warning

[metric_trick@yahoo.com]

my os is windows xp service pack 2. my system is giving warning as
"YOU MAY BE A VICTIM OF SOFTWARE COUNTERFEITING" and also saying that "my copy of windows is not genuine". please help me.

[woodchuck]

I just received notice of an update available for windows. It will notify you if you have an unregestered version of xp and will continue to notify you every now and then. If you have automatic updates this may be what is happening to yours. I don't think it will cause any other problems except for the notifications.

[Scott]

Woodchuck is right. Here's some more details on what's happening:

You either have Automatic Updates enabled through Windows Update, OR you installed update # kb905474, also known as the Windows Genuine Advantage Noticifation (WGAN). This update uses an earlier update tool called the Windows Genunine Validation tool.

The combination of those two updates is this. The Validation tool checks the license key on your system. It gets compared to a known list of "bad" license keys (ones that work, but have been identified by Microsoft to have been stolen, lost, pirated, or, in the case of a Volume License Key (VLK), leaked to people outside the organization that purchased the VLK ).

Once the Windows Genuine Validation tool determines your license key is bad, the Windows Genuine Advantage Notification will forever more A) display a pop up at boot time, along with a timer, giving you the opportunity to resolve the issue, and B) intermittently display a popup reminding you your license key is bad.

They say that certain security updates will not be available to you, but other users have told me they are still able to download updates manually. Microsoft still has it in their best interest to send updates that patch security holes, because machines could be taken over and used in DOS (Denial Of Service) attacks.

So, how did this happen to you? There are a few possibilities:

1. The person who installed Windows in the first place obtained a copy from one of untold hacker websites that provide access to pirated license keys.
2. If this system came from a large organization that purchased a Volume License Key, they could have reported the key lost or compromised.
3. If the system came with Windows pre-installed, that party may have inadvertantly used the same license key on multiple installations, or worse, used a pirated key.

To resolve this, you can do one of the following:

1. Purchase a valid license key, either online from Microsoft or from a retail store.
2. Provide Microsoft with your original media, plus a proof of purchase, and they will give you a replacement key free of charge.
3. Go back to the peson who installed Windows or who sold you the system in the first place, and try to resolve this through them.

Microsoft is cracking down more and more on software piracy, so it's a good idea to take care of this now.