Will Google Office Catch On?

So, it’s not surprising Google is apparently coming out with a Powerpoint-like service that will complete its online productivity suite portfolio - and, more important, give it the same arsenal as Microsoft Office. The question is whether it matters? Just because Google built it, does it necessarily mean users will come?

On my computer, I’ve got Office 2003 (no plans to upgrade to Office 2007) but I’ve also got an increasing number of documents on Google Docs, Spreadsheets and GMail. The Docs and Spreadsheets documents were created so I can easily share documents and spreadsheets with other people. While Google won’t replace Microsoft Office as the “go to” productivity suite any time soon, it is a nice complement to Office given I have yet to wade into the world of Microsoft Live.

But what will it take for Google Office to take major amounts of market share from Microsoft Office? There is a lot of enthusiasm for Web-based services but it’s difficult to see many people, particularly corporate-types, abandoning Office any time soon for Google. Why should Google Office be anything different as a competitive threat as WordPerfect or Open Office, which are, in theory, easier products for many people to embrace? (One different Google Office does have over WordPerfect and Open Office: it’s free. (Update: My bad, Open Office is free too).

That said, Google Office could get some more traction if wireless networks become more ubiquitous, and the use of Web-based services becomes more mainstream. One thing I have noticed in recent months is how Google-based services such as GMail, Docs & Spreadsheets and Google News have become key parts of my computing environment.

For more, check out Paul Kedrosky, who doesn’t care Google Office may not have all the bells and whistles as Office.

Technorati Tags: Google, Microsoft

Written by Mark Evans on February 5th, 2007 with no comments.
Read more articles on Google and Microsoft and Main Page.

Z-z-z-z-une dude is iPod food

Earlier this week it was announced that Bryan Lee, corporate vice president of Microsoft's entertainment and devices division, was going to take an early retirement. Mr. Lee is 43.   Also probable is that Allard might have to work quickly to deliver a level of success for Zune, or he could find his position [...]

Written by Russell Shaw on February 3rd, 2007 with no comments.
Read more articles on General and Microsoft and Apple.

How to Generate Vista Buzz: Spend $500M on Ads

Vista is a nice upgrade from Windows XP but it’s hardly a ground-shaking product even after five years of development and 50 million lines of code. The lack of enthusiasm has been muted (highlighted by the WSJ’s Walter Mossberg who described it as “worthy, but largely unexciting product”.

So what can Microsoft do to get people talking about Vista, which has many attractive features and far better security? How about spending a whopping $500-million on advertising, which makes the $150,000 or so that Microsoft spent sending free Ferrari laptops to bloggers look like a drop in the bucket. Over the next little while, it is going to be impossible to avoid Vista. There will TV commercials, billboards, magazine, newspaper ads and public transit vehicles featuring Vista. Even Bill Gates is getting into the action by making appearances all over the place, including The Daily Show.

The strange and ironic part about spending $500-million (which is higher than the GDP of 17 countries) is, at the end of the day, most people will end up buying Vista anyway. At some point, you’ll have no choice but to trade in your Pentium III, 1GB machine for someone even more powerful, which, of course, will be powered by Vista. It’s like that old Fram oil filter ad where the garage mechanic says “You can pay me now, or you can pay me later”. Well, you get Vista now or get Vista later but either way you’re going to get it - unless you’re a Mac-ite.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting Vista is a bad or unworthy product. I’m just saying there’s no reason to be rushing out the door to upgrade if your computer is doing most of what you want it to do now. My sense is Vista is just phase one of a multi-part plan to introduce a far better OS than XP. Rather than delay Vista’s launch, Microsoft finally got it/rushed it out the door, which likely explains why people see it as alright but not earth-shattering.

For more, check out this video by the NYT’s David Pogue, who looks at how much Microsoft borrowed by the Mac. Engagdet’s Peter Rojas blogged live from the official Windows Vista launch event in NYC, while CrunchGear offers up six good reasons not to upgrade to Vista.

Technorati Tags: Advertising, Microsoft, Vista

Written by Mark Evans on January 30th, 2007 with no comments.
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Mossberg Sorta, Kinda Disses Vista

When the New York Times’ Walter Mossberg talks, people listen. So, I suspect many people at Microsoft must be somewhat disappointed with Mossberg’s take on Vista, which is sees as a “worthy, but largely unexciting, product”.

“Vista is much prettier than previous versions of Windows. Its icons look better, windows have translucent borders, and items in the taskbar and in folders can display little previews of what they contain. Security is supposedly vastly better; there are some new free, included programs; and fast, universal search is now built in. There are hundreds of other, smaller, improvements and additions throughout the system, including parental controls and even a slicker version of Solitaire.”

My take on Vista is pretty much the same as Mossberg’s. Vista is a definite improvement from a user-interface perspective with some really nice, user-friendly features, particularly the multi-media players. That said, my overall reaction is akin to what my mother says when goes to a movie or play that’s alright but not amazing. Her default phrase is “It was very nice”, which is a mild praise, at best. (I’ll provide a more in-depth review of Vista in a few days.)

As one of the bloggers who received a Ferarri laptop pre-loaded with Vista, one thing I can say is I’m more impressed with Vista than the laptop. The Acer machine has a great screen but it’s fairly heavy, difficult to open and the exhaust fan blows on your hand (if you’re right-handed).

Technorati Tags: Microsoft, Vista, Walter Mossberg

Written by Mark Evans on January 19th, 2007 with no comments.
Read more articles on Software and Microsoft and Main Page.

Firefox Fires Away

I’m not sure whether this is the right phrase but do consumers have a bad case of “upgrade fatigue” when it comes to Microsoft software? Look at Internet Explorer, which has seen its market share decline to about 80% in the U.S. while Firefox has climbed to 14%, according to WebSideStory and Net Applications. This is despite the fact IE7 has Firefox-ized itself by adding such as tabs so you can open multiple Web sites at the same time. Are people moving to Firefox because it’s better and/or cooler, or are they simply tired of IE?
While there’s no Firefox in the operating system world (sorry, Mac and Linux supporters), there doesn’t seem be much buzz about Vista’s impending launch. While I haven’t drilled down into Vista yet, there appears to nothing compelling that will drive XP users to buy Vista. And what about Office 2007? How many people really need a new version of Word or PowerPoint when Office 2003 will do pretty much everything and anything you need.
Of course, millions of computer users will happily upgrade to IE7, Vista and Office 2007, while people buying new computers will have no choice. That said, IE7’s battle against Firefox puts the focus on the upgrade cycle and how difficult it can be to migrate people to new versions at a time when interesting competitors are battling for the attention of consumers.

Technorati Tags: Firefox, Microsoft

Written by Mark Evans on January 17th, 2007 with no comments.
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Microsoft Pulling Out All the Stops

Live from CES in Las Vegas, special correspondent Kevin Restivo (aka my Talking Tech podcasting partner) has some thoughts about Microsoft’s efforts to win over bloggers and podcasters. Take it away, Kevin.
Microsoft is pulling out all the stops to win over notoriously critical bloggers and podcasters this weekend in Las Vegas. The software giant, which is fighting to make gains in the Web 2.0 world, flew 60 bloggers and podcasters to a two-day conference called Featured Communities Vista Lab 2007. Microsoft also flew in renowned photographer Art Wolfe to give a lecture on digital photography, and gave attendees a signed copy of Wolfe’s latest book, which sells for a cool $125. Oh, and some guy named Bill Gates addressed the group on Sunday morning.
The conference comes on the heels of a controversial giveaway, which saw Microsoft give away Acer Ferrari notebook computers pre-loaded with the Vista to about 90 bloggers (including Mark) And ya, there was some actual talk about software and new Web 2.0 services.
Web surfers looking for directions will probably appreciate two new services, called Virtual Earth 3D and Local Live that were previewed for the group yesterday. At first glance, they don’t seem to be ‘me-too’ services. Virtual Earth, for example, lets you cruise through 15 U.S. cities in 3D fashion. Canadians can still use the service but only in 2D format. Microsoft hopes to include detailed 3D mapping for other Canadian and U.S. cities over the next year.
All told, the company’s weekend efforts seem to have paid off with positive posts and lots of general gushing during the sessions.
Update: Microsoft unveiled the Home Server this morning. At first glance, it seems very cool, especially for people who have multiple computers that they access over a home network. The idea of a single repository for all things digital can only be a good thing. To be honest it’s something I expect from Google given all the talk about the company putting together a service that syncs your bookmarks, digital photos and music across the Web. For other views, check out 10 and Jeremy Wright, who sees a bright future for porn within Home Sever - Mark Evans

Technorati Tags: Microsoft

Written by Mark Evans on January 9th, 2007 with no comments.
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Agonizing over Vista

Rather than immediately jumping into the controversy over the rightness or wrongness of Microsoft’s offer of a free Vista-loaded laptop to dozens of bloggers, I decided to watch from the sidelines for awhile to gather my thoughts. (Disclosure: I’m one of those bloggers who was given a Ferrari laptop by Microsoft. My employer, b5media, plans to give it away as part of a contest).
The Vista issue is fascinating on a number of different levels. One, it puts the spotlight on whether bloggers need to be editorially “pure” like journalists so the content they produce is seen as objective. It’s an interesting concept as blogging evolves into a mainstream medium read by people looking for information and insight. As Joel (on Software) Spolsky argues, trust is a key consideration for many bloggers who wants their posts to be seen as credible and authentic.
Perhaps what the Vista issue does is continue the fragmentation of the blogosphere. There will be bloggers who will write and behave like journalists - and expect to be treated as such by companies, PR firms, conference organizers, etc. There will be bloggers who have little interest in being treated as a journalist because it’s not a job, and they get paid little or nothing to write their blogs so how’s a freebie here and there really going to matter. Then, there’s the Pay-Per-Post crowd.
Truth be told, no one is really, really pure - not even journalists, particularly high-tech reporters who operate in a PR-happy world of product trials, demos and evaluations (and this comes from a decade as a high-tech newspaper reporter). I would hazard to guess, for example, the majority of Microsoft XP CDs sent to journalists in 2001 were never returned to Microsoft even though we’re talking about $350 to $500 product. In general, I would strongly suggest the majority of hardware/software sent to reporters is never returned, and everyone carries on their merry, objective way.
And what about when a source takes a reporter out for an expensive lunch, or a PR firm invites a group of journalists to a concert or sports event, or a company takes a reporter(s) on a junket/conference and picks up the flight and accommodation expenses? Where do you draw the line on accepting freebies? It’s a very tricky game.
That said, Microsoft’s offer - albeit generous - strikes me as over the top given we’re talking about a $2200 product. It’s awful tempting to keep something so shiny and new but to me it doesn’t seem quite right (maybe this comes from nearly 20 years as a journalist). If I were Microsoft, I would have asked for the laptops back and donated them to charity, or asked the bloggers to donate them to the charity of their choice after three months.
For more thoughts, check out Internet News, Deep Jive Interests, ex-Microsoft employee Robert Scoble, who thinks Microsoft is doing something awesome, Web Worker Daily, and BL Ochman, who provides a snapshot of the controversy.

Technorati Tags: Microsoft, puppy

Written by Mark Evans on December 30th, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on Uncategorized and Microsoft and Main Page.

Can the MSFT Titantic Change Directions?

Can a tiger change its stripes? Can you turn water into wine? Can Ray Ozzie and Steve Berkowitz transform Microsoft into an Internet company from its Windows/Office roots? This is a question highlighted by the New York Times, which looks at Microsoft efforts to beef up is online operations through initiatives such as Live. At the risk of under-playing the dominance of Internet Explorer and the popularity of MSN.com, Microsoft isn't an Internet company and, frankly, it will never be seen as anything else other than a giant software company with some interesting side projects (e.g. Xbox).

This isn't necessarily a bad thing but it is what it is even though Microsoft has been struggling to convince people otherwise for the past decade. If you take a step back, Microsoft's track record beyond Windows and Office has been, at best, mediocre. A good example is television where it has toiled for years and spent billions of dollars to establish a foothold in the living room. Microsoft has acquired stakes in cable companies, purchased start-ups (anyone remember WebTV?) and, most recently, tried to developed an IP-TV platform for carriers. But after all this time, money and effort, Microsoft only has a modest presence in the TV or video markets.

Microsoft's problem - and challenge - is the Internet isn't part of the corporate DNA so it's hard to really be a vibrant and innovative Internet player when it's not really who you are. A part of this reality is Microsoft continues to make billions of dollars from selling Windows and Office. It's the business so Microsoft's lack of success in diversifying into other businesses is no different than what many other companies have faced over the years. Microsoft, however, is fortunate its core business continues to rumble along as opposed to being forced to diversify because the core business is eroding.

What Microsoft and investors need to accept is Microsoft will continue to be a software company with a Web presence as long as its continue to operate in its present form. If, however, the company decided to break itself into independent operations (Windows/Office, Xbox, MSN/Internet) then it might be a different story because each entity would have its own core mission and raison d'etre. In the meantime, Microsoft will attempt to fight the good Internet fight while chasing after dyed-in-the-wool Internet rivals such as Google and Yahoo.

For more on Berkowitz, News.com recently did a Q&A with him. By the way, read what you will into this quote Berkowitz gave the NYT about life at Microsoft compared with his previous employer, Ask.com: "I’m used to being in companies where I am in a rowboat and I stick an oar in the water to change direction. Now I’m in a cruise ship and I have to call down, Hello, engine room!. Sometimes the connections to the engine room aren’t there."

Technorati Tags: Google, Microsoft

Written by Mark Evans on December 10th, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on Microsoft and yahoo and Web 2.0 and Media and Web-based Services.

What’s up,.docx? If you want Office 2007 that bad, ditch your Mac for a PC

APC magazine and other outlets report that Office for Mac 2004 users who intend to install Office 2007 are not in for a pleasant experience. That's because Word, Excel and PowerPoint 2007 now all use different file formats: .docx instead of .doc, .xlsx instead of .xls and .pptx xlsx in lieu of .ppt. Because Word 2007 [...]

Written by Russell Shaw on December 6th, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on News and General and Microsoft and Apple.

