completely in Windows 8 and later or incorporate its features in some form via the Windows Activation "feature" such that it no longer a separate "feature"? We really out to state in the article why Windows 8 and later no longer include the "feature". --Notcharliechaplin (talk) 22:20, 4 July 2020 (UTC)