Windows Is Calling Home

That'll work too Alias. I figured I wouldn't need any security updates for
quite a spell, after my fresh installation of XP Pro with SP-3 slipstreamed.
Wouldn't you think that SP-3, with it's hundreds of high priority security
updates, would hold us for awhile with no urgent, super-duper new security
updates being required? Nope...it's still insecure it seems.

I usually just read the details on each security update and pick those that
seem life threatening...yes, too much time on my hands. However, I got
lazy, and like a dummy I decided to trust M$ and I downloaded a bunch of
updates without checking each one for applicability and necessity. Oops.

Since my confuser is wanting to call M$, I decided to do the same and see
what they have to say. My main concern is that after the last
reformat/reinstall the stupid thing said "you've installed Windows XP too
many times..." and even after the magic 120 day period, the automatic
activation didn't work. That's apparently a secret, till now. Had to jump
through all the hoops, and of course call India, were those gunshots I heard
in the background...and through very broken English the fellow gave me the
magic numbers, so, voila, I was able to activate.

I won't bore you with more details on my communications with M$; suffice it
to say they are sorry that I'm having trouble with activation, there are no
limits on how many times I can activate, they won't say how many times I can
activate before it wipes out the 120-day clean-slate option, they are sorry
about changing the user terms long after (years actually) the purchase date,
and they'll take me off their 'pirates list' so I can have a pleasant life
hereafter...as long as I agree to call India every time I reformat.

Nice to hear from you again Alias.


"Alias" wrote in message
...
Kerneldebugger wrote:
When my computer is booted in the morning, Windows Genuine Advantage
(WGA) apparently just has to access the internet. I know this because,
when I deny access in the firewall (Zone Alarm) I get the popup alert
that WGA is trying to gain access. Every time I boot the computer, as
soon as the internet connection is loaded, there are about 4 items that
immediately start sending and receiving data. At least one of those is
WGA, perhaps more than one. Does WGA have to check in every time an XP
computer is booted?

TIA

I have three XP computers and none of them have WGA in any of its flavors
or versions installed. I don't need Windows Defenseless, Windows Media
Player 11 or any of the other so-called "goodies" that you get by
installing MS' spyware.

The way I do it is to set Automatic Updates to notify but not download or
install and if WGA raises its ugly head, I tell AU to not download or
inform me of the spyware again.

Alias

Kerneldebugger wrote:
That'll work too Alias. I figured I wouldn't need any security updates for
quite a spell, after my fresh installation of XP Pro with SP-3 slipstreamed.
Wouldn't you think that SP-3, with it's hundreds of high priority security
updates, would hold us for awhile with no urgent, super-duper new security
updates being required? Nope...it's still insecure it seems.

I usually just read the details on each security update and pick those that
seem life threatening...yes, too much time on my hands. However, I got
lazy, and like a dummy I decided to trust M$ and I downloaded a bunch of
updates without checking each one for applicability and necessity. Oops.

Since my confuser is wanting to call M$, I decided to do the same and see
what they have to say. My main concern is that after the last
reformat/reinstall the stupid thing said "you've installed Windows XP too
many times..." and even after the magic 120 day period, the automatic
activation didn't work. That's apparently a secret, till now. Had to jump
through all the hoops, and of course call India, were those gunshots I heard
in the background...and through very broken English the fellow gave me the
magic numbers, so, voila, I was able to activate.

I won't bore you with more details on my communications with M$; suffice it
to say they are sorry that I'm having trouble with activation, there are no
limits on how many times I can activate, they won't say how many times I can
activate before it wipes out the 120-day clean-slate option, they are sorry
about changing the user terms long after (years actually) the purchase date,
and they'll take me off their 'pirates list' so I can have a pleasant life
hereafter...as long as I agree to call India every time I reformat.

MS obviously doesn't care about their paying customers and takes their
de facto monopoly for granted. It will bite them in the ass eventually.


Nice to hear from you again Alias.

Check out Ubuntu if you haven't already. No activation. No WGA. No
malware and user friendly. http://www.ubuntu.com/ It's free and I'm
posting from it right now.

Good to hear from you again as well.

Alias


"Alias" wrote in message
...
Kerneldebugger wrote:
When my computer is booted in the morning, Windows Genuine Advantage
(WGA) apparently just has to access the internet. I know this because,
when I deny access in the firewall (Zone Alarm) I get the popup alert
that WGA is trying to gain access. Every time I boot the computer, as
soon as the internet connection is loaded, there are about 4 items that
immediately start sending and receiving data. At least one of those is
WGA, perhaps more than one. Does WGA have to check in every time an XP
computer is booted?

TIA
I have three XP computers and none of them have WGA in any of its flavors
or versions installed. I don't need Windows Defenseless, Windows Media
Player 11 or any of the other so-called "goodies" that you get by
installing MS' spyware.

The way I do it is to set Automatic Updates to notify but not download or
install and if WGA raises its ugly head, I tell AU to not download or
inform me of the spyware again.




Alias