We’re Talking Tech: Vista, Newspapers, P2P

So how keen are you about Microsoft Vista? Keen enough to be among the first people to embrace the new, much-anticipated and much-delayed operating system? During this week's Talking Tech podcast, Kevin Restivo and I both advise smart computers users to wait on Vista until Microsoft fixes any of the inevitable bugs that will emerge despite years of development and billions of dollars of R&D. After all, we're talking about an operating system with 40 million lines of code.

That said, when I think of Vista, I think of those old Fram oil filter commercial in which a mechanic tells a customer, "you can pay me now or you can pay me later". For computer users, it means you can migrate to Vista now (not recommended) or do it later but at some point, you'll probably have to do it to take advantage of new software and Web services designed specifically for Vista. While everyone is focused on Vista, people and investors shouldn't overlook the launch of Office 2007 given Office accounts for 30% of Microsoft's sales and 50% of profits.

Earlier this week, the Toronto Sun laid off 16 more employees - reflecting the newspaper industry's continued struggles. The question is if you owned a newspaper, what would you do to fix it? USAToday's Kevin Maney had an interesting column exploring the idea earlier this week, while I was inspired to write a blog post with my take.

Finally, Kevin (Restivo) and I looked at BitTorrent's $20-million venture capital deal. We're not sure how BitTorrent is going to spend $20-million given it doesn't have a P2P network to operate. Perhaps it's a sign investors believe the music and movie industries will start to capitalize on P2P rather than fight it like the music industry has insisted on doing. It could also suggests BitTorrent's investors believe consumers may be willing to pay for an online service that provide high-quality downloads at reasonable prices (much like iTunes). Then again, the problem with the P2P world is even if you have a legitimate player emerge, there will always be new ones offering free content...such as DailyMotion.com, which has a library of commercial-free TV shows.

Technorati Tags: Microsoft, Newspapers, P2P, Video

Written by Mark Evans on December 3rd, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on Microsoft and p2p and Main Page and Podcasting and Media.

Skype status in Second Life: The race for web services

Written by Skype Journal on November 18th, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on Skype and VoIP and Google and Microsoft and yahoo and AOL and ebay and developers and presence and Technology and Developer Zone and Technology and skypejournal and wishlist and Marketing and counterpoints and complaints.

Skype Goes Truly Mobile….

Written by Skype Journal on November 17th, 2006 with no comments.
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Hey Microsoft haters- sorry but Zune has a leg up on iPod

  iPod lovers=Zune haters. They are out there in the teeming millions. I am convinced that a significant proportion of these Zune debunkers are really Microsoft haters. If MSFT developed a cure for cancer, then maybe folks like this would hate Microsoft somewhat less.  At roll-out ceremonies for the Zune today, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said that the […]

Written by Russell Shaw on November 15th, 2006 with no comments.
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Windows Live Messenger 8.1 Beta

Written by Skype Journal on November 1st, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on Skype and VoIP and Microsoft and ebay and skypejournal and Life and Life.

Will IE7 Kill Firefox?

After months of anxious anticipation, Internet Explorer 7 is finally available. Now, we can abandon those pesky open-source browsers that have kept IE from cementing its domination of the market. I can't wait to uninstall Firefox, Flock and Opera. No more worrying about cool extensions and plug-ins from an army of developers, no more worry about Web sites that just don't look quite right, and finally no more guilt about trying to be one of those people who seeks out Microsoft alternatives. If I were you, I'd rumble over to IE7's download site immediately. Can it only be a matter of time before Firefox's 10% to 12% share of the browser market returns to a more reasonable level - say 2% to 3%? Then, we'd be back to normal again with a true king and lots of little wannabes wandering around to make it seem like competition is alive and well.

   Then again...what if IE7 isn't the be all and end of browsers? What if it's a simply much-needed improvment from IE6, which was still using Spyglass technology from late-1990s? What if Firefox 2.0 is just as good and user-friendly? (and less of a memory hog would help as well!) Surely, this wouldn't mean Microsoft would still have to deal with competitors (Firefox, Opera, Flock, Maxthon, etc.) that encourage innovation. What if all those Firefox users and all those Firefox developers just keep on doing what they're doing? Now, this could be interesting, very interesting.

   So what do you do as a browser user? Well, if you're curious and brave, download IE7. If you're happy with Firefox, Flock and Opera, just keep on doing what you're doing. For more view check out FactoryCity, Inside Microsoft and Matt Cutts.

Written by Mark Evans on October 19th, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on Microsoft and internet explorer and Main Page and Browsers and Firefox.

Windows, take your kill switches, interrupts, reboots AND Registry: and stuff it

I'm at a big VoIP trade show that starts tomorrow. Come here and you'll get plenty of VoIP.But right now, I am cranky. And when bloggers get cranky, ooh boy, better watch out. Kill switches are NEVER, EVER OK. My colleague David Berlind makes a very true and valid point that even the most benevolent instances [...]

Written by Russell Shaw on October 11th, 2006 with no comments.
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HP Using Voodoo (No, Not in the Leak Probe)

Not to be outdone by Dell's deal with Alienware (and not to be confused with the Congressional hearing (aka "HP FUD" -- Fear Uncertaincy and Doubt) now going on, Hewlett-Packard plans to buy niche PC manufacturer Voodoo Computers.

Voodoo makes cool looking, high-end PCs (expensive!) that are popular with gamers. We've blogged about them previously -- some hot boxes!

Will be interesting to see how the PC companies (Dell and HP) fare against game-console manufacturers Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft.

Another battle of the titans to enjoy ...

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Tags: alienware, dell, hp, microsoft, nintendo, sony, voodoo
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Written by VoIP & Gadgets Blog on September 29th, 2006 with no comments.
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Zune 11/14 @$249.99

That's the date and that's the price for Microsoft's new MP3 player.

The press release gives all of the details.

The big question: Will this make any kind of dent in Apple's domination of this market?

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Tags: apple, microsoft, zune
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Written by VoIP & Gadgets Blog on September 28th, 2006 with no comments.
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Yahoo Messenger and Windows Live interoperate - out of beta

It's official, Yahoo! Messenger and Microsoft Live Messenger now interoperate! As of today, the limited beta is no more and it's fully available to all users. That's right, starting today the combined community approaching 350 million user accounts (arguably the world’s largest IM community) can take advantage of Yahoo! Messenger interop with Windows Live Messenger. Woohoo!

Here are some interesting stats that resulted in a recent poll commissioned by Yahoo! and Windows Live which was conducted by Harris Interactive:

Some IM Users Are Willing to Forego Their Guilty Pleasures for (IM) Inter-Connectivity Feature:

• 29% said they’d be willing to give up watching American Idol
• 16% said they’d give up ice cream for one month
• 15% are willing to give up their morning cup of coffee
• 15% said they’d give up their morning paper

Some other interesting findings:

One in four IM users surveyed said that being able to use one IM service to connect with friends on other IM services is the next great thing  since the creation of the cell phone.
57% of the IM users surveyed have a friend or family member on a different IM service.
More than one-third (35%) of students (over the age of 18) use more than one IM service.

Hat tip to yodel.yahoo.com:

Today I woke up, logged onto Yahoo! Messenger, and pinged my friend Blake Irving, head of Microsoft’s Windows Live Platform Group, to applaud him and his team. Congratulations are definitely in order, as today marks a true milestone in Internet history. For the first time ever, interoperability (a.k.a. interop) between consumer instant messaging (IM) services is possible.

In July, Microsoft and Yahoo! introduced interop on a limited basis and received an overwhelming response. In just two months more than 90 million messages were sent and received across our networks — a level of usage that is a dream for us Internet geeks.

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Tags: im, interoperate, msn messenger, windows live, yahoo messenger
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Written by VoIP & Gadgets Blog on September 27th, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on Microsoft and im and windows live and yahoo messenger and msn messenger.

Adobe flashes on VoIPifying the web

Written by Skype Journal on September 22nd, 2006 with no comments.
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Who’ll Gimme a Price on a Zune?

Remember we blogged earlier this week about the question about Zune's pricing?

Well, today much and all kinds of speculation, rumors, innuendoes, viewpoints and blogging about just how much that Zune "in the window" will cost.

Maybe Microsoft should sell them all online via an auction; can you imagine an eBay auction of that scale? Or how about "Microsoft Direct" -- would be very interesting ...

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Tags: ebay, microsoft, zune
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Written by VoIP & Gadgets Blog on September 21st, 2006 with no comments.
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Live from Tokyo: New Xbox 360 HD Games!

It's beginning to look a lot like HD around here, with Microsoft's announcment today at the Tokyo Game Show 2006 that is has a library of 110 HD Xbox 360 games that will be available this holiday season in Japan, including the highly anticipated Blue Dragon.

(Look for a lot of those to be headed our way, too.)

Also, Microsoft is going "old school" with a tribute to “Pac-Man” with the announcement of the first “Pac-Man” World Championship will be held in early 2007 using Xbox 360 and Xbox Live Arcade.

The Xbox 360 games showcased included:

• Blue Dragon (Microsoft Game Studios)
• Lost Planet: Extreme Condition (Capcom)
• Dead or Alive: Xtreme 2 (Tecmo Inc.)
• Trusty Bell (NAMCO BANDAI Games)

If this isn't enough, read the complete press release on the Microsoft web site.

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Tags: blue dragon, microsoft, pac-man, tokyo game show 2006, xbox 360
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Written by VoIP & Gadgets Blog on September 20th, 2006 with no comments.
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Here’s how ZuneVoIP could kick iPod’s butt

Richard Ozerman of CruchGear cites the "latest rumors from people in the know" that Microsoft's upcoming Zune will be VoIP-enabled.VoIP functionality could be delivered through the device's already-revealed WiFi capability. A rumored add-on attachment that fits into a dock on the Zune would, it is believed, be able to hold a mic necessary for these [...]

Written by Russell Shaw on September 20th, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on General and Products and Microsoft and WiFi.

Power of the iPod

If you want some insight into why the iPod is such a smash success - and why Microsoft's Zune will have a tough time getting a solid market foothold - check out National Post Robert Fulford's recent column. At 74, Fulford likely falls outside the iPod's "target market" but the fact he finds his Nano  "the finest private luxury object of this century so far" reflects how the iPod has resonated with so many consumers (more than 60 million and counting to be precise). If Fulford starts publicly pining for an iTV device, you know Apple has scored another home run.

Written by Mark Evans on September 20th, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on Microsoft and iPod and Main Page.

How Much Is That Zune in the Window?

Does anybody really know the price of Microsoft's new Zune?

(Does anybody really care? Hey, sounds like a tune from Chicago, or Chicago Transit Authority as the band was originally known.)

Seems Apple's new iPod pricing threw Microsoft for a loop, according to reports, so the retail pricing for the product is still up in the air.

Lots of intrigue about how to market a product in this story, with one of the key marketing "Ps" (there are four) -- price -- still a big question mark.

Is this anyway to run a company?

 

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Tags: apple, ipod, microsoft, zune
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Written by VoIP & Gadgets Blog on September 19th, 2006 with no comments.
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VoIP over EVDO

Found an interesting company that can do VoIP over EVDO, a popular high-speed data network used by Sprint, Verizon, and other mobile carriers. PeerMe, today launched its free service designed to allow users of Sprint EVDO mobile phones to make free unlimited calls. They currently offer a PocketPC and Windows Mobile 5 version of their client.

Actually, upon further review, my excitement over PeerMe has now waned. Although PeerMe uses VoIP technology to enable mobile phone users to communicate with other mobile phone users running PeerMe for free, it appears that PeerMe doesn't allow for PSTN calling. Thus, what you get with PeerMe is simply a PC-to-PC type service with IM capabilities. Well what's the point of that? PC-to-PC softphones and IM clients are a dime-a-dozen. How is PeerMe going to compete with the likes of Skype, Yahoo, Google, Microsoft, and others that offer IM, PC-to-PC, and PC-to-Phone functionality?

Well, maybe I should ask PeerMe that question. In the meantime, check out what their CEO had to say. PeerMe CEO Tom Lasater says, "Sprint has the best EVDO network in the U.S., but at the same time they have the highest churn in the industry and they signed up fewer new users than any of their competitors this year. We are giving them the ability to use their technological edge to become the leader in the U.S. wireless market."

"Nobody in the cell phone industry has done a marketing campaign touting the tremendous cost savings that can result from using peer-to-peer voice on a wireless broadband mobile device. Carriers are probably scared of cannibalizing their revenues, but lets look at the real cost of offering this service. Most people pay a flat fee for what is basically unlimited talk time within the U.S., so PeerMe usage is going to affect revenue from overseas calls. The reality is that the erosion of revenue from overseas calls already happened in the 1990s. Sprint should do a massive advertising campaign touting their EVDO-enabled devices as the solution for outrageous communications costs. Sprint could not only crush its mobile competitors with this strategy, they could also blindside the DSL and fixed-line broadband industry."

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Tags: evdo, google, microsoft, peerme, skype, voip, yahoo
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Written by VoIP & Gadgets Blog on September 14th, 2006 with no comments.
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Nintendo Wii = $250

While Sony PS3 delays (at least not in Japan and the U.S.) have been making the rounds lately, the big news today is that Nintendo's new gaming console -- the oddly named Wii -- will cost $250.

Now that's a good thing right? Well, as in all things, you get what you pay for, so while this will be a lot less than the other big boys' consoles (think PS3 and Microsoft), will this deliver on its promise?

Only time -- and gamers (aka "the marketplace") -- will tell.

In the meantime, check out this report on pricing, dating, games and more.

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Written by VoIP & Gadgets Blog on September 14th, 2006 with no comments.
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Music should be shared: Zune gets it; iPod doesn’t

Music is, of course, a deeply personal experience. But far more instructive of the human condition than that, music is all about sharing.Ever since our species learned to communicate musically, we have been sharing music- in our celebratory and sacred rituals, to listening parties, through the "you got to come down to the club and [...]

Written by Russell Shaw on September 14th, 2006 with no comments.
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Fall VON 2006 - Whither IM?

Written by Skype Journal on September 12th, 2006 with no comments.
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Live.com Doesn’t Love Me

Microsoft has introduced a new and improved search engine called Live Search. So like any good blogger and ego-centric Web user, naturally the first thing I did was conduct a search for "Mark Evans". Wait, what's this? Live.com barely has me on the front page -whereas Google and Yahoo both rank me #1. So who does Microsoft love more than me? Well, the top-ranked Mark Evans is some guy in England who's a veterinary surgeon, TV personality, author, amateur engineeer and e-commerce retailer. Now, that's a Mark Evans who's living up to his name but I'm not going to take this sitting down, Mark Evans. Until Live.com makes me the #1 Mark Evans, this is war...well, sorta, kinda, maybe given all of us Mark Evans should probably stick together. Microsoft's press release can be found here, while everything else you'd want to hear from folks in the blogosphere is here.

