Disable Non Genuine Windows Warning Messages: WGA Workarounds to remove WGATray.exe
This copy of
Microsoft Windows XP is not genuineWindows XP Pirates have again found workaround methods to bypass the new Microsoft Anti-Piracy effort - Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications that notifies you through annonying pop-up messages if your copy of Windows is not genuine by by disabling WGATray.exe process.
The WGA Notifications patch is installed if the user has opted to automatically update Windows via the Windows Update Website or if a XP users manually downloads the latest Windows updates.
A workaround posted on internet WGA install workaround (KB905474) suggests the following:
End the process wgatray.exe in Windows TaskManager and restart Windows XP in safe mode. Now delete the following files:
Delete WgaTray.exe from c:\windowss\ystem32
Delete WgaTray.exe from c:\windows\system32\dllcache
Start Windows Registry editor and delete the folder "WGALOGON" located in the following location:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\ Windows NT\CurrentVersion\WinlogonNotify. Delete all references in your registry to WgaTray.exe
Another alternative suggest that three files are installed Windows XP System Folder:
\WINDOWS\system32\WgaLogon.dll
\WINDOWS\system32\WgaTray.exe
\WINDOWS\system32\LegitCheckControl.dll
The wgatray.exe process makes the check for genuine windows software. You can disable WGA by removing the execute bit on WgaLogon.dll. That way, winlogon can't call it as a notification package at boot, and since WgaLogon is responsible for running and maintaining WgaTray.exe, no more tray popups either.
To change the execute bit of WgaLogon.dll, first turn off Simple File Sharing. Now right click the file in Windows Explorer and open the Security Tab. Hit the Advanced button, uncheck the Inherit box at the bottom, hit the Copy button, then hit OK. Go through each listed user/group and remove the "Read & Execute" permission for that file, leaving the "Read" permission as-is.
Hit OK to apply the permission changes and close the file properties dialog. Restart the machine. You can now turn "Use simple file sharing" back on, if you want.
A third alternative posted on the internet suggest that users clear the content of file data.dat located in the following directory:
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Windows Genuine Advantage\data
Save the data.dat empty file and change the attributes to "Read Only" - Restart you computer. Or start your PC in Safe Mode and delete the following files from Windows system32 folder - wgalogon.dll spmgs.dll wgatray.exe The WGA setup file is in C:\WINDOWS\SoftwareDistribution\ Download\6c4788c9549d437e76e1773a7639582a
If you don't use "Fast User Switching", you can disable the Windows XP Welcome Screen if you are logged in as an Administrator. This will remove the initial WGA Warning Screen:
1. Click on Start -> Control Panel ->User Accounts
2. Click on "Change the way users log on or off"
3. Uncheck "Use the Welcome Screen" - Choose Apply
4. Close the User Accounts window and the Control Panel
5. The next time you reboot your computer, the classic login prompt will be used
To enable Fast User Switching, you must also enable the Use the Welcome screen option. Also, Fast User Switching cannot be used when Offline Files are enabled.
Disable wgatray.exe - Some users are claiming that removing the WGATray.exe (or killing the WGATray.exe process) are working for them. Here's how to search for WGATray.exe file - Screenshot
None of these methods are guaranteed to work and people are just experimenting. Meanwhile Microsoft is not willing to relent to crackers this time and are planning to release an update of WGADiag2.exe utility in the next few days.
WGADiag2 will also fix the problem with registry key permissions may cause the installation of Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications KB905474 to fail from Windows Update:
Here's a manual fix provided by Microsoft. These permissions can be repaired 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 the subkey and select Permissions….
6. Ensure that Administrators allowed Full Control permission
7. Repeat steps 3-6 for the subkey
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\LegitCheckControl.LegitCheck.1
Microsoft has also published a kB article if the Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) validation check process does not validate successfully on a Microsoft Windows XP-based computer, and you receive one or both of the following error messages:
Product Key Inaccessible 0x80080212
This problem occurs when you do not have the appropriate permissions for the Windows Genuine Advantage\Data folder. In the Permissions for Users section, make sure that Read & Execute, List Folder Contents and Read permissions are given. If the previous steps fail, start the computer in Safe Mode and rename the %allusersprofile%\Application Data\Windows Genuine Advantage directory.
Various patches already exists to byepass the WGA check that validates your copy of Windows XP with Windows Update
Reader Comments:
WGA Install now works (thanks to your blog!)
