Removing Windows WGA NAG and Black Screens

Wow...... I will try not to write a book but check this link.

http://www.raymond.cc/blog/archives/2008/08/28/latest-wga-for-windows-xp-professional-cause-wallpaper-and-background-auto-reset-to-black-screen-every-60-minutes/

If you want a free OS download Ubuntu.

Steve

Hello Guest,

From the email reminder I got it looked like you sent your post to me, is that right?

I had to assume that the OP was genuine and as others has said, ' victim of circumstance'. Which is why I started giving such a detailed explanation of how to possibly recover. After all if as the OP says, it is by accident that they turned off updates', chances are he may have had several gigs of updates to contend with?

If the WOW! Was to do with the length of my post................I did not enjoy typing that. And if you count the instructions there is likely only a dozen or so. But to make it clear what I was doing I had a whole lot of explaining to do between each operation.

I have looked at the site you mention, and the detail on black screens etc. But the OP had apparently been using the machine for over two years, and that includes sometime before they turned off the updates. So I would have thought Microsoft would have realised then if the OP had been using an Illegal version.

I do not want to argue and I agree with what has been said on try to get round the use of illegal OS. But, you have to take with and work with what the OP says.

I myself have a legal system but was asked to re-apply for a License to Microsoft about 6 weeks ago, just as if I was using an illegal OS, which I was not.

The site you gave will go in my 'in handy' file though for future ref' thank you.

Take care.........

Hi Steve,

Will UBUNTU overwrite XP Pro and keep everything I have in it already, like my wireless connection programs and my antivirus and Firewall, Office 2003, Spybot Search & Destroy and Adaware etc?

Ubuntu gives several installation options and yes your request is included in one of them

Thank you bwire,

I have ordered the UBUNTU cd and it will arrive in six weeks or so.

Cirreb217

why wait dude...

http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download

I'm sure the open source Ubuntu crowd welcome you with open arms...!!! Good Luck.

Dear Guest,

The link you supplied gave me a Uninstall WGA program which removed the Nag Screen as I watched and all seems now back to normal, with Automatic Updates firmly turned OFF.

http://www.raymond.cc/blog/archives/2008/08/28/latest-wga-for-windows-xp-professional-cause-wallpaper-and-background-auto-reset-to-black-screen-every-60-minutes/

My thanks to all who responded, sometimes at great length - it is a very heartening aspect of CR4

cirreb217

Answers to the first lot of questions

You are running windows. - XP Pro

What version and year. - XP Pro circa 2006

Do you use window all the time - yes

Why did you have updates turned off? - too many, most seemed unneccessary - I turn it back on and ZAPPO - proves my point in having it off

Is it your original computer or is it second hand. - made it myself

Do you make regular back-ups...... no

Did you have the correct Microsoft update address....... just turned on Automkatic Updates

Hello cirreb217:

Listen, this is not an accusation.............but, are you sure your XP is legal?

Over the past year or so there has been a proliferation of copy-cat sites. If you are certain then we can go on.

--------------------------------------------

Btw did you do as I explained in my post about going into safe mode etc? As you did not report anything back to me.

Have you been updating your anti virus, and any other cleaning tools? Because even if you did update them, they were cleaning a completely different computer to the one you have now, (you have the updates)

The next thing is, if you can recognise the updates that are new, and they should have some sort of date to tell you this? You can TEMPORARILY UNINSTALL THESE UPDATES. See is your computer gets more or less back to normal and let me know what happens.

Again I am trying to help OK.........If you do not want to work with me, that's fine. But if you want to get your machine into some sort of working order, you must stop blaming Microsoft for the crash! ..........It crashed because there was so much to download, if you were working on your computer with apps open etc and the updates were set to download automatically, your computer would have had to deal with all the work you were doing, plus sort out, the way out of date XP OS.

Those update become part of your OS, so stop saying ''ZAPPO, proved my point'' What point are you trying to prove? That it is clever to run an un-updated OS?

Without those updates your anti virus and other anti's this and that, cannot do there job properly.

Please get back to me to tell me if you want to continue with me helping you. But if so you have to follow the advice I give or you may as well not ask. You are in a position where you cannot 'pick and choose' what you do. Certain methods have to be followed to get your registry and other bits back in line.

I say again, if you want to work with me get back with some answers to this otherwise I cannot continue to work with you.

No offence intended OK?

Take care, calm down and lets see if we can sort this mess out.

Baby Bear,

My apologies if I do not appear gratefull for your extended efforts in your reply, but as I said in a general reply earlier, the simple Uninstall WGA download seems to have remedied the situation.