Written by Mark Evans on September 12th, 2006 with no comments.
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Microsoft Max: A Lot of Goodness

What's going on at Microsoft these days? Is Ray Ozzie's Web 2.0 mantra really that effective? Let me explain. First, the company that somehow misjudged the Web's emergence mid-1990s comes out with a solid blog publishing tool - Windows Live Writer - and now it launches an impressive RSS reader called Max (the software, which is a chunky 54MB can be downloaded here). Unlike many RSS readers, Max has a newspaper-like interface that makes it easy to look at multiple blog posts at the same time (complete with graphics and images). As a loyal FeedBurner user and Microsoft-alternative seeker, I'm loathe to admit Max is a pretty tempting alternative. In particular, I reallly like the look and feel, although it may not be a tool for someone who reads dozens of blogs given the "panel" on the left side of Max only lets 10 feeds appear (I'm not sure if the list expands if you add more than 10 feeds) Despite my initial enthusiasm, Max has some holes. First, you have to become a Passport member to get Max to work. It's not a cumbersome exercise but it may make people normally uneasy about Microsoft software a little uneasy. Second, there doesn't seem to be a way to import OPML files, which makes it difficult to migrate from FeedBurner, Bloglines, Pluck, etc. Max also seems to require RSS feeds to add a blog, even though it suggest all you need is a URL. The Universal Desktop has a glowing review, Scoble is positively giddy while TechCrunch says Max is "beautiful".

Written by Mark Evans on September 10th, 2006 with no comments.
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DigitalLife Is On Its Way!

Love this show!

DigitalLife, "the leading consumer electronics and video gaming event," will take place at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City, next month! October 12-15, to be exact,.

This year’s show will feature more than 200 leading consumer electronics and entertainment companies, including Microsoft, Intel, Sony, Toshiba, HP, Kodak, TiVo, Verizon, Nintendo, SEGA and many more.

(And to be sure some of the best new products will be from companies you barely heard of ...)

www.digitallife.com

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Written by VoIP & Gadgets Blog on September 1st, 2006 with no comments.
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Podcast wtih Jon Arnold –Skype’s Assets for Executing on the Google-eBay Announcement

Written by Skype Journal on August 29th, 2006 with no comments.
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Google Finally Unveils Office 2.0

After much braying from the sidelines, Google watchers are finally getting what they wanted with the launch of an Web-based productivity suite. According to InformationWeek, Google will unveil Google Apps, which will feature e-mail, calendar, instant messaging and Web site creation services. Later this year, it will also include word processing (Writely), spreadsheet and collaboration features, and start selling the package for a fee to corporate users. Apparently, Google doesn't want to go head to head with Microsoft. Instead - and I find this difficult to believe - little, old Google wants to grab foothold with corporate users by offering tools so that people can open Office documents shared on the Web. That does not seem to make much sense given most corporate computers have Office installed. You have to believe Google wants a chunk of the lucrative Office market that Microsoft has dominated for far too long. With broadband becoming more ubiquitous and Web-based services increasingly accepted, Google must see the multi-billion dollar productivity market as a natural vehicle to drive revenue beyond its Golden Goose, AdSense. Over time, I can easily see lots of people adopt Google Office as their primarily productivity suite given documents can be accessed from any computer connected to the Web. It will also help that it appears Google Apps will be free for individuals, and I suspect reasonably price for business users.
   Reaction across the blogosphere as been refreshingly pragmatic.ZDNet's Dan Farber said business users aren't going to "defect" from Office or other products overnight, and that Microsoft is developing its own suite of hosted Windows Live applications. "But, there is disruption in the air, and the Microsoft Office monopoly is definitely going to face a major competitive threat in the near future," he said. Read/Write Web offers up a nice list of Office alternatives. Scott Karp doesn't buy into the idea Google is not aiming to butt heads with Microsoft. "It’s so plainly obvious that Google wants to take over the enterprise software market from Microsoft and the rest of the old guard — the question is not IF but HOW, i.e. what’s the business model? Will Google use enterprise software as a Trojan horse for advertising inside the corporate firewall, or will they fall back on the old model of licensing fees?". Paul Kedrosky, who has tried and been impressed with Google Apps, said Google new suite is "mostly directed at people sending "Enterprise 2.0" business plans my way: If you're thinking of doing something squarely in Google's enterprise-lusting aim you need to ask yourself one question only: Why? What makes you think that you can do it so much better than Google can that the inevitable free Google Apps product doesn't kick your ass out of the office market?" It's an interesting comment given his VC firm, Ventures West, recently made a first-round investment in DabbleDB, online spreadsheet service.

Written by Mark Evans on August 28th, 2006 with no comments.
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Mac vs. Windows: Considering a Switch?

With all of the excitement around Apple and little (or at least not so much) around Microsoft computer products and gadgets, many may be thinking of switching from a PC to a Mac.

(Not too many going the other way ...)

Well, if that's the case, check out the fine article in yesterday's New York Times' "Circuits" section.

Anybody what to counter any of those observations?

 

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Written by VoIP & Gadgets Blog on August 11th, 2006 with no comments.
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Zune’s Wi-Fi has it bass ackwards

 TWICE (This Week In Consumer Electronics) Magazine's Amy Gilroy reports that Microsoft's forthcoming $299 Zune digital audio players will have Wi-Fi, but not for the purpose you may be thinking.Retailers interviewed by Gilroy tell her that Zune will allow users to bookmark songs that can be shared with other users via Wi-Fi, but that the [...]

Written by Russell Shaw on August 11th, 2006 with no comments.
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Microsoft “Genuine Advantage” cracked

Microsoft "Genuine Advantage" was cracked in just 24 hours according to a 2005 Boing Boing article. The crack simply required adding some Javascript to your browser window.

Before pressing 'Custom' or 'Express' buttons paste this text to the address bar and press enter:

javascript:void(window.g_sDisableWGACheck='all')

It turns off the trigger for the key check.

This simply crack used to work, but Microsoft is now getting serious about stopping pirated software. Just today, Microsoft Watch stated "Come this fall, however, the Redmond software maker is planning to turn up the Genuine Advantage heat in two ways: By baking more Genuine Advantage checks directly into Windows Vista, and by taking aim at PC makers, system builders, Internet cafes and other sources of potentially pirated software."

YIKES! Maybe it's time to buy some Microsoft stock since no doubt MS will get a stock boost from many illigitimate users simply paying for a legitimate copy rather than play "tit for tat" with Microsoft, which keeps "tweaking" the WGA code to thwart users using pirated versions of Windows XP/2003 (and soon Vista).

But if your so inclined to play the "game" of hacking WGA and are looking for other methods of cracking Microsoft Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) you can check out the plethora of comments below for various cracking methods. Good luck!

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Comments on this Entry:

(MG on Aug 14, 2005 9:18 PM) This windows update crack doesn't work. Whoever made that is a retard.

(Heith on Aug 21, 2005 12:43 PM) hahaha yes it does replace the text in the address bar don't add it to the end which I'm guessing you did I just tried it and I can assure it it works without problem I just updated my system, Cheers

(kaursan on Aug 29, 2005 5:34 AM) ******************************************************* *********** *********** Windows Genuine Advantage Patch *********** by kaursan@gmail.com *********** August 2005 *********** ******************************************************* Salam, you can download the crack from emule @: ed2k://|file|(August%202005).Windows.update. Genuine.Advantage. Validation.Patch.crack.xp.rar |365115|608E41FECA15F6658A673647649BCEDC|/ This patch fix only windows update genuine advantage. To fix it close your Internet Explorer and start 'windows.genuine.advantage.patch.exe' now you can update your windows :-) To test Go to : http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/ ... I'm trying to fix all genuine advatages... see you ;-) kaursan@gmail.com, August 2005 =================================== certificate : no spyware contain no adware contain it will juste extract the file c:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\LegitCheckControl.dll

(blog on Oct 23, 2005 11:10 PM) wow thats easy, i just changed my product key and it worked

(blog on Oct 23, 2005 11:11 PM) wow thats easy, i just changed my product key and it worked. M$ geniouses make it too easy, why dont they just make it so you have to go thru a proticol when you phone in to change your product key?

(rage on Nov 25, 2005 3:20 PM) how do u use the link it wont wrk?

(rage on Nov 25, 2005 3:30 PM) oh cn forget what i said it wrks does it onli wrk on office updates i want to get the latest wateva/direct9xthing will it wrk on that aswell?

(memem on Dec 16, 2005 3:17 PM) doesnt work

(Leech on Dec 21, 2005 12:13 PM) memem; Before pressing 'Custom' or 'Express' buttons paste the text below to the address bar(delete the M$ address) and press enter: javascript:void(window.g_sDisableWGACheck='all') works just great!!

(Moe on Dec 22, 2005 3:23 AM) Great job guys, It works just fine. HAIL the crackers...

(Sdrast on Jan 14, 2006 8:00 AM) If you have windows Xp Pro, change the key to this QYPXW-F9K84-PBW8P-VPWQ9-TRT7M and you can download all the "Genuine Advantage" items.

(ian on Jan 14, 2006 12:32 PM) that didnt work for me, changed key using instructions from microsoft's knowledge base. then restarted. still unable to install the genuine advantage prog.

(Ryan on Mar 1, 2006 12:52 AM) Hi- The new updates (released 1 - March) prevent you from updating your PC by WGA. Anyone know how to get around this?

(Smitty on Mar 3, 2006 8:15 PM) Sure, just go to windows update, paste this in the URL and hit return: javascript:void(window.g_sDisableWGACheck='all') Then click "Custom" or "Express". Just worked for me.

(Ryan on Mar 3, 2006 8:59 PM) Actually - I found the new .dll, just put it into your system32 folder- See thepiratebay.org/details.php?id=3451614 for the download

(PimpDawg on Mar 6, 2006 2:59 PM) javascript:void (window.g_sDisableWGACheck='all') WORKS LIKE A CHARM! Thanks!

(Benjamin on Mar 7, 2006 9:14 AM) It works for me too, thanks a lot. by the way, will there be any easier method?

(shamus on Mar 16, 2006 2:14 PM) Yeah ! It really works !

(NNT on Mar 20, 2006 8:56 AM) I can't use it please creat a patch. please... thank you. very much

(SiLeNt Kill on Mar 29, 2006 1:54 AM) javascript:void (window.g_sDisableWGACheck='all') It WoRkS ThanKs AloT ............

(You all have it wrong on Mar 30, 2006 12:51 PM) The javascript is a pain in the butt! Open IE Goto tools, internet options Go to Programs tab click on "Manage add-ons" In the list highlight "Windows Genuine Validation Tool" At the bottom if you can click on disable you have the older version. Click on disable. Click close. Open IE and run windows updates with no problem. If you have the newer version the bottom will say "this add-on is managed by your administrator" and you won't be able to run windows updates. Download the new legitcontrol.dll patcher

(buttpains on Apr 2, 2006 12:13 PM) The easy javascript insertion crack is working! IT WORKS, THANKS!

(Koldrez128 on Apr 6, 2006 2:25 AM) Holy hell this easy? Thanks a heap guys!

(Damien Kross on Apr 8, 2006 6:04 AM) Worked for me. I agree with Moe!! Hail to the Crackers!!!

(me on Apr 12, 2006 7:36 PM) javascript:void(window.g_sDisableWGACheck='all') Nice!

(Sycosnake on Apr 15, 2006 9:01 AM) javascript:void(window.g_sDisableWGACheck='all') 1st, go windows update, until you get Express Or .... 2nd, copy the above, all of it from j to ) and then pasted to the address bar of the same page of windows update. 3rd, hit return then clik on express, presto it works, listen it does work if you do what i said. windows XP Pro, Long live the hackers. SykoSnake

(Mishutik on Apr 25, 2006 5:24 PM) New big problem with Windows Genuine Advantage :-( Heeeellllllppppppp !!!! begining from 25.04.2006 :-(

(patrick on Apr 26, 2006 9:34 AM) nothing happens and it wants u 2 download te genuine validation tools?

(cheears on Apr 27, 2006 9:58 AM) It downloads the latest version of validation which install icon on status bar to remind you are not using genuine windows. I replaced the .dll file with older version available here http://www.ddlboard.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=492 But validation problem is still there. Any help?

(Heavy on Apr 27, 2006 1:42 PM) Haven't found a work around yet. Managed to remove notice in system tray via registry but boot screen still notifing.

(sonic on Apr 27, 2006 2:13 PM) how do we remove auto download activation

(sonic on Apr 27, 2006 2:25 PM) what did you delte in the reg to remove the notice

(Peter171 on Apr 27, 2006 4:42 PM) Hi All Yep, another one with the same problem "get genuine". Not sure if my question is the same as above. Please can anyone tell me how to stop the "GET GENUINE" box from poping up when I boot up & close down. THANKS...............

(tttt on Apr 28, 2006 3:14 AM) I didn't find a real solution yet but you can set the "get genuine" stuff off by going to the star in the tray and right click mouse "Change notification settings"

(Peter171 on Apr 28, 2006 4:51 PM) Just to say THANKS to "tttt" Your info worked 100%.

(Howard Smith on Apr 28, 2006 7:01 PM) Annoying new Windows Genuine Advantage Notification (KB905474) removed. This comes up when you log onto windows if you download this update forcing you to have to wait 5 secoonds for this to load before you can log into windows. microsoft not the brightest since I have easily removed it. Basically its a file called wgatray.exe so to disable it go into the Registry, Run, regedit, search for wga and delete the entries.

(wherbjr35 on Apr 28, 2006 11:18 PM) I was able to crack the Windows Genuine Advantage Notification (KB905474) patch by doing 2 things. First, I did a system restore to a "system checkpoint" that was prior to 2 instances of something called "Software Distribution Service 2.0" If you scroll through your available system checkpoints, you should see several entries, mine happened to be over 2 different days. So I just happened to restore from Friday when I installed the patch, to Wednesday. Secondly, I just disabled Windows Updates. I did this because it kept launching after I did the restore. Good luck.

