Counterfitt Windows

Hi. I'm posting this for a friend and hope it hasn't already been covered. She recently purchased a new pc which came with windows professional xp
>already installed. Every time she starts-up she gets a pop up saying 'you may
>be a victim of software counterfitting' which redirects her to a site where
>she can purchase software. Is this genuine? Any thoughts? Thanks.

 

That message is likely a bunch of bullsh*t, her computer is probably infected with spyware/malware/whatever and needs to be cleaned with something like Spybot S&D : http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html .

 

Yeah we wondered if it was a spoofing attack, but whatever it is it stops validation so she can't download updates, upgrade to IE7 beta and stuff.

 

The_Fiend
Thanks for the link, info and quick reply. I used Ad-aware yesterday and downloaded Spyware Blaster. I will give Spybot a go tomorrow. Thanks.

 

No its a windows update i am having the same trouble!

 

Interesting. Got this back via email from microsoft:

Dear Sir/Madam,
>
>Thank you for your email about messages on your computer regarding
>authenticity of Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional installed in your
>computer.
>
>I am a Customer Service representative and will do my best to provide
>appropriate support options.
>
>In response to your query, I would like to inform you that recently we have
>released an update to determine the authenticity of Windows installed in
>the computer. This update is designed in such a way that it determines if a
>PC is running genuine or pirated copy of Windows. If the operating system
>is an unauthorised (pirated) copy, a pop-up dialogue box will appear on the
>Windows login screen, informing the user that the copy of the Windows is
>counterfeit.
>
>As you have received this message, I suggest you to speak to the WGA
>(Windows Genuine Advantage) team regarding this issue. The WGA team has at
>their disposal a number of diagnostic tools that will enable them to track
>down where the validation is failing, and assist in providing you with an
>appropriate solution.
>
>You can contact the WGA team on 0870 60 10 100 and select option ‘0’. The
>lines are open from 8AM to 6PM, Monday to Friday, excluding public
>holidays.
>
>You can also visit the following link to determine the authenticity of
>Windows XP installed in your computer.
>http://www.microsoft.com/resources/howtotell/ww/windows/default.mspx
>
>You can visit the following links for information on WGA
>
>Frequently asked questions on WGA
>http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/downloads/FAQ.aspx?displaylang=en#Question6Label
>
>More information on WGA
>http://support.microsoft.com/kb/892130/en-us
>
>Determining the authenticity of Windows installed in your computer
>http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/default.mspx?displaylang=en
>
>Procedure to report Piracy
>http://www.microsoft.com/piracy/default.mspx
>
>You can also visit http://support.microsoft.com for information on support
>options for Microsoft products.
>
>Thank you for getting in touch.

 

Will having this mess our PC's up in anyway?
My friend says do a system restore lol but that will have no effect..or will it?

 

Thats a good thought. I've done system restores on my own pc a few times and it has got me out of trouble. If its a software update it may get rid of it and if its spyware The_Fiends idea to run spybot may work.

But if its a software update what is microsoft up to stopping people who have bought its product from using it?

The phone nos above are UK nos, btw.

Regards

Richard

 

I think all it can do is stop us from having new features like Internet Explorer v.7 or something kinda like a PSP update...

1. Goto: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Windows Genuine Advantage\data
2. Delete: Data.dat
3. Create a new text document in this folder and save it as data.dat
4. Set properties to read only
5. Reboot
Done!

 

Hi,

Your friend did get the original install disk with the computer, right??

Has she tried validating windows??

If she cannot, it's probably a good idea to get in touch with whomever sold it to her and ask for a refund.

 

Yes we had the original disc. Shop says its ok and to return the pc and they will remove the pop up though they say its really hard. A refund would seem to be in order.

 

Hi Altercuno, probably a stupid question but did your friend purchase the computer from a reliable source? because otherwise there is the chance the software IS counterfeit. If she was sold a PC with counterfeit Windows software, she can report it to Microsoft and get a genuine copy for free providing she gives the details of who sold the fake version to her in the first place.

It's probably Microsoft making a mistake or spyware, but don't rule out the fact that it may not be genuine software.

 

Just follow these steps until you get the real ver
1. Goto: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Windows Genuine Advantage\data
2. Delete: Data.dat
3. Create a new text document in this folder and save it as data.dat
4. Set properties to read only
5. Reboot
Done!

 

KyKy91

I see you have edited your last post. What's this?

 

It removes the pop ups from your PC.

 

sorry, that will teach me to read all the posts, ignore my last.

 

Dannyboy

The pc came from a high street shop that's been there for years. I bought my pc from them. I think they are ok, but perhaps they got conned. Didn't know Microsoft will exchange for free - thanks for that.

KyKY91

Well done! How did you figger it out?

 

Complete Genius....


LOL GOOGLE SEARCH XD

 

I did a Google search but couldn't find the answer. Will try it tomorrow. Thanks.

 

Did you get yours to work?
I cant seem to get mine working when i change the text file to data.dat it turns into a dat file!