March, 2009
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Reader question - susbcribe to the gizmo guide today Windows Genuine Advantage messages keep annoying me |
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Hi gizmo, I am getting a constant pop up from Microsoft about their Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) program and Office Genuine Advantage (OGA) program which is telling me that my software is not genuine and I need to download genuine Microsoft – at a cost. Is this ‘genuine’ and what happens If I don’t download their genuine software? Also how do I get rid of the constant pop up that opens every time I open any windows program? Joanne. |
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Hi Joanne, The messages you are seeing are usually displayed when the Microsoft software on your computer is not genuine and are part of their efforts to combat software piracy (see http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/downloads/FAQ.aspx for more info). The best way to find out if you have legitimate software installed is to call Microsoft on the number provided by clicking the pop up bubble and asking them to check for you. Depending on where you bought the computer and operating system from, you may also want to ask them to explain the situation. In some cases, the message is shown if you have reformatted your computer or significantly changed its configuration (for example, if you’ve upgraded your hard drive or CPU). In this case, calling Microsoft and explaining the situation will allow them to walk you through re-validating your copy of Windows and/or Office. If everything is above board, the process only takes about 5 minutes in most cases. If you do need a hand buying and setting up a fresh legitimate copy of Windows a gizmo Upgrade Me service and a new copy of Windows will get rid of the error messages. |
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