(KruGer/.JuiCe. on Apr 30, 2006 9:23 AM) Sycosnake, 9down rulez! :) 10x a million 4 da link...

(Simon Sez on May 2, 2006 8:19 AM) Thanks the above information helped alot Simon Sezz

(Ramyras on May 3, 2006 5:27 PM) To remove tray icon and notyfier picture and 5 sec window on logon I did it: Delete files wgatray.exe form C:\WINDOWS\system32\ and from C:\WINDOWS\SoftwareDistribution\ Download\ cb2769f3b1daf367a31ed046299a3790\ (last folder not the same) delete WGATRAY.EXE-0ED38BED.pf file from C:\WINDOWS\Prefetch\ Remove from regitry: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Notify\WgaLogon and wgatray from HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Search Assistant\ACMru\5603\ P.S. Sorry for my english :D

(Oasisman on May 3, 2006 9:38 PM) Ramyras......Cheers, your english is perfect and your directions golden. I had a machine that downloaded the Genuine Advatage tool and used your work around......everything is back to normal. The only other thing I did was replace the LegitCheckControl.dll with an older version. This was a quick and easy fix. Your efforts are much appreciated.

(texy on May 4, 2006 12:31 AM) Got a question for you guys. How can you change the key for windows? I have a legit key I bought but the u button is disabled when I try to change the key. any ideas??

(wobbler on May 4, 2006 7:26 PM) Didnt enjoy those nasty messages on my screen so did the following : 1. Tried to delete c:\windows\system32\wgatray.exe - Access Denied as it was in use 2. Right-click on the STAR icon and select the Change Notification. Takes you to a web site where you can elect to stop displaying Genuine Advantage messages (see - Bill Gates isnt so bad after all !). 3. Renamed the WGALOGON Registry entries mentioned in earlier posting to 'rubbish' (Couldnt find the wgatray entry in ACMru/5603 though) 4. Renamed c:\windows\system32\wgatray.exe to sswgatray.exe - Couldnt delete but could rename 5. Deleted dfilwe in C:\Windows\Prefetch as mentioned in earlier posting Rebooted and no more Genuine Advantyage BUT the 'Windows Update' icon is turned on. Will advise family NOT to click on it. Will attemtp to change my product key and then collect updates. Thanks to everyone for your help.

(Memphis on May 5, 2006 8:14 AM) WGALOGON is very simple to disable. Hijackthis is 100% able to do so. Run hijack find wgalogon check mark it and remove. Fairly simple, though this does not remove it from the system it does remove the logon ballons and the 5 sec timer.

(cheears on May 5, 2006 4:18 PM) Are you guys able to install IE7 or Windows Defender without any hassle after doing all this? I've done it and still no luck. My WindowsDefender shows error message that "invalid VLK" and IE7 is still grabbing me to validation. Any help?

(VoIP Forum on May 6, 2006 3:34 AM) I have windows XP , but its not working..Microsoft guys must be wondering whats the problem with their coding that a crack appers before the launch of software. http://www.voip-traffic.com/

(Bridgette on May 6, 2006 5:58 AM) THIS WORKED FOR ME!!! Here's a manual fix. The below permissions can be fixed by using Registry Editor as follows: 1. Click Start, and then click Run 2. In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK 3. Expand HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT 4. Locate the subkey HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\LegitCheckControl .LegitCheck 5. Right-click this subkey and select PermissionsÂ…. 6. Ensure that Administrators allowed Full Control permission by putting a check in the box. 7. Repeat steps 4-6 for the subkey HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\LegitCheckControl .LegitCheck.1 which is right below the above subkey

(voip forum on May 6, 2006 6:07 AM) I am not able to locate HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\LegitCheckControl .LegitCheck Please help dude

(Bridgette on May 6, 2006 6:23 AM) 1. Click Start, and then click Run 2. In the Open box, type regedit and then click OK 3. Expand HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT 4. Locate the subkey HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT 5. Then go all the way down to LegitCheckControl.LegitCheck 5. Right-click this subkey and select PermissionsÂ…. 6. Ensure that Administrators allowed Full Control permission by putting a check in the 1st box under Allow. 7. Repeat steps 5-6 for the subkey HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\LegitCheckControl .LegitCheck.1 which is right below the above subkey Now you should be able to install the Microsoft Genuine Advantage Tool!

(Bridgette on May 6, 2006 6:24 AM) First, I'm a female. It's ok though. 1. Click Start, and then click Run 2. In the Open box, type regedit and then click OK 3. Expand HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT 4. Locate the subkey HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT 5. Then go all the way down to LegitCheckControl.LegitCheck 5. Right-click this subkey and select PermissionsÂ…. 6. Ensure that Administrators allowed Full Control permission by putting a check in the 1st box under Allow. 7. Repeat steps 5-6 for the subkey HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\LegitCheckControl .LegitCheck.1 which is right below the above subkey Now you should be able to install the Microsoft Genuine Advantage Tool!

(VoIP routes on May 6, 2006 6:33 AM) thanks very much, honey.. Yes i got your point . It looks fairly simple now.

(Bridgette on May 6, 2006 6:38 AM) MISTAKE IN MY POST! SORRY! 1. Click Start, and then click Run 2. In the Open box, type regedit and then click OK 3. Expand HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT 4. Then go all the way down to LegitCheckControl.LegitCheck 5. Right-click this subkey and select PermissionsÂ…. 6. Ensure that Administrators allowed Full Control permission by putting a check in the 1st box under Allow. 7. Repeat steps 4-6 for the subkey HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\LegitCheckControl .LegitCheck.1 which is right below the above subkey Now you should be able to install the Microsoft Genuine Advantage Tool! VoIP, did this work for you?

(VoIP routes on May 6, 2006 6:46 AM) Thanks for asking.. But dear i am not able to find LegitCheckControl.LegitCheck in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT. Its not there...

(Bridgette on May 6, 2006 7:14 AM) Have you been here before?: http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/downloads/WhyValidate.aspx If not, once you are there, click on Validate Now. You may be prompted to install an ActiveX control. I think that is where LegitCheckControl comes from. I may be wrong, but after this and if you are still unable to install the Microsoft Genuine Advantage Tool, repeat the steps I listed in my last post. Then try to install the Genuine Advantage tool from the Windows Update site. I hope this works for you.

(Mikeyyy on May 6, 2006 2:49 PM) http://www.9down.com/downloads.php WORKSS FOR REAL!! Choose ''Software'' and then pick the ''Windows Genuine Advantage Validation v1.5.526.0 Cracked'' file!!. I just tried with succes! :D

(Leandro on May 8, 2006 11:25 AM) Download the file (http://www.9down.com/downloads.php?fileid=319) it just works for the v1.5.526.0 for me! Thanks for all! your guys are great!

(fotis on May 17, 2006 12:58 PM) i just downloaded windows media player 11 beta for xp. i validated my windows using the way mentioned with the crack from 9down and succeeded validation but the setup of media player says am not validaded. whats wrong with it? thanks a lot

(512 on May 17, 2006 5:08 PM) it doesn't work on my pc...plz help :'(

(Bridgette on May 17, 2006 9:33 PM) Has anyone tried the method I posted with success?

(RBixby on May 18, 2006 3:11 AM) It all works... it took me a while but you just have to start from the beginning and do everything they are telling you to do... don't give up... it just took me a good 2 hours to figure everything out... trial and error!

(512 on May 18, 2006 1:06 PM) I have problems installing windows defender beta, WMP 11 beta, IE7 beta...

(bzemer on May 18, 2006 3:32 PM) I installed IE 7b2 (with validation dll crack)and it works - i mean i passed the validation and everything, but i don't see the tabs at all... nada.. This is really weird and annoying. Does anyone know why that happened? maybe the validation crack damaged the installation?

(Merik on May 19, 2006 1:43 PM) You need different tricks to crack the genuine validation for other softwares. Simply search google for that tool and validation (do not even add the phrase "crack" to your search keywords) and you will find the solution in the first 10 results! Something else, when I try to update my not genuine windows machine (and I have not installed KB905474 yet, and I have not even applied a crack yet,) I end up with this url throwing an error (something similar to page not found). So I'm unable to even proceed and get the KB905474 update to crack later and so.... Seems there is an error on microsoft's side (or with a higher probability, they have unloaded the pages for non-genuine people, to upload a more "strong" system - in their point of view - to stop people apply cracks.. don't know.) Has any other person faced this problem?

(RBixby on May 19, 2006 1:54 PM) Huh? You don't even have to use "KB905474" to crack Window's validation. I just did everything else described on this thread and I got my updates and I don't have any validation issues.

(colzie on May 20, 2006 11:32 AM) I have followed the instructions here but my computer keeps trying to load an update for flash player it is very annoying

(Colzie on May 20, 2006 11:36 AM) Does anyone know why my computer will not install this update even after the WGA patch has been applied??I also have the WGA icon in my system tray is that supposed to be there? All advice appreciated folks

(jonna_983 on May 23, 2006 6:05 AM) I've been using the javascript patch for about a month now but after my last update a week ago(which was ONLY 2 security updates-the latest actually)it doesn't work and flashes up the screen where i must validate my copy(and press "continue").Either for "express" or "custom".Has the MS fixed that or is there someone who is still using it and it's effective? Just to check out if the problem is on MY pc It's win XP Pro sp2 FULLY updated

(cubitus on May 23, 2006 6:10 AM) this LegitCheckControl.dll work very nice for me thx man you r da men

(Momo on May 23, 2006 8:48 AM) the same problem here, have used the javascript without problems until this week i tried to update my windows.. well, i trust that there will be a new way to get the updates :)

(jonna_983 on May 24, 2006 4:56 AM) Momo I guess you are aware that u can still download ONLY the critical updates with "Automatic Updates" turned on. Even though i don't understand the meaning of this...

(crowd_surfer on May 24, 2006 7:08 AM) Yo yo, I have the solution for the WGA that all of you are desperate for! The new version has come out for the check of WGA (Version v1.5.530.0) and now there is a crack for it!! I have uploaded the crack for all your personal use. It worked perfctly for me. All you have to do is extract the files into the directory: C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32 and thats it! Link To Download - http://www.filefactory.com/a8ecb3 Let me know how it went, Tom

(crowd_surfer on May 24, 2006 7:09 AM) Yo yo, I have the solution for the WGA that all of you are desperate for! The new version has come out for the check of WGA (Version v1.5.530.0) and now there is a crack for it!! I have uploaded the crack for all your personal use. It worked perfctly for me. All you have to do is extract the files into the directory: C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32 and thats it! Link To Download - http://www.filefactory.com/a8ecb3 Let me know how it went, Tom

(crowd_surfer on May 24, 2006 7:17 AM) Sorry, poor link, the ACTUAL link for the working crack is: http://www.filefactory.com/get/v3/f2.php?f=a8ecb3 Enjoy!

(crowd_surfer on May 24, 2006 7:19 AM) Sorry, poor link, the ACTUAL link for the working crack is: http://www.filefactory.com/get/v3/f2.php?f=a8ecb3 Enjoy!

(jonna_983 on May 24, 2006 8:42 AM) Thanx crowd_surfer it worked just fine! I owe u one!

(Colzie on May 24, 2006 5:23 PM) Hey Crowd_surfer I get to that site and I cannot download the file from that link put the file on (you send it) please then post the link on here amigo... Colzie

(Bleh on May 24, 2006 5:44 PM) installing the 1.5.530.0 legeitcheckcontrol does not allow some computers to update. there must be something missing here.. something thats been overlooked. dunno what it might be.. some just say install 1.5.530 and wal'la it works.. Ummm Nope, It dont. something new going around.

(crowd_surfer on May 24, 2006 5:57 PM) Hey, On this download that you are wanting, if you wait the 15 seconds, download it from the non-premium one, wait another 15 seconds, and select the MIDDLE download link, it should work for you guys. If you are having any problems, just email me if you want at crowdsurfer100@gmail.com because there I can attach the file to you, and it will be alot easier for most people that way.

(aydi on May 26, 2006 5:49 AM) I have downloaded and copied LegitCheckControl.dll from Windows_Genuine_Advantage_Validation__WGA__v1[1].5.530.0_Cracked but still I receive the "Genuine Windows Validation " message and con not continue update

(TELNET on May 26, 2006 6:23 AM) Yeah guys, i also downloaded the LegitCheckControl Ver 1.5.530.0. but i also get the "Genuine Windows Validation " message and can not continue update. Im running on Xp pro SP2. The fucking bastards have come up with something that dosent allow you to download bill gates shit. The fucking prick, and he wonders why he got pied.

(jonna_983 on May 26, 2006 7:00 AM) aydi R U SURE u copied it to the right folder?And replaced the old one? The folder is \windows\system32

(bog254 on May 26, 2006 2:15 PM) as of today 1.5.530.0 crack still seems to work for me. Not sure if it matters, but I still use the old javascript hack too just for the heck of it.

(aydin on May 26, 2006 3:45 PM) jonna, Yes I am sure. have downloaded this file for first time and I copied it to %windir%\system32 but there was not any old legtcheckcontrol.dll file and i copied it for first time

(EnZo on May 26, 2006 4:49 PM) Is any of this stuff any easier if you start with a fresh system?

(WTF on May 26, 2006 5:44 PM) Used 530. Not working either.

(Tom on May 26, 2006 6:18 PM) Yo, looks like people are having problems again! All you have to do it exctact the file into c:\windows\system32 the dialogue box should appear saying "Are you sure you want to replace" onviously you select "Yes" Just make sure you don't have IE open, and that you have tried updating before and that it has failed at least once. This installs the crappy .dll that you don't want, then over right it using the method above, and that should work. I tried updating while typing this, and it worked 100%. I downloaded WMP11 and DirectX, both work fine! (However, WMP11 did fail cos the software has an inbuilt thing that checks your CD key... gay)

(George Cameron on May 27, 2006 1:38 AM) i have tried all the information given above and found that all of it works but it took me a while to get round all the stuff. if anyone ever needs the LegitCheckControl.dll file email on at gers_george@hotmail.com as i no some1 who works for microsoft and will send me the files. good luck to the rest of you.