My Antivirus is updated regularly and is very effective - I also do a full virus scan about weekly - some backdoor Trojans have been discovered and removed over the ages, also Spybot S & D is used about weekly as is Adaware.

The only destructive software I have had in my computer is WGA - I do not use Internet Explorer, so one further source of Malware is eliminated, in favour of Mozilla.

I have found that Microsoft claim certain things cannot be rectified, but usually a simple solution comes via CR4 - eg. my Administrators Password got scrambled or lost and an enquiry direct to Microsoft resulted in the answer of it being a very difficult process to install a new Password - WRONG, a very simple start in Safe Mode gets you to Control Panel and the rest is dead easy - 5 minutes - so much for Mr Microsoft.

As for my XP Pro copy, some years ago it passed WGA test, but like many Posts have said, this is no guarantee with the ubiqutous Mr Gates.

Once againI thank you for your time and effort - I have printed uout your long post for future reference.

Cirreb217

Hello cirreb217:

First I thank you for your reply post to me.

As far as I am aware you did nothing I advised, blaming all your woes on Microsoft for the WGA which you say screwed your computer up.

You have not updated and or done anything constructive to make your system 'sound' and 'reliable'. I personally will not be offering advice to you again. You may think you have your system working and all is OK but, your computer is slowly sliding into the mire of being (unfortunately) one the many 'bot-nets' used by scammers and spreading viruses on to all your contacts and others, simply because you want to save a few pennies. one of the many who do not update, and kid yourself your antivirus is working when, all it is working 'with' is a two year old system.

I hope the Admin of this site are looking, and I know they will be, because I cannot see them wanting to connect to your machine again, which compounds the problem of the practical certainty that your machine, and you will not know until it is too late, is being used to receive and then repackage and send out Trojans and other viruses and worms which screw up other people computers and, in many cases affect their lives if they use the computer as a business tool.

I took you at you word and tried to help, following your plight over two days and about 5 hours working out a regime that you could not even be honest enough to try. Oh, I forgot, you have gotten rid of the (in your words) "only destructive software I have had in my computer is WGA"........

Well, you are prepared to use Microsoft as a base for other software but do not want to pay the cost, both in time to take care of your computer so it DOES NOT become a 'bot-net' or probably financially. On your head be it.

As I say, I for one and, I am sure I am not the only one that thinks like this here, will give you not a single word of advice to any other requests for help. I am not quite sure who you think you are 'kidding', unless it is yourself. Yes it must be because you think by loading Ubuntu you are some how going to continue working when, the truth is you already have Trojan writers and viruses all over your machine. They will not come out and say "hello, can't catch me"! They will look just like any other bit of apparently safe and even 'useful' software doing a good job protecting you from all those nasties Bill Gates sends out.

You are ignorant (of the facts) and sad, because you do nothing to update a system which must be updated, and when something goes wrong, you rely on the kind nature of people why spend hours of there time for nothing. But no matter what OS you use on your machine, if you do not update it, your a fool to yourself and I for one do not like people taking the urine, as you have done. Good bye.

cirreb217 - My million dollar question is "where did you get WinXP Pro from..?" There is 2 EASY fixes to your problem:

1: - IF you have the license that you purchased when you put the PC together, you can revalidate the license with Microsoft with relative ease, and then once it is validated your PC will resume normal operation.

2: IF you do NOT have the original license that came with XP Pro, then the easiest way is to pay the $160 to get a new one, versus spending all of your time trying to work around it. I assume your time has a price associated.

This is not Microsoft's fault. User's (US) demand security and protection. This problem is from bootleggers. You may indeed be a vicitm of circumstance, but let's just say that IF someone downloaded a pirate version of the OS, and they used a keygen to generate a license, it is very well within reason that someone has received your license and already validated it, thereby bumping you because you have not been updating properly. It is sad, but it happens.

IF you believe this has happened to you, and you have the original case with the holograph license, you can restore your license and the person that MAY have it will get bumped out on their next update.

Keep in mind that pirating is the direct cause of this issue. Microsoft is not at fault for trying to protect their customers from this (which may very well be you). IF this is your license fair and square, and you can prove it, they will give it back to you.

Otherwise, I suppose you can join the ranks of those that HATE Microsoft because they make a lot of money... start pirating their software, and attempt to bring them down out of spite. As far as open source OS is concerned, they are NOT beyond hacking and corruption. A quick google will expose that myth.

Just my humble opinion... but this fix is easy.

