Two months ago, Microsoft pushed an update of its Windows validation software, part of the Windows Genuine Advantage program, to all Windows XP users. I’m hearing an increasing number of reports of problems with this update. I’ve written about this at ZDNet (Microsoft presses the Stupid button).
If you’ve experienced WGA problems recently, I’m interested in hearing about it. Leave a comment here and describe your experience.
WGA is the strangest “update” I’ve ever gotten from Microsoft. First, aren’t critical updates the only ones that AutoUpdate usually pushes at you? Yet, here is an update that Microsoft clearly says is “pre-release” in the license you must acknowledge. For that reason alone I haven’t accepted it on a couple of critical systems.
On the XP setups I have (VS2005 VMs and some real iron), the WGA Validation tool (KB892130) installs fine, but the WGA Notification update (KB905474) fails to install with error 0×80242006. If you Google for it you’ll find lots of similar errors. The manual download/install mentioned in several of those threads worked in the one VM where I tried it.
I ran Windows OneCare Tune Up for the first time on Friday (I am loving that product. My Tablet PC is fully backed up now).
OneCare’s tune-up report said I had critical updates and when we went to Windows Update, there were two. One for the Validation Tool and one for the Notification tool. The notification tool failed to install repeatedly (same error as reported above). But OneCare decided that my system was running AOK and gave me a green status bar. I have gone about my business without worring about the notifier.
I had for days troubles downloading the update from Microsoft Update, then it downloaded and installed itself..
Although I have a legal version of XP i had a wired error before login of a corrupted registration or something like that, i cant remember, i almost corrupted my pc, so i did a like format + reinstall everything back.
Now everything is fine and silent.
Yesterday, I decided to manually check for updates. WGA was the only update available so I said okay (I’ve previously done this so was surprised to see it there). It appeared to update correctly, but when Windows Update looked for more updates, WGA was there again. I okayed updating it again, but it failed this time. Rebooting and trying again multiple times didn’t help.
I checked a newsgroup link (from the error message in Windows Update History) and found an item with similar symptoms. The answer provided by a networking MVP was to click on a link which downloaded some stuff and finally reboot. After that, I was able to get a clean report in Windows Update.
Yes, I know, this was a highly technical explanation. Unfortunately, I didn’t save any of details so I’m going completely by memory.
I think I’ve updated/installed WGA 3-4 times on my system. Last time it wanted to update/install WGA before other critial updates.
I have an XP Media center with a promise RAID 0 4-disc array. When I installed the WPA it broke the drivers for the array by causing failed delayed writes (half of the array just “disapears”.) If I do a system restore to before the installation of the WPA everything goes back to working just fine. All other updates are installed, this is the only one not yet installed. This software is woefully decrepit and should never have been foisted on users in the state it is in.
I have had a number of problems since installing WPA but I am not tech savvy enough to connect them to the program. I’ve had blue screens and a total inability to boot. I had to run the XP repair function to get the computer to boot. I had a damaged boot sector on the hard drive. I am running two drives on a RAID 1 config. I didn’t even suspect that any of these problems could be related to WPA but now I am not so sure. Stay on top of this and keep us posted Ed.
Last week I got a new Dell laptop with XPHome. I wanted XPPro, since I already had a old legal copy of XPPro that I hadn’t used I went that route. I installed and about 10 drivers were missing, Dell said the drivers required SP2 when I went to get SP2 WGA wouldn’t let me through. I found a back door site for SP2 (hours later) installed it, the drivers and WGA worked fine. This brings up another point why isn’t there a way to unactivate a copy of windows if you are wiping it so it can be reinstalled on another machine.
I’m not certain that it’s WGA but since I installed it some ASP pages give exceptions and syntax errors on my local copy of IIS (like http://localhost/iisstart.asp) ie. IIS documentation doesn’t work anymore.
I sent my Compaq Presario notebook for service repair, and it fails the WGA check. I have a legal version of windows xp professional on it.
But I have no way to correct this problem.
I bought a new copy of windows xp professional and installed it, retail box, but it still fails the check.
(I didn’t reformat, just installed over top).
So what do I do? who do I call? I’m not paying for a service call.
BTW there is an MSDN link that allows you to get all windows updates WITHOUT the WGA check, but I don’t think I can post it here.
Recently my Father in laws XP Pro came up as non-legit.
It looks legal and I’m sure it’s OK as it activated before.
Now he can’t access his PC as it needs to be activated and will need a new key.
He’s not happy and will have to cough up some more $$$.
How can MS do this?