(AndyC on May 27, 2006 11:40 AM) Worked fine for me. I'm using the LegitCheckControl Ver 1.5.530.0. Make sure that you have tried to update first; (which will fail). Install the .dll and try again. Windows update will ask to verify your version of windows. Click ok and you should be able to download windows updates.

(Bobbytupper on May 27, 2006 2:00 PM) http://www.filefactory.com/get/v3/f2.php?f=a8ecb3 WORKS, UPDATING AS I WRITE THIS, HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA, EXCELLENT!

(aydin on May 28, 2006 2:22 AM) worked for me eighter. winxp fresh installing solved the problem

(MeistroWunderscheisse on May 28, 2006 6:01 AM) This is actually workin! I was locked out of updating since last week. Before I was using the url-javascript-thingy, but that one maxed out. First I tried a couple of manual registry-edit/hacks but all proved to be non-succesfull. This one worked, but only AFTER I restored the backed-up registry. So maybe if for some of u its not working, u messed up the registry to much with all those other 'fixes'. Now back to updating again... Have fun and greetz, MWS

(MeistroWunderscheisse on May 28, 2006 6:15 AM) NOTE: I just noticed: on my sysytem MediaPlayer11 did *NOT* install with the "LegitCheckControl Ver 1.5.530.0". Dunno why, cos other files from update site were no problem. Anybody?

(Tom on May 28, 2006 6:50 AM) Thats because the WMP11 actually has an in-built checker, all you have to do is extract the contents of the .exe file onto desktop in a seperate folder, and install umdf.exe, wmdbexport.exe, wmfdist11.exe and wmp11.exe all seperatly, then everything works. This is the same with IE7 if you are interested. Give it a go. I'm glad everyone is using my download link, and that everyone is having success. Out. :D

(Tom on May 28, 2006 6:52 AM) Would be nice to have credit where it's due guys. :) Thanks alot. Tom

(Colzie on May 28, 2006 8:50 AM) Tom you are a star mate I have eventually got the old pooter to work.I removed the old update for framework and then did a fresh install and all seems ok now.I am sure the buggers will come up with some other cack but as of now I am sorted..... Thanks Colzie

(Joe Blow on May 28, 2006 10:53 AM) does not work since 1.5.530.0 and anybody that says it does is full of shit because the javascript crack is excatly what microsoft targeted.

(AndyC on May 28, 2006 11:41 AM) I managed to install WMP11 and IE7 ok. But I have also made another change. Go to C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Windows Genuine Advantage\Data and delete the Data.dat file. Create a new empty Data.dat file in the same directory and set its attributes to read only and hidden. This 'modification' appears to cancel the serial number check in WMP11 and IE7. Good luck and keep up the good work! Andy

(Tom on May 28, 2006 3:22 PM) Thanks alot Colzie, and well worked out AndyC. Mate if this works, then that it amazing, no more having to download pre-cracked software from edonkey that takes ages! Nice one dude, and thanks everyone else for the comments :D Tom

(jonna_983 on May 29, 2006 4:47 AM) Ok Tom I get your point... Tommy boy you are the MASTER, you are the KING, you are the LORD of destruction!!!! I bet u are a gordeous guy, athletic, with many girls all around you all the time etc. etc. etc. You are the LEADER man!!! Is that enough credit??? :P Lol just kidding man... You saved our ass As for Joe Blow i think you are missing something here... The 1.5.530.0 dll issue is one thing and the javascript patch is another

(glock on May 29, 2006 7:39 AM) ok , I realize this has probaly been explained 400 times now but , i am trying to install wmp 11 and i keep getting athe error setup cannot continue windows genuine advantage validation setup was unable to validate that your copy of windows is valid ... please help me out i have been driving myself crazy thanks in advance

(MadMax on May 29, 2006 8:29 AM) Bobbytupper : May 27, 2006 02:00 PM http://www.filefactory.com/get/v3/f2.php?f=a8ecb3 WORKS, UPDATING AS I WRITE THIS, HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA, EXCELLENT! Tried this and it worked for windows not sure about Media Player.

(Tom on May 29, 2006 3:58 PM) Lol, thanks By the way, just under 3,000 downloads from filefactory :D Internet explorer 7 needs a 700PID code, if you want one, then email me... cheers guys.

(Anthony on May 29, 2006 6:00 PM) hey guys 2 questions i tried the data.dat thing andy explained and it had no effect.. so any ideas i really want wmp11 plus, my @ key on the keyboard is set to 2 and my " key is set to my @ key how do i swap this shit??? plus i want a valid windows xp prof i payed good money man and it says after reinstalling windows today that it is not genuine? what can i do ?

(Agostino Di Pietro on May 29, 2006 10:42 PM) I download LegitCheckControl.dll and replaced the file, and I was able to download updates, BUT when I go to install them, it still recognizes the unvalidate XP. Hence it won't let me install.!! it says " . . .cannot install . . .product key used to install Windows may not be valid . . . Any advice??? to recap, I am able to download the updates, but no install them . . . Thanks in advance

(MeistroWunderscheisse on May 30, 2006 8:59 AM) Tom: You're the greatest! :-) But seriously, seems like u saved the day for all hehehe... The WMP11 was like u said no problem. Thanx for all very much indeed. But call me stupid, which .exe's I have to run exactly to get the IE7-thingy to install once unpacked? I randomly clicked a couple of em, but not sure if that actually did what's required. Of course I could click all of them without any care for what it does to my system but hey, I'dd like some more info if possible. (got addicted to MS'ses mindless-click-and-everythings-goes-auto, even if not desired hehehe. Note to myself: must try running linux more... :-) BTW AndyC's remark about replacing the data.dat file didn't do the trick. At least not on my system.

(Xerosis on May 30, 2006 6:09 PM) Exactly the same as MeistroWunderscheisse above. :D HELP please.

(muiz on May 30, 2006 8:06 PM) 1.5.532.0 is released

(Colzie on May 30, 2006 8:43 PM) Oi Muiz Linkee please

(aceedburn on May 31, 2006 4:04 AM) tom, thanx a load for the crack, works great for me...however, I understand version 1.5.532.0 is released, any updated crack for it? or is the current 1.5.530.0 good enough? thanx a heap again mate!

(colzie on May 31, 2006 4:56 AM) Hi Guys Thought I had this sorted but the bastards have released a new wga.dll 1.5.532.0 and I am getting the update problems again... Is there a new crack to combat this??

(Xerosis on May 31, 2006 5:46 AM) Can anyone give a URL for 1.5.532.0?

(SilverBullet on May 31, 2006 8:31 AM) ghost168.homeftp.net/WgaPatch905474.zip This works tried and tested on my PC.

(jdjjgfdh on May 31, 2006 9:13 AM) thanks NewGuy

(AndyA on May 31, 2006 2:07 PM) I tried that wgapatch from the ghost website, it didnt really help, i just hope it wasnt a virus :/

(DonnyBoy on May 31, 2006 2:37 PM) Hi, Tom I replaced the .dll but Still have the WGA Icon on my tray, Is there anything else I should do

(Why WGA if sooner or later it'll be cracked ? on May 31, 2006 3:06 PM) I'm getting a screen saying my copy is not legal. Is this going to prevent me from logging in to windows ?? I'm afraid from restarting the PC

(SilverBullet on May 31, 2006 4:01 PM) The link above from the ghost website is not a virus and it allows you to download windows update to remove the WGA icon and screen saying this copy is not legal do the following. create a text file and copy & paste the below into it. "%windir%\system32\wgatray.exe /u" reg delete "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Notify\WgaLogon" /f del /f /q "%windir%\system32\wgatray.exe" del /f /q "%windir%\system32\dllcache\wgatray.exe" del /f /q "%windir%\system32\WGAlogon.dll" del /f /q "%windir%\system32\dllcache\WGAlogon.dll" rmdir /s /q "%windir%\SoftwareDistribution\Download\ 6c4788c9549d437e76e1773a7639582a" pause Then save it and rename the text file to WGAFix.bat make sure you change the extension to .bat then save the changes and double click it. It will then remove the WGA icon and the boot up message.

(Scion on May 31, 2006 4:37 PM) Thanks silverbullet, that worked like a charm, nice and simple ;)

(David Bowman on May 31, 2006 5:47 PM) How to avoid future installs of the Windows Genuine Advantage Notification update (wga) http://spacebag.googlepages.com/wga-notify

(Kripix Balado on May 31, 2006 10:03 PM) RE: Microsoft "Genuine Advantage" cracked Ramyras : May 3, 2006 05:27 PM To remove tray icon and notyfier picture and 5 sec window on logon I did it: Delete files wgatray.exe form C:\WINDOWS\system32\ and from C:\WINDOWS\SoftwareDistribution \Download\ cb2769f3b1daf367a31ed046299a3790\ (last folder not the same) delete WGATRAY.EXE-0ED38BED.pf file from C:\WINDOWS\Prefetch\ Remove from regitry: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ Winlogon\Notify\WgaLogon and wgatray from HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Search Assistant\ACMru\5603\ P.S. Sorry for my enlish agreed with ramiras .... its very simple way to fix the think... bravo ...keep go on guys

(Broadband internet service on Jun 1, 2006 3:26 AM) updation problem still....

(MeistroWunderscheisse on Jun 1, 2006 7:07 AM) Important to notice that LegitCheckControl Ver 1.5.530.0 dll is still working ok, but do *NOT* use Express update. Choose Custom so you can deselect the new Genuine stuff in the "Essential updates" category. This will install a range of popups stating your windows is non-genuine. If to late, fix that with system restore and reinstall the dll.

(broadband service provider on Jun 1, 2006 10:09 AM) Thanks i have been using express updates

(king pin on Jun 1, 2006 3:39 PM) thanx 4 everything but this is a funny thing 4 me.....i cant find any WGAlogon.dll , wgatray.exe or LegitCheckControl.dll in my computer.....can it be because i have my computer in swedish langu....??? plz help

(Gonzo on Jun 1, 2006 6:39 PM) does anyone know where to change the serial key for xp.... as i need to change the product key.... i already have keys to replace the one that im using... Any HELP would be much aprechated.....Thanks.

(nopulse on Jun 2, 2006 12:46 AM) I used the 1.5.530.0 dll file and now I get this page when I go to validate windows Unable to validate this copy of Windows The validation process could not be completed because the validation control is unable to read the product key stored on this computer. We are unable to verify whether this copy of Windows is genuine. Follow these steps to resolve the issue and complete the validation process 1. Click Start, and then click Run. 2. In the Open field, type %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Application Data\ and then press ENTER. 3. Delete the Windows Genuine Advantage folder. 4. Click here to run the validation process again.

(Dumdidum on Jun 2, 2006 8:08 AM) Thank you David Bowman for a simple and effective solution. I did a system restore before reading your notice but was afraid to use updates at all before I read your instructions. Seems to have worked very nicely. Is it possible now to get other updates besides the security updates? I am not game to try the Javascript anymore, which did work as far as showing updates when I had the WGA (before system restore)but I didn't really test it properly as there was nothing I wanted to download. Thanks to all the people here for a wealth of information on this subject.

(Rom on Jun 2, 2006 2:48 PM) how do you crack IE7?

(GustavoWar on Jun 3, 2006 2:40 AM) Remove all users permissions in the files: WGA*.dll WgaTray.exe Thx $Bill$

