Windows Genuine Advantage
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| Developer(s) | Microsoft |
|---|---|
| Stable release |
1.9.42.0 / June 26, 2009
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| Operating system | Windows XP to Windows 7 |
| Platform | IA-32, x86-64 |
| Type | Copy protection, digital rights management |
| License | Proprietary (same as Windows) |
| Website | microsoft |
Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) is an anti-infringement system created by Microsoft that enforces online validation of the licensing of several recent Microsoft Windows operating systems when accessing several services, such as Windows Update, and downloading Windows components from the Microsoft Download Center. In Windows 7, WGA is renamed Windows Activation Technologies. WGA consists of two components: an installable component called WGA Notifications that hooks into Winlogon and validates the Windows license upon each logon and an ActiveX control that checks the validity of the Windows license when downloading certain updates from the Microsoft Download Center or Windows Update. WGA Notifications covers Windows XP and later, with the exception of Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP Professional x64 Edition. The ActiveX control checks Windows 2000 Professional licenses as well.
WGA also advertises the latest service pack, Service Pack 3, for Windows XP, which requires manual intervention to disable. Previously voluntary, it became mandatory for use of these services by July 2005.
Despite its name it does not actually evaluate the integrity or security of any computer.
The WGA validation process validates the present installation of Windows and its license key against the detected computer hardware and determines if the software was licensed from Microsoft. It is accessible by either a stand-alone program, a Netscape-compatible web browser plug-in, or as an ActiveX control within Internet Explorer, the latter of which is relevant to any attempt to access Microsoft updates via its browser. It includes the following steps:
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