I can’t say for sure if any of this is related… but lately quite a few of my Microsoft products have been wonky… to say the least.
First thing to go wrong: Outlook Express-started timeing out every time it tried to retrieve messages from any one of my 5 email accounts/servers.
Second: Internet Explorer-would load up then the next site/link/whatever would cause it to freeze. Actually now it won’t even load up
Third: Excel-started getting this message:microsoft excel is waiting for another application to complete an ole action. It says that right when I open it, and now I can’t use the program at all. I keep clicking OK, and it keeps coming back. There’s no VBA or R-project or whatever going on.
Fourth: Administrative Options->Services-won’t load at all, have to end task every time.
Tried to reinstall office…but nothing helps
Related….??….Seems Fishy.
after KB905474 on a winxp pro windows update stopped automatic download of any updates!
It gets better. Although I had the failed update for the WGA Notification, apparently there was a version of Notification already installed.
I noticed because I powered up my Tablet today to download this week’s crop of security updates. Wammo, Microsoft OneCare (I do love that software) lets me know that it has blocked an effort by WgaTray.exe (WGA Notification) to access the internet. Hah. I tell OneCare to leave it blocked.
However, the stupid button is still shorting somewhere. When I connect Microsoft Update, it gives me a crop of updates (including the Defender list and the Malicious Software Removal tool). At the top of the list is “Update to Notification – KB917734.”
I figure this will be interesting and I go through the Microsoft Update, watching the goodies download over my broadband connection.
Wait, what’s this? I get a windows that lists a potfull of updates that failed to install. I close that and the Microsoft Update page lists as the reason that Microsoft Update is still installing in the background. Yes, that’s how I use it.
So I click on the little updater system-tray icon and up comes what I was expecting, the “How do you want to install updates?” dialog. I select Custom Install and then watch the installation log run. I always do it that way. I don’t accept updates until I can manually review what they are, and I don’t install the updates until I am ready to do that.
So it seems this startling “Updates were unable to be successfuly installed” notification is inappropriate for the case when downloading and updating are split into two separate steps, exactly the way I intend to continue to operate.
Oh, and as soon as the updates were complete I got another notification from the OneCare firewall that it had blocked the WGA Notification software again, and I patted it on the head, said good dog, and left it blocked.
I purchased a SEALED OEM copy of XP Professional. WGA said the license key was already used. I called MS and they said I should uninstall and buy another copy. I told them I wasn’t made of money and hung-up.
I have had problems with the Windows Genuine Advantage program for over a week now! My Automatic Update window is stuck at “8% downloaded”, and the irritating icon will not go away from my system tray. Worse still, I cannot see any other updates that I should be downloading. I have already used the online version of this validation program and “validated” my program, and still I keep getting prompted to install it. And when I *do* choose to download and install this program, the update fails! And worse, no other updates are installed! I even tried stopping all my anti-viruses and my firewalls, but to no avail!
I am at my wits ends. And so is the MS Email support person i have been in touch.
My first attempt at activation failed. Microsoft rejected the product key that came with the ThinkPad I’m using. I had to call in and they gave me another code to enter which supposedly worked but now I get the blue screen of death about every other time I reboot. I’ve also lost all internet connectivity. I don’t know if there’s a connection there but the timing is suspect. Meanwhile I’m scheduled to leave for a business trip tomorrow morning and my laptop is now worthless.
I installed it, several files were said to be missing during the install and afterwards my computer was cut off from my home network, All the purchased music downloads on my computer had to be restored and all the owned tracks won’t play because the media player can’t find the licenses. It seems to have wreaked havoc on my router. I just don’t have the energy to find and open all he individual ports anymore or to get out of the fetal position on the floor next to my computer.
At work I have an Acer tablet system that I had to re-install from the recovery cd 3-4 months ago. It makes a wireless connection to the network domain. If for some reason it loses connection and does not re-establish it on restart, it will disable active desktop. When this happens, the Not a Genuine Copy of Windows message appears and asks to “Get Genuine”. Then the systray message pops up to further notify my user that we are using pirated software. If the wireless connection is made, this message does NOT appear. Am I only legal if I can connnect to the network ?
For the tale of two of my WinXP machines, read here.
The third one, purchased late last year or early this year was fine until it would not print. the two always-running Lexmark background programs were on as they should be, so I rebooted. Now, I cannot log in, getting error 0×80090006 about Windows Genuine Advantage cannot check to be sure Windows is not stolen. As of later today, 6 of our 12 computers will have left Windows.
Good grief.