(PBLEE on Jun 3, 2006 4:26 AM) I have found that the reason bullets crack doesnt work sometimes is that info in the registery has been removed by people trying other cracks I found that by putting this info back bullets crack will work for most probably everyone.... This is the reason restoring back to earlier point works.... Below is the info that needs to be put back into registry for the crack to work...This gives full download capability and also no nags screens.... I added the below back to the registry after running bullets crack... Simply copy the below including "Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00" into notepad save as .reg file then run...Hope this helps the people having problems Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Notify\WgaLogon] "Logon"="WLEventLogon" "Logoff"="WLEventLogoff" "Startup"="WLEventStartup" "Shutdown"="WLEventShutdown" "StartScreenSaver"="WLEventStartScreenSaver" "StopScreenSaver"="WLEventStopScreenSaver" "Lock"="WLEventLock" "Unlock"="WLEventUnlock" "StartShell"="WLEventStartShell" "PostShell"="WLEventPostShell" "Disconnect"="WLEventDisconnect" "Reconnect"="WLEventReconnect" "Impersonate"=dword:00000001 "Asynchronous"=dword:00000000 "SafeMode"=dword:00000001 "MaxWait"=dword:ffffffff "DllName"=hex(2):57,00,67,00,61,00,4c,00,6f,00,67,00,6f,00,6e,00,2e,00,64,00,\ 6c,00,6c,00,00,00 "Event"=dword:00000001 "InstallNotifyShown"=dword:00000001 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Notify\WgaLogon\Settings] "Data"=hex:01,00,00,00,d0,8c,9d,df,01,15,d1,11,8c,7a,00,c0,4f,c2,97,eb,01,00,\ 00,00,69,56,c4,80,41,b9,4a,43,bf,97,3b,98,06,7e,34,57,04,00,00,00,04,00,00,\ 00,53,00,00,00,03,66,00,00,a8,00,00,00,10,00,00,00,14,d8,49,b1,9b,43,d1,7b,\ b9,7c,85,a2,9c,f6,c8,b7,00,00,00,00,04,80,00,00,a0,00,00,00,10,00,00,00,e4,\ 59,49,a2,0f,ee,a6,23,78,e5,c8,91,3e,f7,40,64,70,06,00,00,1a,2b,76,12,0e,6c,\ b9,0e,f2,68,c3,ba,11,32,b8,e4,1c,4d,63,45,b4,42,e6,b8,95,49,31,9c,45,ab,21,\ 39,25,c2,a5,6d,36,3d,63,a4,75,e7,97,05,c7,62,52,76,9b,71,26,06,ae,28,08,77,\ 22,d0,21,9d,1b,f9,ea,7a,b3,b1,07,2c,6b,17,48,06,10,1e,10,48,06,32,a6,fb,16,\ cf,b7,2e,d6,00,42,d8,2e,47,ad,87,45,2a,7e,c8,5a,1c,e3,99,dc,3c,8c,a7,29,a4,\ cd,ad,c8,d9,52,64,d9,16,00,81,ff,66,fd,f2,d2,17,ee,92,8d,a4,38,06,70,63,f9,\ 0b,55,be,b5,c0,5a,8a,3e,b9,fb,13,8c,c1,df,50,61,d5,60,89,9a,0d,36,0d,3f,2e,\ 77,7c,04,ef,8d,76,41,07,75,27,d2,ac,11,62,1a,7f,91,35,22,4f,0e,92,6d,2d,45,\ e9,e3,ad,0e,33,46,b4,03,b5,94,2d,9b,d7,f1,62,f9,0e,b1,9f,56,bd,80,7a,44,06,\ 9f,80,19,45,bd,04,56,9c,5d,eb,fb,10,59,cd,5e,02,66,b6,af,de,d0,4e,08,ca,ff,\ 44,d6,e6,a6,b1,50,cd,e9,de,f6,b9,06,90,45,f8,c7,ec,44,73,b8,8f,0f,3d,27,a7,\ 32,42,2d,04,c1,a2,e2,c2,23,70,97,10,09,a2,05,00,58,95,00,94,7f,74,4e,18,e0,\ 0d,e7,be,3e,2c,3e,7c,5d,c4,26,fd,bb,08,e0,c8,01,2e,db,5a,51,80,8f,f4,3e,6e,\ 53,52,3d,a7,52,aa,c6,8e,fd,33,26,03,e8,3d,81,d8,c5,82,0a,ce,14,ae,29,d4,16,\ 0f,7d,83,30,d1,4d,13,d9,72,52,8f,db,4c,43,63,cb,dc,97,a8,86,83,85,e6,ad,00,\ a2,13,23,c8,3a,f0,50,a7,58,ae,eb,b3,e6,1f,a4,5f,6f,5d,a1,1b,c8,1f,9e,c4,ed,\ 48,53,1d,82,0d,1c,a2,6f,b6,8a,67,1a,bc,c8,de,2a,56,d9,7a,b6,e9,83,28,ab,44,\ fb,06,0b,3b,0d,9f,3e,e5,3e,5f,ff,97,eb,0c,9f,b8,4a,8b,6a,fc,91,34,64,ac,7e,\ e8,41,5d,ae,3c,59,71,2f,67,08,9c,a2,d6,88,8f,3c,e9,a9,eb,fc,b9,77,c6,ff,b6,\ 66,24,b7,65,31,0e,95,64,5f,5e,af,f1,a3,f1,f2,16,f9,53,52,f1,46,77,31,4b,ad,\ 62,ed,38,93,d4,c0,e9,50,db,b8,7f,68,c5,89,c9,58,a6,e2,17,9c,5b,35,54,3b,9e,\ 28,6e,39,8c,bf,01,b8,3a,7a,2f,ee,07,54,ec,84,90,4b,a2,4e,24,06,19,da,e9,f3,\ 1d,b1,a0,f8,1d,fc,c3,42,1a,d0,42,ba,95,8b,4b,af,16,6d,35,3e,a2,d3,9b,a1,39,\ 2f,d7,a0,50,51,8e,2c,52,87,67,17,26,54,7e,de,7d,ed,68,97,66,1b,5a,c0,3f,8d,\ 22,b7,8f,21,1b,51,7a,28,67,d4,ed,81,cf,fc,94,0b,ca,14,c6,8d,85,2b,e2,a5,5e,\ 2a,70,50,70,59,1e,a2,aa,d8,cc,eb,59,89,36,ca,b8,15,e9,3b,14,82,86,20,9f,8a,\ 45,cd,35,0c,fb,1f,52,d0,26,27,f8,ff,e3,ae,b4,80,75,c6,7b,b1,11,ab,47,8e,3f,\ 11,fc,b5,1f,f9,65,e3,8a,e1,6b,68,20,e4,c3,cb,91,1e,03,99,84,48,00,a2,18,9e,\ c8,ae,54,4c,92,99,fd,03,66,17,aa,b0,d7,38,3f,d2,d6,a0,10,f1,ab,09,79,9f,ef,\ 0d,5c,45,01,01,1d,cc,12,ce,d0,a4,de,e2,b2,42,45,be,ba,a9,d4,8c,7c,05,d8,7c,\ 0e,48,8b,3b,0a,a5,74,90,6e,fa,ce,5f,42,93,51,19,8e,5f,6e,bd,a1,ce,cc,a3,89,\ a6,28,70,e6,0a,c7,38,56,4d,4f,89,35,8d,e1,73,2c,e6,ab,24,aa,d2,dc,cb,09,5e,\ 97,aa,f6,cf,9d,ed,4f,4f,b6,27,28,ba,fe,78,f4,be,82,68,86,fb,9f,77,d2,6a,dd,\ 72,86,b5,ce,da,bb,29,37,d7,e1,0e,5e,80,77,61,57,1b,6e,ae,ae,11,ae,46,98,3d,\ da,fb,3a,92,a4,8e,68,b7,24,1a,cf,8e,06,8b,63,c3,8b,55,15,c2,df,b1,97,b4,b0,\ 4a,99,7d,f7,1b,8b,48,38,74,24,1c,be,c3,57,35,75,ec,ba,3e,3e,f9,03,d7,a6,9f,\ 75,8b,91,73,37,27,d9,a1,4c,64,19,28,f4,54,76,81,22,1e,8a,63,c6,b0,5f,f3,f3,\ 7e,d8,f6,e1,3a,06,4e,2f,3b,d6,a8,8f,a9,49,26,3d,3d,16,e4,cb,ce,8d,46,26,52,\ 38,95,0d,2a,98,77,f1,c7,11,b9,da,1c,f1,c9,60,b1,97,14,4a,d5,40,53,02,f8,5e,\ de,53,27,58,94,bd,00,74,4b,04,16,35,8d,00,b0,dd,fe,43,ef,3f,84,eb,b5,f8,1d,\ 72,45,b0,7a,94,99,c9,91,11,59,d5,f6,e6,69,d4,4f,e6,69,d3,cf,75,73,53,9f,82,\ 2b,94,68,e4,c2,af,1e,4b,99,ea,c3,1c,9d,20,8f,cd,8d,40,af,bf,e1,be,93,02,de,\ 05,40,56,2f,e2,2d,57,c0,24,f3,63,43,0d,3c,4d,de,28,ed,98,96,74,59,a5,83,8e,\ d8,be,09,15,9a,7e,f5,df,95,24,15,07,27,06,11,6a,a1,82,d8,20,35,71,9e,c5,9b,\ 56,64,45,43,96,a0,55,23,c4,57,8a,c2,bc,ab,a8,ef,04,a7,27,8b,98,9c,83,5c,a7,\ 55,11,d2,61,15,47,e7,d4,da,f9,33,6e,bd,de,9e,5a,eb,39,f2,9b,b2,f8,44,40,01,\ ec,5e,8b,4d,79,d3,df,b2,db,0b,b8,80,b8,9a,7e,fe,1d,08,c9,5d,21,43,23,50,1d,\ 0c,a2,aa,d6,53,b9,a6,4c,9f,a2,3e,ee,65,21,46,5c,3c,63,79,68,58,60,94,87,ce,\ 3f,f3,82,e9,03,b3,7e,91,ce,3d,dd,42,2a,cd,a6,01,0f,b7,51,0e,1a,b4,bd,7b,7e,\ 7d,22,19,15,c3,7f,40,9f,70,de,6a,27,f7,05,b1,e0,95,31,fe,6c,6f,49,62,a1,37,\ be,7e,66,1d,35,7b,ee,1c,e2,46,ef,10,94,d5,c4,97,7d,06,fc,a1,11,9b,1c,17,08,\ 5f,8f,d2,5f,fe,2f,56,19,f5,a5,49,b0,9b,ee,5a,e4,88,c1,77,d2,83,90,1f,5b,8a,\ 54,77,d5,ca,9d,81,a1,7b,73,a2,31,31,d4,27,57,dc,11,f0,0b,a9,e9,f4,2f,5b,6a,\ 3c,db,49,3a,5c,90,19,b9,bc,07,7f,1b,b9,ae,3f,fe,a1,f8,9f,39,0e,34,10,fe,a1,\ 8a,04,cd,48,47,c9,ba,a6,35,cc,36,61,51,36,96,a9,2a,a8,c5,61,0c,c3,97,c2,c5,\ 71,ae,93,b4,f4,37,68,fb,b9,9a,77,a1,6c,9f,c3,1a,e6,10,63,0c,44,fe,ce,68,44,\ 86,07,91,e3,d2,6f,b7,1b,81,5b,14,9b,33,1b,1b,78,31,e8,3e,60,aa,38,59,f2,91,\ e9,75,90,a7,1e,a9,c8,13,c9,a9,3e,0c,8b,44,72,ec,cc,45,d3,11,7b,0e,1c,ac,76,\ ac,0e,52,72,89,17,9d,23,13,af,7c,65,45,76,1d,d5,ab,f5,b0,9e,b4,20,6b,be,b2,\ 57,e6,73,ff,6b,69,dc,4a,76,13,c3,e3,e7,41,62,88,a0,54,11,6a,6a,31,f9,b1,25,\ cc,c2,06,dc,d3,88,02,82,69,70,2e,09,9f,64,40,88,c9,ff,6a,ee,66,69,5d,ca,79,\ b9,f0,03,23,b8,c9,1b,d9,f6,9b,d4,65,85,4c,d4,c4,09,fd,a5,45,ad,ad,49,bb,c7,\ fb,b8,2a,46,e1,15,09,1a,5e,1c,e7,16,e6,a7,8b,e4,42,d1,07,8a,ec,b4,eb,d0,09,\ c9,bd,24,89,1f,28,65,99,72,bd,3b,ca,6b,fd,f2,24,63,2a,0b,d9,c7,9a,4b,c1,29,\ 21,17,7b,23,60,2c,06,db,ac,64,b7,7d,83,80,0d,ef,58,a8,a5,6f,df,9c,16,0c,5d,\ ff,ec,db,de,72,80,66,7f,0c,65,82,45,c3,b8,9a,5e,cd,0f,3d,bf,5f,cf,93,db,fc,\ 5f,89,de,8b,82,88,33,ad,83,d6,bb,fd,f2,24,f5,df,ee,14,00,00,00,af,22,08,52,\ f6,a0,30,d5,4e,c6,b8,bf,fd,67,be,a7,73,67,db,7d

(PBlee on Jun 4, 2006 2:07 AM) interesting little piece of software from M$ A WGA Diagnostic tool http://www.google.com/url?sa=D&q=http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/%3Flinkid%3D52012

(SumGuy on Jun 4, 2006 3:18 AM) Hey, i've read everything but don't know how to get it to work. Can someone who has gotten it to work and knows how to do it please add me to MSN. SumGuyIs_@hotmail.com Thanks.

(TonyMontana on Jun 4, 2006 3:18 AM) Thanx to everyone for comments possible fixes/links...but is that rapidshare rar file damaged? says corrupt header:o

(TonyMontana on Jun 4, 2006 6:05 AM) It was my damaged archiver. New crack & reg file works! Ty Anti; PB!

(paulo on Jun 7, 2006 7:26 AM) nao tenho comentarios

(Anthony on Jun 7, 2006 8:43 AM) Can some post links to the new 1.5.532.0 file...cause all the links on here dont work

(jimbo on Jun 7, 2006 2:51 PM) New problem with genuine validation. Now they have blocked my internet access. Both wired and wireless will not aquire an IP address. I have found a fix for the "counterfeit copy" message but no internet access. Anyone know how to fix this one??

(Anthony on Jun 7, 2006 3:06 PM) Can some post links to the new 1.5.532.0 file...cause all the links on here dont work

(CarpeDiem on Jun 7, 2006 5:15 PM) Here I found a new path, it worked fine for me. good luck...... http://www.mydigitallife.info/2006/04/26/disable-and-remove-windows-genuine-advantage-notifications-nag-screen/ There are some links that doesnt work but try them all...

(CarpeDiem on Jun 7, 2006 5:38 PM) To be specific, click the link below, you can download it directly from here. http://rapidshare.de/.../noWGA.exe.html

(Jere on Jun 8, 2006 12:28 AM) Okay, to all the lamebrains who said, "Didn't work." A) Make sure you turned off your firewalls, anti-spyware gear, and script blockers (if you use Mozilla or Firefox or Opera and have a plugin for JS blocking), then make sure you are actually plugging the code into the "address bar" in Internet Explorer. I suggest IE, but it probably should work with any browser, and because this next shep will ensure success. A lot of "lamebrains" put the "crack" into search fields, rather than "address bars". I know, because I do computer tech support, and people always say, 'I typed in www.wherever.org! Now, do I click on the first or second result?' Click File>Open or 'Alt+F' then 'O'. NOW, type the text into that field. Afterwards, close all the browsers, and restart your computer in the proper way. It should work out. Also, you should probably have JS (Java Script) turned on. Check your services and check your advanced Internet options, as well, found in Internet Explorer: Tools>Internet Options>Advvanced or 'Alt+T' then 'O'. Good luck. Peace.

(Johnny on Jun 8, 2006 8:02 AM) Hello, Does anyone have a solution for installation of defender ?

(Asw on Jun 8, 2006 6:17 PM) Hey, you all want try this to disable the nag WGA: boot the XP disk and go into repair mode with the command promt: you have to login with administrator rights. type in: delete c:\windows\system32\wgatray.exe delete c:\windows\system32\wgalogon.dll exit now no more crap! only thing, I've tried to update, but get the dreaded "Genuine Windows Validation" screen. But at leat no more naggin spyware sh!t from M$

(Nicothyrael on Jun 8, 2006 11:32 PM) @Gustavowar are you hacking for Edu???? ..... Nico (yes, that one)

(Ahmad on Jun 10, 2006 10:05 AM) Thank you . it's work good for me . thank you very much

(so1_4 on Jun 10, 2006 2:31 PM) New 1.5.532.2 file is released older 1.5.532.0 will work for that?? Pls Help me Can some post links 4 that?

(Hello on Jun 11, 2006 12:31 AM) Microsoft has gradually expanded the piracy check and is now withholding downloads for users of some international versions of Windows XP. There was a question from some1 who had a Swedish copy of windows so this may be the reason why you dont see any legitcheckcontrol.dll or it may be that you have not tried to update and gotten the .dll installed yet...

