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Topic: Windows Vista and Microsoft's WGA Program (Read 5596 times) previous topic - next topic

Windows Vista and Microsoft's WGA Program

If you are considering a new computer purchase, or an upgrade to Windows Vista, then we recommend that you review the ongoing user experiences with Vista and its heavy handed anti-piracy tactics before proceeding. You can learn more by starting with a Google search:

http://www.google.com/search?q=vista+wga

Google news:

http://news.google.com/news?q=vista+wga

We have a single Windows Vista box here. It is manufactured by HP. On the morning of 20-August-2007, after our Vista computer was powered up, a message popped up that the license status of the machine could not be verified and that we may have been the victim of software piracy. WGA then disabled various functions of the computer, and began to repeatedly issue this piracy alert. During this problem, the recommended MS repair procedure always resulted in the same negative outcome: our Vista license could not be verified. Microsoft's solution page recommended that we become legal by purchasing another copy of Vista. It took over 6 hours before I was eventually able to clear up this problem through repeated re-attempts at Windows WGA validation.

Our first experience with this actually took place 5 days before the now widely discussed Microsoft WGA problem that started on 25-August-2007. I have seen some quotes from Microsoft employees that "very few customers were affected" by this problem. In fact, during the problems, Microsoft's solution literature repeatedly told me that very few legitimate customers are victims of a WGA false accusation. This language seemed to be an attempt to coerce this customer into purchasing another copy of Vista.

When it comes to Windows Vista, we think "buyer beware" is a prudent course of action.

Re: Windows Vista and Microsoft's WGA Program

Reply #1 –
That's good. We've had...
Software  (the working bits and bytes on HD and in Ram)
Firmware  (elementary bits and bytes that you don't have to know of)
Ghostware (software that's a bit wispy and as of yet non-existent in the real world)
and such. But...
Buyer B. ware is new, and to be considered very seriously indeed before purchasing.
Thanks for the warning.
cheers,
Rob.

Re: Windows Vista and Microsoft's WGA Program

Reply #2 –
Let's not forget: Vaporware
Registered user since 1996

Re: Windows Vista and Microsoft's WGA Program

Reply #3 –
By the way, WGA is a bit of an oxymoron. It is an acronym for Windows Genuine Advantage.

Re: Windows Vista and Microsoft's WGA Program

Reply #4 –
Quote from: NoteWorthy Online –
<snip>
When it comes to Windows Vista, we think "buyer beware" is a prudent course of action.

Given that m$ will only head further down this road, and that new machines will soon only be available with vista, is it time to seriously consider a linux version of NWC?

My only problems with this is the woeful experiences I've had to date with linux and MIDI, the lack of drivers/applications for many sound cards, and the fact my Yamaha softsynth won't work :(

Still, the Yam won't work on vista either, and we all know about the driver availability problems that vista has, not to mention the removal of MIDI mapper (there goes the MIDI experience in vista)...

Quote from: NoteWorthy Online –
By the way, WGA is a bit of an oxymoron. It is an acronym for Windows Genuine Advantage.

Yeah, we all know about spin doctors...  :)

I plays 'Bones, crumpets, coronets, floosgals, youfonymums 'n tubies.

Re: Windows Vista and Microsoft's WGA Program

Reply #5 –
Quote from: Lawrie Pardy –
Given that m$ will only head further down this road, and that new machines will soon only be available with vista, is it time to seriously consider a linux version of NWC?
That would be a big consideration. Keeping NWC2 workable under Wine would seem to be much easier.
Registered user since 1996

Re: Windows Vista and Microsoft's WGA Program

Reply #6 –
Yes, but does NWC support MIDI and printing under WINE?
But if they added that, I probably would come even closer to using Linux.  I like this suggestion very much.  A Mac version wouldn't be bad either...
And if there was a specification for NWCTXT, and a resulting converter between that and MXML...
This is called wishful thinking.  But it would be nice.