Thank You for your wonderful blog site and all your efforts to inform and enlighten people on computer issues.
I have been struggling with many software problems due to running OneCare beta, IE 7 beta etc, even trying an early Vista beta.
These have created a host of problems for my laptop and since I am "away for home" in medical school, I have need help in fix things. MS beta support folks are apparently too overwhelmed to offer any real assistance. Yet, time and time again, I have found workable solutions on your blog (usually by Googling) and can't never find these via MS KB or support forum searchs. Most recently, your note on "WGA install work-arounds" was awesome and fixed a long-running problem for me.
While I chose the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\ LegitCheckControl.LegitCheck permissions path over the PiratBay.org WGA defeat path, the second one was very tempting since MS has become so obsessed with catching and punishing software pirates that it is willing to treat its paying customers like criminals.
Folks like you, along with Mark and Bryce at sysinternals.com, are really making a great difference in how, dare I say, millions of Windows users keep their systems functioning and productive. I myself, and Microsoft users in general, really owe you, Man!
Thanks Again,
Russ
Even better, as the WGA will probaly be reinstalled next update, just instal Zone Alarm and 'Kill' WGA in the allowed programs section.
Thus it is never ever allowed to run on your PC again!!!!
For those who dont want to install zonealarm go over to www.sysinternals.com and download autoruns. Run the program, go to the winlogon tab and uncheck the WgaLogon entry. No more boot screen or or tray icons. Simple!
Some system administrators are finding that Microsoft's WGA Notifications add-in is incorrectly labeling PCs used in public places, such as university computer labs, as counterfeits.
The problem with the WGA installation is that it works perfectly fine as long as you are using an account with administrative rights on the system. As soon as one of the students, or other non-administrative level account, logs on to the system it screams that it is not a valid copy of windows and it is counterfeit.
As long as business was good Microsoft didn't care too much if some copies of Windows and Office weren't official and registered. Piracy was less costly than customer service.
My suggestion: Use system restore to prevent the piracy check.
This is all you have to do:
Start Windows Registry editor and delete the folder "WGALOGON" located in the following location:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\ Windows NT\CurrentVersion\WinlogonNotify
I tried top manually remove the updates and had no success. As simple as it is, it worked. I performed a system restore to the previous day as to when I installed the update. Poof!
Removing this is easy. Too easy infact. Click on the start menu and select run and type this:
%windir%\system32\wgatray.exe /u
Click on the start menu again and select run and type: regedit
Navigate to the following key and delete the key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Notify\WgaLogon
Reboot and enjoy
Or you may then safely delete the following files
Just click on the start menu and select run and type the following
cmd /c "del %windir%\system32\wgatray.exe"
then this one
cmd /c "del %windir%\system32\WGAlogon.dll"
and finally this one
cmd /c "rmdir /s /q %windir%\SoftwareDistribution\Download\6c4788c9549d437e76e1773a7639582a"
Um, I hate to state the obvious, but if you right click the WGA tray icon, and select "change notification settings", then select "Don't notify me again", and "Yes I know this voids me from product support", and then all notifications are gone - no workaround required!
Dudes, all you have to do is get from the internet one copy of that Windows Live on CD (XP version), burn it on a CD, boot from that cd, go to the Windows folder of your installation, delete all the files (dlls and those exe) mentioned here above in the in this blog, and also go to registry ediror from your Windows and delete all the entries mentioned above! And to be more shure, also replace your LegitCheck.dll file with the "patched" one. You can find that with google. Good luck!
Hi! Everybody!
I assumed that the windows xp update was harmless, Ha! Ha!
I renamed the wgalogon.dll to wgalogon.lld and the wgatray.exe to wgatray.xex, both of those in the windows system32 folder. Then I made a backup of data.dat (just in case) way down in the documents and settings, all users, application data, windows genuine advantage folder and edited the original file with notepad. I simply highlighted all of the data in there and hit the delete key and saved the file. WGA-BE-GONE! Woo hoo!
And for you who think that I'm evil. My original xp home disk and my upgrade to pro disk have been verified by the evil empire as genuine. I went round and round with microsquish in August of 2005 analyzing my system. They would not offer me a non dollar relinquishment to fix the problem. If you add that up, I'm already in for $300.00. No mas!
It was some moron at the store that I bought the computer from that cut the corners that resulted in my computer failing the wga test.
I hope that this may work for you should you have any problems with windows xp.