(here's another way around it on Jun 11, 2006 8:03 PM) http://www.redlightfusion.com/dreamhostphp/viewtopic.php?t=6

(jayme on Jun 12, 2006 5:15 AM) the last one works well. thanks :)

(So1_4 on Jun 12, 2006 11:55 AM) version 1.5.532.0 is released, any updated crack for it? or is the current 1.5.532.0 good enough? Pls. Help me!!

(krazjoe on Jun 12, 2006 11:18 PM) OK..... i just started reading this site!!.... wooow... where do i start.. looks like Microsoft has fixed the all the hacking up to now... how do I get passed that genuine crap to download the good shit???.... where do i start?

(HHH on Jun 14, 2006 5:32 PM) It does not work if you have solution please forward it

(ZeroCool on Jun 16, 2006 10:10 AM) look like hackers have been defeated by Bill :P and his security

(Nightman on Jun 16, 2006 10:40 AM) I don't know what all of you are talking about....If you all take your time and do it right it works....period

(Ramyras on Jun 16, 2006 4:02 PM) Hi! just download new LegitCheckControl.dll from http://rapidshare.de/files/21835309/LegitCheckControl.dll.html have a nice day P.S. I don't know how it working with IE 7 But with IE 6 it working perfect

(Prasad on Jun 17, 2006 2:57 AM) OK PEOPLE HERE U GO TRIED AND TESTED.THE REASON THIS IS BEING TYPED IN BOLD IS COZ THIS WORKS 100% U BET...ALL CREDIT GOES 2 RAMYRAS AND TOM...OK I'LL EXPLAIN IT 2 U PEOPLE IN DETAIL...I TOO WAS A VICTIM OF USING THE PIRATED KEY AND GOT THE MSG THAT I WAS USING THE PIRATED VERSION OF WINDOWZ XP PRO...GOT THAT REMINDER ON LOGON AND ALSO ON THE SYSTEM TRAY..BUT THE GUYS OUT HERE...WELL THE'VE CLEARED UP ALL THE CONFUSION THAT MOST OF US HAD FOR THE WINDOWS GENUINE ADVANTAGE TOOL... WELL THESE R THOSE SIMPLE STEPS : To remove tray icon and notifyer picture and 5 sec window on logon I did it: Delete files wgatray.exe form C:\WINDOWS\system32 \(U WONT B ABLE TO DELETE AND WOULD GET A MSG THAT THE FILE IS IN USE TRY RENAMING THE FILE AND CUT-PASTING IT IN THE OTHER DRIVE NOT IN THE WINDOWS DRIVE) and from C:\WINDOWS\SoftwareDistribution \Download\ cb2769f3b1daf367a31ed046299a3790\ (last folder not the same) delete WGATRAY.EXE-0ED38BED.pf file from C:\WINDOWS\Prefetch\ Remove from regitry: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Notify\WgaLogon and wgatray from HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Search Assistant\ACMru\5603\(IF U GET A FOLDER CALLED AS 5604 RENAME IT TO 5603) THATS IT....U FROM NOW ON WONT FIND THAT MESSAGE OF USING A PIRATED COPY OF WINDOWS AND WILL RECEIVE ALL THE UPDATES FROM MICROSOFT... ALL THE BEST !

(mo on Jun 18, 2006 9:04 AM) hey i have done as above rid of all anoying messages but when i went to windows update it still says i need to validate my account can any one help

(TheLosingBattle on Jun 18, 2006 3:29 PM) Everything I have seen is for service pack 2. I only have a store bought copy of sp1 pro full. Has anyone figured out how to get that to work yet ? Key ending in P4Y3D

(ankush on Jun 19, 2006 3:43 PM) All thsi is too much for me!!! Can somebody please tell me the easiest way of downloading media player 11 on my computer..... I dont have a genuine windows xp & gets an annoying popup evrytime I try to download internet explorer 7 or media player 11 Please help me!!!

(xer0 on Jun 22, 2006 7:03 AM) wmp 11 = torrentspy.com/Windows_media_player_11_cracked ie7 = torrentspy.com/IE7BETA2NOGENUINECHECk enjoy! :P

(JOhnny on Jun 22, 2006 5:25 PM) forums.rfuz.com go there... the answer is there

(will_uk01 on Jun 24, 2006 11:54 AM) i have just tried to paste the crack into microsofts download page for ie7 beta and believe it or not it has worked they recognised my system as a genuine copy

(Ghost168 on Jun 26, 2006 4:19 AM) http://ghost168.bravehost.com/WgaPatch905474.zip

(MP100 on Jun 27, 2006 1:24 PM) http://ghost168.bravehost.com/WgaPatch905474.zip does this work? anyone knows.

(noname on Jun 27, 2006 6:19 PM) yes, work good

(Ghost168 on Jun 28, 2006 3:06 AM) Error: Daily Bandwidth Allocation Exceeded Now temporary: -------------- WgaPatch905470 (LegitCheck 1.5.540.0) http://temporarydir.uwnet.nl/software/WgaPatch905474.zip

(Billy on Jun 28, 2006 7:29 AM) http://ghost168.bravehost.com/WgaPatch905474.zip worked beautifully so far. Huge thanks to the champion who made it and Ghost168 for the link!

(Billy on Jun 28, 2006 7:30 AM) http://ghost168.bravehost.com/WgaPatch905474.zip worked beautifully so far. Huge thanks to the champion who made it and Ghost168 for the link!

(wotdafuk on Jun 28, 2006 6:07 PM) Hey, anyone know what's different in 532? I'm still using 530 and it still seems to work, well I've just used win update.

(aceedburn on Jun 29, 2006 8:03 AM) many thanx to ghost168...works great....so far!

(uman_c on Jun 30, 2006 11:41 PM) Good work Ghost, many thk....

(Balinskio on Jul 1, 2006 12:35 AM) Hey SilverBullet... your .BAT file worked wonders. Thanks for the help.

(Ghost168 on Jul 5, 2006 8:10 AM) Rebuild IE7beta3 install with fixed iecustom.dll (WGA PATCH included) Search P2P: IE7beta3 - build 7.0.5450.4 - validated - (ghost168 wga patch) or temporary: http://temporarydir.uwnet.nl/software/IE7beta3.zip Ghost168

(Ceesie on Jul 5, 2006 12:13 PM) Heey, I have installed xp again on my pc and now i cann't download any update of the microsoftsite. There is a new validation process i think. Is there anyone that know a new trick to disable wga? Greets Cees

(Nightman on Jul 5, 2006 1:10 PM) Thanks all, Just wanted to say many thanks for everyone working together to defeat this WGA crap...as for the last post....I don't think there is a new one cause the one from Ghost168 works......

(Ghost168 on Jul 5, 2006 2:23 PM) WGA crack related: Internet Explorer 7 beta 3 incl.toolbars etc. Search P2P for: IE7beta3 - build 7.0.5450.4 - validated - (ghost168 wga patch) Or download temporary: http://temporarydir.uwnet.nl/software/IE7beta3.zip Ghost168

(Muhammad OMar on Jul 5, 2006 2:49 PM) Media Player 11 Beta Still asking for validation Key how do i install it without asking of validation key .....

(Muhammad OMar on Jul 5, 2006 2:50 PM) Media Player 11 Beta Still asking for validation Key how do i install it without asking of validation key .....

(Ghost168 on Jul 7, 2006 3:33 AM) English ---------- Windows Media Player 11 (engl.) - VALIDATED - WGA Patched by Ghost168 ---------------------------------------------- Search P2P for: Windows Media Player 11 - wmp11-windowsxp-x86-enu (ghost168 Wga Patch) Watch the (english) part after x86 It's the english xp mp11 version or download temporary: http://temporarydir.uwnet.nl/software/wmp11enu-download.zip Internet Explorer 7 beta3 - incl.adress&toolbars - WGA Patched by Ghost168 ---------------------------------- Search P2P for: IE7beta3 - build 7.0.5450.4 - validated - (ghost168 wga patch) or download temporary: http://temporarydir.uwnet.nl/software/IE7beta3.zip grtz, Ghost168

(Hojou on Jul 9, 2006 5:10 AM) Works! Thanks! http://temporarydir.uwnet.nl/software/WgaPatch905474.zip

(Devil Jyn on Jul 10, 2006 12:19 AM) Hi, I tried to install media player 11 and get the info of the wga and that stuff, I already solved that problem using winrar to unrar the content of the .exe and replacing the legitblahblah.dll with the cracked one. Ok, great, all cracked but another message appear, the one that I need SP2, great, I downloaded from windows update and when I try to install it, it came up a message saying that my serial key is (of course) not legal. My question is if theres some kind of bypass like the one I did with the media player 11. Thx and be mercy with my english Ps: I can´t get rid off the crcss.exe either :S

(Generation_X on Jul 12, 2006 3:25 AM) hi there.. i think, i already updated my OS,,but my problem is,,,a "STAR" appears on my toolbar, and it says,,,you may be a victim of software counterfeiting...i want to remove that "STAR" icon from microsoft..i always receive a message from that "STAR"...can anyone help me with my problem...thnks in advance....

(VoIP call on Jul 12, 2006 9:14 AM) just format your hard drive and reload the OS. Star will be removed. And this is going to work surely.

(Off Line on Jul 12, 2006 4:06 PM) What happens if someone try to install IE7 not connected to the internet, but using previously downloaded setup? Fails?

(Ghost168 on Jul 16, 2006 5:29 PM) The WGA patched Media Player 11 ( incl. tabs & tools ) Fast download: yousendit.com patch The link is just Valid for 7 day's 2nd choice (slow) link: http://temporarydir.uwnet.nl/software/IE7beta3.zip Ghost168

(kulitkulit on Jul 18, 2006 4:57 PM) i used this .exe file for removing all of the wga files etc etc.... hope this will work for you guys as it did for me, its better than clicking around and deleting / renaming files which is so tedious compared to double clicking the .exe and restarting your pc..... well here's the link.... http://www.firewallleaktester.com/tools/RemoveWGA.exe

(kulitkulit on Jul 18, 2006 4:58 PM) i used this .exe file for removing all of the wga files etc etc.... hope this will work for you guys as it did for me, its better than clicking around and deleting / renaming files which is so tedious compared to double clicking the .exe and restarting your pc..... well here's the link.... http://www.firewallleaktester.com/tools/RemoveWGA.exe

(Microsoft on Jul 20, 2006 5:33 AM) http://www.firewallleaktester.com/tools/RemoveWGA.exe this link does not work

(Dan on Jul 23, 2006 1:13 PM) I just did that WgaPatch905474.(1.5.540.0) and it worked A+!!! thanks a lot

(TM on Jul 26, 2006 10:35 AM) Just reformatted and reinstalled winxp but cant get thru Genuine Windows Validation to get SP1 and SP2. Any tips?

(colzie on Jul 29, 2006 9:29 AM) Hi I have installed ghosts patch yet when I go to the microsoft update site I still get this copy of windows is not genuine message??What am I doing wrong guys? Colzie

(Matt on Jul 30, 2006 2:15 AM) Hey if you are using a Pirated Windows PC get the WGA Patcher to get Genuine Products: go to: http://keznews.net/forum/forum.php then clcik on Windows XP, Windows 2003! There also Vista betas, IE7 beta 3/WMP11 genuine cracks, ways to remove the WGA Notifaction and more! on KEZNEWS!

(Rtid on Aug 5, 2006 8:42 AM) i stil get You may be a victim of software counterfeiting. The Windows product key installed on this computer is not genuine. how can i remove this?

(Wolf on Aug 5, 2006 5:25 PM) Is there a WGA patched "Windows Defender(Beta 2)" somewhere i can find?

Written by VoIP & Gadgets Blog on August 9th, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on Microsoft and Technology and Science and wga and cracked and crack.

Another IP-PBX company bites the dust?

After the news that Zultsys was going out of business, only to hear that they are being resurrected, word from two sources is that a well-known IP-PBX company may be on its last legs. I don't want to disclose who it is at this point without some further investigation. No point causing a company harm from what is just rumor at this point, but I will keep you posted.

This got me thinking though. What happened to the days when there were dozens of PBX manufacturers? Sure there are still many around, but many are hurting, and some have gone belly-up, such as Comdial, Praxon, and others. You have inexpensive open-source IP-PBXs such as as Pingtel and Asterisk that are just as feature-rich as the "big boys" (Nortel, Toshiba, Avaya, Cisco) at 1/8th the cost or less. How can a large company with hundreds of employees and with vastly larger overhead compete with a small nimble company like Digium, the founder of the Asterisk open-source movement?

Will open-source communications systems inevitably kill the major PBX manufacturers? Hard to say, but open-source sure didn't do SCO UNIX any favors when the "free" Linux O/S came on the scene. The days of proprietary communications are over, which also means more competition and smaller margins. In telecom it's SIP that is opening the doors for small start-ups to innovate without being blocked by proprietary and predatory tactics. Only the nimble with the best features, best value, best marketing, and best support will survive the long haul.

On a related note I recently discovered PostPath, a Microsoft Exchange Server alternative, which is the first to implement Exchange network protocols on a Linux email server and the first to let you use your existing Outlook clients with no disruption. According to this article, benefits of selecting the PostPath Server include avoiding vendor lock-in, saving money, increasing performance by 5x, improving resilience, and increasing flexibility and innovation. According to the article, by moving to PostPath you can slash software, storage and infrastructure costs by 75%. We have Exchange Server at TMC and have experienced our share of Exchange Server failures resulting in email loss. Disaster recovery for Exchange Server is just that - a disaster. We've had some outages that took 2 days to entirely fix. Postpath, while not open-source or free, is a Linux-based solution that is less expensive and they claim more reliable with quicker disaster recovery.

Now if only I could have a 100% open-source, IP-PBX, with Exchange Server functionality, built-in web server, Jabber/IM server, collaboration capabilities, mobile phone email synching (e.g. Blackberry), and just about any other communications method, all on a turn-key platform with each component interoperating/integrating - then life would be good.

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Tags: asterisk, digium, exchange server, ip-pbx, microsoft, pingtel, postpath, voip
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Written by VoIP & Gadgets Blog on August 8th, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on VoIP and Microsoft and Asterisk and ip-pbx and digium and exchange server and pingtel and postpath.

