New Authentication process...

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Guest

I read on Yahoo that MS has a new authentication process.
Does this new authentication process collect IP addresses or anything else
about the end user? Does it apply only to XP, or also the old systems such
as 98se etc.?
 
The Genuine Advantage program applies to Windows XP users only.

About Genuine Microsoft Software
http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/downloads/whyvalidate.aspx

Windows Genuine Advantage FAQ
http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/downloads/FAQ.aspx?displaylang=en

Protecting Your Privacy
http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/downloads/PrivacyInfo.aspx?displaylang=en

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User
Microsoft Newsgroups

Get Windows XP Service Pack 2 with Advanced Security Technologies:
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/protect/windowsxp/choose.mspx

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

:

| I read on Yahoo that MS has a new authentication process.
| Does this new authentication process collect IP addresses or anything else
| about the end user? Does it apply only to XP, or also the old systems such
| as 98se etc.?
 
Carey, FYI, as the FAQ you listed shows, the authentication process also
applies to Win 2K users.

"Validation is currently recommended, but not required. Should it become
required in the future, only users of Windows XP and Windows 2000 customers
(client, not server) will be required to validate. Genuine Windows downloads
will continue to be available, without validation, to customers running
Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows Server 2003, and Windows NT 4.0 with Service
Pack 3. However, Genuine Windows downloads are not available for older
versions of Windows (Windows 95, NT 4.0 with Service Pack 2 and earlier),
and non-Microsoft operating systems.
 
Q. "But is the rumor true? Do they collect IP addresses to identify people?"

A. Absolutely untrue!

The genuine validation process will only collect information about your system,
such as Windows product key, PC manufacturer, and operating system version,
to determine if Windows is genuine.

This process does not collect or send any information that can be used to identify you or contact you.

The complete list of information collected in the validation process is shown below:


- OEM product key
- PC Manufacturer
- OS version
- PID/SID
- BIOS info (make, version, date)
- BIOS MD5 Checksum
- User Locale (language setting for displaying Windows)
- System Local (language version of the operating system)

Ref: http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/downloads/FAQ.aspx?displaylang=en

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User
Microsoft Newsgroups

Get Windows XP Service Pack 2 with Advanced Security Technologies:
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/protect/windowsxp/choose.mspx
 
Carey, to correct a minor point in your response, according to the FAQ in
the web site that you listed, Windows 2K client is also part of the
verification process.

"Q:
Do all Windows users need to validate, or is validation limited to
particular versions of Windows?


A:
Validation is required for all genuine Windows downloads on Microsoft
Download Center and the Windows Update service for users of Windows XP and
Windows 2000 (client, not server). Security updates are accessible to all
users via Automatic Updates. Genuine Windows downloads are available,
without validation, to customers running Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows
Server 2003, and Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 3. Genuine Windows
downloads are not available for older versions of Windows (Windows 95,
Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 2 and earlier), and non-Microsoft operating
systems."






Carey Frisch said:
The Genuine Advantage program applies to Windows XP users only. <SNIP
Windows Genuine Advantage FAQ
http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/downloads/FAQ.aspx?displaylang=en
Click to expand...
<SNIP
 
Thanks for the correction!

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User
Microsoft Newsgroups

Get Windows XP Service Pack 2 with Advanced Security Technologies:
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/protect/windowsxp/choose.mspx

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

:

| Carey, to correct a minor point in your response, according to the FAQ in
| the web site that you listed, Windows 2K client is also part of the
| verification process.
|
| "Q:
| Do all Windows users need to validate, or is validation limited to
| particular versions of Windows?
|
|
| A:
| Validation is required for all genuine Windows downloads on Microsoft
| Download Center and the Windows Update service for users of Windows XP and
| Windows 2000 (client, not server). Security updates are accessible to all
| users via Automatic Updates. Genuine Windows downloads are available,
| without validation, to customers running Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows
| Server 2003, and Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 3. Genuine Windows
| downloads are not available for older versions of Windows (Windows 95,
| Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 2 and earlier), and non-Microsoft operating
| systems."
|
|
|
|
|
|
| | > The Genuine Advantage program applies to Windows XP users only.
| <SNIP
| > Windows Genuine Advantage FAQ
| > http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/downloads/FAQ.aspx?displaylang=en
| <SNIP
|
|
|
 
In spite of the note on the website, W2k is not. The check is never made
for W2k even though the WGA activeX control is downloaded and installed.
The exact quote is:

"WGA currently only performs validation on Windows XP. This means that you
may see the WGA control downloaded and installed on other Windows versions,
but no validation is currently performed except on Windows XP."
 
Must really be weird computers I have at work with 2K on them. Did updates
to them today and they all (3 different computers) asked for validation of
"legal software". I could bypass it and the updates would work but.....
 
I repeat. WGA will install the activeX control on W2k but the test is never
made and downloads are never blocked. Even if W2k is not a genuine copy of
Windows. It is by design.
 
But it is not implemented. All W2k automatically pass validation whether a
genuine W2k copy or not.
 
Explanation: WGA uses a multistep checking routine. The first step is to
check to see if the operating system is activated. If yes, it goes to step
two. If not, it informs the user that he needs to activate and then return.
But XP and Server 2003 are the earliest operating systems requiring
activation. Windows 2000 does not. So what does WGA do with step one if
the OS does not require activation? It validates without any more checks
and terminates.

The text you have been referring to is actually meaningless. Why it remains
there I don't know. Perhaps the WGA team once intended to come up with an
alternative check to activation and never did. I am not privy to that
history but it is conceivable.

I have seen how WGA handles at least one other step that fails. When I ran
my XP Pro x64 through WGA the first time it informed me that it could not
find my key in its database and asked me to fill out a short questionairre
about where I purchased my computer. It then validated my x64.

All x64 copies are OEM so I sort of understand where that came from.

Hope this helps.
 
Windows downloads are not available for older
versions of Windows (Windows 95, NT 4.0 with Service Pack 2 and earlier),
and non-Microsoft operating systems.
Click to expand...
So, if our NT server crashes and needs reinstallation, we can't get SP6
anymore??
 
All patches and the latest service packs posted prior to the end of
mainstream support remain available on WU/MU after mainstream support has
ended (but the only new downloads that will appear are critical security
patches and any rollups which include security patches). If you have to
reinstall the OS you will be able to download what you need from WU/MU as
expected. Your server would again go through the WGA 'licensing' (not at
all the same as the EULA license) upon the first visit to WU/MU but would
always pass by default and receive the license.
 
Colin Barnhorst said:
All patches and the latest service packs posted prior to the end of
mainstream support remain available on WU/MU after mainstream support has
ended (but the only new downloads that will appear are critical security
patches and any rollups which include security patches). If you have to
reinstall the OS you will be able to download what you need from WU/MU as
expected. Your server would again go through the WGA 'licensing' (not at
all the same as the EULA license) upon the first visit to WU/MU but would
always pass by default and receive the license.
Click to expand...
What is WU/MU ?
 
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