Btw I'm looking forward to Vista.
---tommy
After reading all of this I tried several of the suggestions and found that I was completely unable to start my PC in Safe Mode. I did manage to delete the WgaTray.exe file, though, with the Task Manager trick of shutting that exe down and deleting two of the 3 files quickly. The last one, wgaLogon.dll I had to move to my Desktop and delete upon a restart.
I hope that Microshaft gets into trouble for its spyware practices one of these days. They have no business "invading" my PC without my authority. I can't help it that my copy was placed on my PC by a rather shady PC-builder! I paid him for what I thought was a working PC with a copy of XP loaded that was legit. Now it turns out its not and that guy is back in whatever Middle Eastern country he came from. So I am supposed to suffer? I don't think so Microshaft! Go suck an egg, Gates! You've gotten more than enough money from me for a lifetime and a half. Your descendents for 5 generations will never be hungry while billions go without food each day, thanks to greedy chumps like you!
Mr IT specialist, what a convoluted workaround when all thats required is a batch file and a reg file.
First rule is keep it simple stupid. Second rule is look at the first rule.
P.S. i just like to thank microsoft for keeping it simple.
I agree with Mr KISS - My solution was even easier just Rename C:\windows\system32\winlogon.dll to winlogoff.dll
problem solved for me and all my friends
The simple tech - Oh and don't forget to not install WGA again
I wish it was as easy as not installing WGA again. I successfully removed WGA by using System Restore only to find two days later that it had reinstalled itself via automatic updates (i did not allow it to install it just managed to do it on its own. This new version of WGA is an extremely persistent little cancer on my machine. Does anyone have a permanent solution?
I found away that works (so far!).. I just went into windows/sys32 and changed a couple letters in wgadll file and WGAtray.exe.. and I alos ran sysgate personal firewall... it is great anyway and I used the KILL option to keep WGA from messing with me... so far so good...
I'd just re-installed windows xp and don't update it, most of the time windoze updates do more bad than good, as long as you have good Anti-Virus/Spyware progs you'll be fine, I myself use Aone Alarm Pro, Ad-Aware SE, Spybot S&D and Spyware Doctor, I also have FireFox as my browser, i have hardly ever had any problems, why are you guys so persistant on updating your windoze?
Has anyone come up with a solution for the bsod that occurs in about 1% of slp sp2 installations at the restart after wga notifications install ?
Yeah but if it's posted microsoft will update the wga programs or create more wga files. Just follow the another solution method disabling the execute bits for the wgatray and wgalogon files described above and spend ten minutes googling or wiki-ing for djlizard to add a registry key to disable the legitchek activex addon and windows update will work fine afterwards.
I have provide a little tools for anyone who want to remove WGA that could be annoying for some one. Trust it, there is no harmful code. Feel free to distribute this tools.
File content:
- wgaremover.exe
- readme.txt
Download from any of the link:
------------------------------------------------
http://users.cjb.net/melhacker/wgaremover.zip.zip
http://www.rapidsharing.com/043d4e78f5439e89dac500a1ab039afe
http://media3.uploadjar.com/file.php?file=uploads/wgaremover.zip.zip
http://ez-files.net/download.php?file=a347697ce9b22f2b9b4a665fc0c5f7c9
http://www.filehosting.cc/download.php?id=BE2C99C6
Regard,
Melhacker
Darn it, M$ is becoming a pain in the arse, heres a big workaround, why doesn't someone with a legit copy of windows server dowload all their patches and start their own windows update site.
If you already installed the new WGA update do a System Restore (WGA makes a restore point) at the point WGA was installed to remove it.
Then set your Auto-Updates (in Control Panel) to “Download updates for me, but let me choose when to install them”.
Eventually WinXP will check for updates and notify you with a yellow shield on Taskbar near your clock. Click the yellow shield to open the update and choose “Custom” (not express) for install.
Update will then ask you to accept the “Windows Genuine Advantage” update, choose Decline and then another box will popup and select “Never ask me again”
I you don't set your Auto-Updates to “Download updates for me, but let me choose when to install them”, does this mean that Windows Genuine Advantage may be installed automatically?
Because most of the time, you have to click on the windows update icon to icon to instll updates anyway.
Wow... thank you so much, I need to link to this, and I will tell all my friends. I tried all three methods and it worked. Thanks so much fellows. Rate this 10/10!
The more I read on this and the mor