Live, Better Brand Than MSN

Microsoft’s Live Spaces initiative is getting a lot of buzz today, and rightfully so. The mass-market offering marries instant messaging, social networking (sort-of), Microsoft gadgets and blogging into what could be Cup-a-noodles of social apps. Techcrunch notes that Microsoft is phasing out the MSN brand, in favor of the “Live.”

This is a very smart move on part of Microsoft. MSN as a brand is tired and needs to be retired. It conjures up images of an also ran brand. Live, however, seems fresh and new. Online user behavior seems to show precisely that. (Windows) Live-branded services are doing much better for Microsoft that those weighed down by the MSN brand. A quick analysis of data on online member communities/destinations collected by Nielsen/Net Ratings (N/NR) shows that.

In US, N/NR says Windows Live had 29.8 million unique visitors, second only to MySpace, which attracted 36 million unique visitors, in the month of June 2006. MSN Spaces wasn’t in the top ten. In other countries Windows Live brand is doing even better. In Brazil, for instance, Windows Live had 7.6 million uniques, while MSN spaces had mere 1.7 million.

The most notable one is Australia, since Live Spaces had been in beta testing in that country, before being made available to users in the US. While it is hard to draw sweeping conclusions, it does seem when it comes to post-PC world, Microsoft is better of retiring its old brands, and usher in the new Live era. (The complete comparisons are after the fold.)

Written by Om Malik on August 2nd, 2006 with no comments.
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The big iTunes/Zune cellphone integration challenge no one is talking about

Lots of folks appear to have talked themselves into thinking it is at least somewhat likely that Microsoft's new Zune music player will offer calling capability. And, I admit, I've sent some of the same signals about what appear to be - as you see there on the right of my latest P'shopped canvass- [...]

Written by Russell Shaw on August 1st, 2006 with no comments.
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Another Microsoft IPTV Delay?

Deutsche Telekom, one of the largest incumbents in Europe has delayed its T-Home Internet Television system, due to technical problems. The service which was supposed to be launched in July 2006 is now going to be available in mid-October. “Some say we’re delaying interactive TV services but we never really said when we plan to offer them,” a DT spokesperson tells tells IDG news service. A head in the sand strategy perhaps?

The news reports on DT’s delay have been sketchy but our good friend Dave Burstein, who pens the DSL Prime e-newsletter has some further details.

“They now have halted deployment to spend six months integrating the systems, getting the bugs out of Microsoft IPTV and the network, and then adding 3 million more homes by the first quarter of 2007,” he writes in most recent missive.

British Telecom, Swisscom, Telecom Italia and DT are some of the European incumbents betting on Microsoft TV. In private chats with some senior executives, we did not get a sense that they had any confidence on current generation offering, but remained pretty high on the overall direction Microsoft is taking.

Written by Om Malik on August 1st, 2006 with no comments.
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Zune This November with VoIP

Microsoft Zune rumors continue to swirl. Engadget is reporting that Microsoft’s “seamless music experience” device/service, Zune will launch on November 14, presumably with much fanfare. Engadget says that the device is going to have a 30 GB storage device and will have a FM Tuner along with Wi-Fi.

But the big news according to VoIP Lowdown is that it will have some sort of VoIP functionality built into the device. Given that it has wireless connectivity, and Microsoft is talking up presence features in the device, VoIP functionality does make sense. Microsoft has made a strong push in the VoIP space with its Instant Messaging and LCS platforms.

It would make perfect sense to extend that capability into their Zune platform, much like Voice features on XBox and XBox Live. It would fit in with the strategy outlined by Ray Ozzie at the recent Financial Analyst Day hosted by the Redmond-based software giant.

Written by Om Malik on July 31st, 2006 with no comments.
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Will Linux Rule The Digital Home?

For consumer electronics industry, digital home is the next big pot of gold, a pot so big that it has everyone from Apple (AAPL) to Microsoft (MSFT) to Intel (INTC) licking their chops. But it is Linux could emerge as one of the biggest winners in this bonanza.

The demand for networked CE devices is going to increase in tandem with the availability of faster in-home networks that can shunt data at blazingly fast speeds. Technologies such as MOCA, HPNA 2.0 and 802.11n will allow us to move content from one device to another. As a result of that, we should expect the demand for the Home Media Servers and Entertainment Hubs could grow to be a $44 billion business in 2011, according to ABI Research. (Well, don’t pay much attention to the mega-billion number, but instead focus on the trends!) ABI says that the digital media server market is made up of four main categories: PCs, set-top boxes, consumer electronics devices such as gaming consoles or PVRs, and Network Attached Storage (NAS) hardware. “Linux as embedded OS should take up a substantial part of the set-top box and CE market, but not the PC,” says Michael Wolf, principal analyst with ABI and author of the study. Who wants their PC to be their media center? Okay, at least not us. The logic is simple – the other two players – Apple and Microsoft will have their own proprietary systems. Apple will not share them with anyone else, of course! Microsoft would as long as you play ball with their DRM system or some other lock-in. (And they are not to be taken lightly.)

This leaves CE makers, and start-ups with one option – Linux. The embedded Linux has already been adapted and widely deployed in everything from Sharp PDAs to Motorola Mobile Phones to set-top boxes. Many of the newer digital music systems such as Sonos are powered by the little Penguin. TiVo, for example is based on a version of Linux. So is DirecTV’s set-top box! Moxi, is another set-top box maker that uses Linux. AT&T HomeZone is powered by Linux as well.

Scores of other start-ups are experimenting with Linux-based home entertainment systems, music players and digital video recorders. IntAct, a spinout from set-top box maker, Amino has just started selling a Linux-based software stack that runs on any kind of chip, and can also run Opera browser. And there are many more similar packages out there, or under development.

The signs are pointing to a Linux-powered living room. Do you agree? (Take our poll.)

Written by Om Malik on July 26th, 2006 with no comments.
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MS platform chief: closed-mindedness about open source continues

While Microsoft has been increasingly tip-toeing into open source via SourceForge projects, Shared Source licenses and Linuxlab, getting to this place where Open Source is no longer considered a pejorative by Microsoft has been a slow and deliberate process that must be massaged both internally and externally.At Microsoft, that massaging is an unwritten part of [...]

Written by Russell Shaw on July 25th, 2006 with no comments.
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Zune-ng In!

John Gruber, arguably one of the best writers on all things Mac puts Microsoft’s Zune under the microscope and says …

Is that not the epitome of metastatic corporate bureaucracy? One division within Microsoft spending $100 million or more to launch their own closed media player system; another division charged with lining up “partners” for the PlaysForSure platform that Microsoft’s own media player division deems not good enough. Isn’t that like inviting guests to your home for dinner and serving them hot dogs while you yourself eat a steak?

Michael Wolf of ABI Research recently emailed in response to my Zune post and added that Microsoft shouldn’t have taken the “closed model” approach of Apple. “Think if they were to let Real Networks and the MTV service and Napster sell onto the Zune as well,” he wrote in. “I think it would be a major incentive for the consumer. They can still say ‘we provide choice’ instead of ‘we’re doing what Apple is doing.’”

Written by Om Malik on July 25th, 2006 with no comments.
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MS Goes iPod? Apple Goes Phone?

Much excitement today about Microsoft's announcement that it is planning on developing an iPod competitor to take on Apple directly.

What's funny is that Microsoft goes one way, Apple goes another (so what else is new?).

Seems Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer has strongly hinted that Apple plans to offer a mobile phone. (Slimmer than Moto?)

"We don't think that the phones that are available today make the best music players -- we think the iPod is," he said. "But over time that is likely to change, and we're not sitting around doing nothing."

This from The Seattle Post-Intelligencer and Bloomberg.

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Written by VoIP & Gadgets Blog on July 24th, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on Microsoft and Apple and MP3 Players & Digital Audio and iPod and mobile phone and bloomberg and moto and seattle post-intelligencer.

Microsoft Zune takes on iPod

As several news sites have reported, Microsoft plans to release a new music and entertainment player and accompanying software under the "Zune" brand this year to challenge the Apple iPod media player. The latest Apple iPod plays both music and videos with the ability to download TV shows and now even full-fledged movies via iTunes. Microsoft hopes to take some of the 70& marketshare from Apple which has dominated the portable media player market.

The sad thing is, Microsoft could have dominated this market had they minituarized the bulky PocketPC years ago. The PocketPC enjoyed some success, but never really took off. Part of the reason was that PocketPCs were too bulky to use as an MP3 player while jogging on a treadmill or just walking down the street. Even when Dell launched the Axim series of PocketPCs, which were thinner and lighter, it was too late. Blackberries stole the show for remote email access and the iPod stole the show for portable music leaving PocketPCs out in the cold. Even though the PocketPC could do remote email, play mp3s, as well as GPS navigation and other functionality, it unfortunately suffered from doing too many things "ok" and did not do one thing really really well.

Dell discontinued the Axim PocketPC series, and Windows Mobile 5 finally put the final nail in the coffin for PocketPCs. Why have a dedicated PocketPC PDA when you can get a Windows Mobile 5 smartphone that is a PDA plus a phone, and all the other functionality - mp3 player, calendar, email, etc.

Personally, I'd rather Microsoft offer a smartphone that can store >20GB of music and video content rather than try and compete with Apple's "one trick pony" iPod, which doesn't have smartphone functionality. All of the cellphones or even smartphones I have used have a terrible built-in MP3 player or didn't have enough storage. Most smartphones use SD/miniSD cards instead of hard drives to conserve battery power. If Microsoft were to offer a Windows Mobile 5 smartphone with >20GB of multimedia storage, decent standby/talk time, and an intuitive user interface (iPod-like) then I'd buy it in a nano-second.

So Microsoft, take my advice and forget about competing with the iPod with a single purpose "Zune" media player and instead offer a compelling converged device that does everything the iPod can do and more all on an easy-to-use smartphone. As a gadget-lover, this would be my dream device and I'd auction off my current iPod on eBay faster than you can say "buh bye iPod."

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Written by VoIP & Gadgets Blog on July 24th, 2006 with no comments.
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The Microsoft To-Do List

Spurred on by the news of Zune, and some thoughtful comments by my good friend, Pip Coburn, here is a Microsoft To-Do List. Its not complete, so leave your to-do-items in comments and I can add them later to the big list.

1. Figure out a way to keep the current cash cows, Windows and Office, creating more cash, and induce users to upgrade.
2. Ship the next versions of cash cow products, Windows and Office, and pray that people want to upgrade.
3. Turn its entire product line “LIVE” and future proof the company as transition to web unfolds over the next decade.
4. Out iPod iPod with Zune.
5. Turn Origami into a hot seller. (How many of you are chuckling?)
6. Take over the wireless world with Mobile Windows.
7. Become the dominating force in wireless email via ActiveSync, pummeling Blackberry into dust.
8. Deliver IPTV platforms for some of the most demanding customers in the world - Telephone companies.
9. Lets partner with (someone) to out-hustle Cisco in VoIP.
10. Team with someone to beat AOL in the IM space.
11. Turn XBox into a profitable business. This one might happen sooner than we think because, Sony is busy shooting itself in the foot.
12. Make Media Center work like a real consumer electronics device.
13. Let all of Microsoft work together. (Send up a bat signal for Lou Gerstner, now!)
14. Lets start by saying - we will play nice with everyone, and then couple of days later announce Zune.
15. Oh come on, its already such a long list, that one needs to sign-up for Ta Da List .

Written by Om Malik on July 22nd, 2006 with no comments.
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Microsoft Partners, You Been Zunked

So Microsoft is going to get into the music device business - imitating the same “integrated experience” philosophy as Apple has successfully deployed to carve itself a big share of the portable music player and online music business. Devices, the store, the whole nine yards. Hard drives, wifi, wireless discovery … It is as comprehensive feature set you can get using Microsoft Word’s copy & paste feature. Okay, I am being mean ! (Engadget has the details, so no point in repeating them.

If there is a sense of panic inside Infinite Loop, then Jobs’ army must also be feeling vindicated. Their way is the only way to make sense of the inherently complex online world. It might be the start of a long drawn out of war, except this time don’t find Apple to be the loser … just yet.

More on that some other day, but the real and perhaps the only story in the news is that Microsoft’s partners - from device makers to music services - just got double crossed by the company they choose to believe in. I like to call it Zun-ked (a tiny take off on Punked.)

Let me break this down: Zune - the devices, the platform, and the store/service - will compete with everyone from Apple (of course) to Creative Technologies, iRiver, Samsung, Archos, Rhapsody, Napster, Yahoo Music and anyone dumb enough to buy into Microsoft’s visions of Urge, Media Player, PlayForSure etc.

Microsoft could argue that Zune would be unique and those others can still do business. But it is also a classic example of why Microsoft is lumbering bureaucratic morass wrapped in a can of conflicts. A modern day version of medieval fiefdoms, perhaps? Take for instance, Urge which is built into Windows Vista, and is what I guess you could call an almost integrated experience. What happens to consumers when faced with the choice of Zune or Urge!!! Answer - iPod.

Michael Gartneberg, analyst with Jupiter Research is spot on when he writes at the very end of his analysis,

Early market share, however, isn’t likely to come from disgruntled iPod users looking to switch. The real losers in the short term are likely to be the likes of Creative, iRiver and other former partners that have failed to deliver to market share from Apple and will now find themselves not only competing with Apple but with their former partners from Redmond.

Ironically, this is not the first time those who have chosen to believe in Microsoft have been double crossed. There was the unceremonious killing of the Smart Display. That left guys like Samsung in the lurch, especially after spending millions on that. I has posed that question to a visiting team of senior Samsung executives, but never really got an answer.

With Zune, Microsoft might have set a precedent in warning off companies who might want to partner with them in the future. Regardless, the Apple-Microsoft duopoly is an interesting opportunity for rest of the industry to come together and figure out a way to work together on open standards. Unfortunately it is not going to happen, so we will watch this game and see who wins.

Written by Om Malik on July 22nd, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on Microsoft and Apple and iPod and zune and Online Music Services.

BULLETIN: Microsoft confirms Zune music player: will be iPod rival

The Wall Street Journal is reporting this, courtesy of a pickup from the next weekly issue of music industry bible Billboard magazine.In an email statement sent to Billboard editors, Chris Stephenson, who is Microsoft's company's new general manager of marketing for MSN Entertainment Business,said the company sees the Zune-branded portable music player and  an [...]

Written by Russell Shaw on July 21st, 2006 with no comments.
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