Thursday, 7 September 2006

Microsoft Downloads Without a WGA Check

gHacks has published a method that gives you the ability to download every file from Microsoft without a WGA check. According to them, you don't need a magic wand, but a tool called mgadiag.exe, the download url of the file that you want to...

Every year millions of consumers and businesses are hurt by counterfeit software that they have purchased unwittingly, and many companies that sell legitimate software have difficulty competing with low 'too good to be true' prices offered by software counterfeiters. Through Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA), Microsoft intended to help customers and resellers of Microsoft products reduce the threats posed by counterfeit software.

The WGA program was launched July 2005 to provide an improved experience for consumers using genuine Windows XP and to help Microsoft address software piracy. The first phase of the WGA Notifications pilot was launched in Norway and Sweden during November 2005. In February 2006 five additional countries were added, and the program was further expanded in April 2006 and again in May 2006 to other markets around the world.

The WGA program consists of two major components, WGA Validation and WGA Notifications. Validation determines whether the copy of Windows XP installed on a PC is genuine and licensed. WGA Notifications reminds users who fail validation that they are not running genuine Windows and directs them to resources to learn more about the benefits of using genuine Windows software.

Recent public discussions about WGA Notifications had raised questions about its operation. Shortly after logon, a WGA Notification check whether a newer settings file is available and downloads the file if one is found. The settings file provides Microsoft with the ability to update how often reminders are displayed and to disable the program if necessary during the test period. This functionality enables Microsoft to respond quickly to feedback to improve the customer's experience. Unlike validation, which sends system information to Microsoft, this operation is limited to the download of the new settings file. No additional information is sent to Microsoft

gHacks has now published a method that gives you the ability to download every file from Microsoft without a WGA check. According to them, you don't need a magic wand, but a tool called mgadiag.exe, the download url of the file that you want to download, and some magic code that will free you from the shackles of Microsoft WGA.. Mgadiag.exe is the Microsoft Genuine Advantage Diagnostic Tool. They sum the process like so:

1. download mgadiag.exe
2. start mgadiag.exe and look at the download center code
3. visit a download page at microsoft.com
4. append &Hash=”download center code” to the url (example &Hash=6VJPCR9), no quotation marks needed
5. Hit enter

Earlier this year, a Los Angeles resident sued Microsoft. He wanted class-action status for his lawsuit over the Windows Genuine Advantage check, and claims the software operates in violation of spyware laws. Brian Johnson's suit accuses Microsoft of deceptively installing its software on user systems "without providing consumers any opportunity to make an informed choice" about its installation. This is contrary to what the company, saying, "WGA is installed with the consent of the user and seeks only to notify the user if a proper license is not in place. WGA is not spyware".

Johnson's attorney Scott Kamber who also represented consumers in that class-action suit regarding the Sony rootkit debacle is arguing that a recent version of the WGA package, which was rather inconspicuously pushed to users' computers as part of a security update, fits the legal definition of 'spyware' because its existence and purpose weren't plainly disclosed to consumers. Microsoft spokesperson Jim Desler counters this argument by pointing out that the WGA tool is not malicious in nature which presumably distinguishes it from the 'bad spyware" and that the 'real issue' here is the 'industry-wide problem' of software piracy. Still, Microsoft changed the latest version of the tool by beefing up the licensing agreement and eliminating those daily status reports, so even though Desler calls the suit 'baseless,' we wouldn't be surprised if Johnson ends up with some hush money to prevent the negative publicity that a trial would surely bring.