ET phone home... I mean windows... again...

[W1nTry]

Nothing out of the ordinary, but still worth a note

Windows piracy hunt tool phones home if aborted

Windows Genuine Annoyance

By INQUIRER newsdesk: Thursday 08 March 2007, 14:25
HAVING RUN SOME TESTS, hacks at German wire Heise revealed that Microsoft's updated Windows Genuine Advantage Notification phones home when the installation is aborted.

The user is not notified of the communication, but Microsoft claims it is useful for it to know when an installation is cancelled.

Using network sniffer Wireshark the hacks say they also detected the software logging those not signing up to Windows update.

It says data transmitted may contain enough information to identify individual computers

Microsoft told Heise it collected the data to improve the quality of the WGA for users. It was useful, the spokesman said to know if a user had cancelled setup.

The spokesVole said the user is not identified.

No explanation was forthcoming as to why the software does not tell the user what it is telling Microsoft, much less ask permission to do so. µ

[Arcmanov]

I usually avoid downloading the update like the plague, far less attempting to install it.
A lot of users don't know what to look for, and where, so I just instruct em to turn off Windows Update.

[Nephilim]

fuh real...M$ maco....

use autopatcher man, i does get all the updates from it, or RyanMV, then slip into the disk during an install.

or just Switch to linux Freespire is good

[W1nTry]

You all note that it notifies MS when you DON'T install it as well right?

[Saxito Pau]

yep....  noted... so if you happen to have an original windows and you choose not to install it (WGA Notification), M$ can still flag your PC as a pirated version.

Well it could be worse... M$ and RIAA could team up and sue the average bloke like Armageddon is coming...then again..Yikes!