Hello WWSysCon:

I really cannot be bothered to look through the rubbish and lies this OP has tried to fob us off with. I seem to recall, that they said they got the machine with Vista on and changed it to XP? Is that what was said? If I bought a copy, a Legal copy of Windows, I would not so easily lose the License number and presumably the OS Cd's as well? It is just stretching believe too far. If he had originally been Licensed, and then had problems a quick call to Microsoft would make it obvious he was a paid up pukka license holder and there would be a conformation of names and addresses and it would be OK? I think perhaps this OP should consider writing 'fairy stories'?

Take care.............

You wrote:-

Last weekend I stupidly turned on Windows XP Pro Automatic Updates after having it off for two years or so.

May I interpret this for you into a better form:-

2 years ago I stupidly turned off Windows XP Pro Automatic Updates.

Basically you brought a "prehistoric man" into the 21st Century and left him to his own devices....he simply failed to understand the changes in life between now and then....

I assume you were still using your PC online, so even with antivirus software, you were still open to some serious attacks.

I have had all the updates as they were offered, I have a hardware and a software firewall, all up to date. I have antivirus software that is according to many tests, if not the best, very close to the best.

Then I recently downloaded Dr Web (a freeware virus scanner that gets updated almost daily. There is a version that purports to be better that is not freeware, an ad comes up with the free version) and let it run, it found 3 viruses and some malware, that it cleaned off my computer.

(By the way, the malware was a demo version of DAZ 3D CAD, I have told them that it is infected, but they have shown no interest in either contacting me of fixing the problems, so their product will never be bought by me!!!)

In the future I will always run Dr Web on any downloaded software BEFORE installing it as it finds viruses in .zips and .exe files.....

Since then I download the latest version of Dr Web and run about once a week, my PC has been clean.

So my guess is that you had some nasty stuff on your PC that you (or your anti virus software) did not know about.

What I suggest you do is to boot with Knoppix (Linux) and save any data/photos that you want to either a DVD or an external drive. (Its better to save these to DVD on a regular, at least weekly, basis).

Reformat the boot sector under Knoppix.

Then fully format the hard disk under Knoppix.

Then install WinXP again and in the process reformat the hard disk again to NTFS.

That way any resident viruses should be gone completely from the disk.

Install antivirus software before going online to let MS update your PC or oder an update CD from MS.(some years ago I just installed WinXP Pro, went online to MS and got a Virus on the way. I had to reformat and re-install again!!)

Install all MS updates Automatically (this means rebooting and re updating probably about 10 times at least!! Its going to take a long time!!!

Best wishes.

As I believe this to be a Professional Forum, I do not believe that anyone should be offering solutions that circumvent legality.

cirreb217 - You have a counterfeit OS, and you are only being made aware of it now due to a Microsoft Update that can now authenticate it.

It is unfortunate if you are truely a victim of piracy, which means you inadvertantly bought a computer from someone that pirated the OS, but if you knowingly downloaded the OS because you didn't want to pay for it... well, now you must pay for it.

Either way, you have the option to:

purchase a valid license for XP, which will leave your system exactly like it is (provided the pirated OS doesn't have a backdoor trojan that has exploited you for years)

you can upgrade to Vista

or you can get mad because Microsoft wants money for a produced product and go ahead and use any one of the "free" OS options.

I assume we all work in environments where we manufacture or provide services. Suggesting we "steal" is not a good option. Where would your companies be if everyone pirated, or stole your product..? I am not holier than thou... but if you have tried it, and you obviously like it because you have used it for over 2 years, you should buy it.

Just my humble opinion.

I recently got a message from Microsoft that my computer had been reported stolen, and that perhaps my OS was not legitimate. It was a valid message from MS, not a scam from someone else. The interesting thing is, I bought this computer about two years ago with Windows XP Starter Edition installed by the manufacturer (Acer), from a reputable computer dealer. I duly registered the software with Microsoft, and have accepted all of their upgrades (not always willingly, because some of the upgrades tend to render some of my other applications inoperative, until I go back and reset whatever it was that Microsoft Updates screwed up, without my permission). I have continuously used this computer, never reported it stolen, and have not previously had any problems. In simple language, Microsoft is not infalible. When I tried to contact Microsoft to correct their erroneous information about my computer being stolen, following all their links and spending quite a bit of valuable time gathering the requested information, I ran in to a brick wall ("We can't accept your email- go back one step and try another option." Back one step, and there are no other options to try). Attempts to contact Microsoft through other chanels resulted in total dead end. They don't want to hear from users with problems, apparently. One need not be an aspiring thief to run in to unwarranted problems with Microsoft...

Strange, I don't recall anyone suggesting to steal anything in these posts. The link I provided was addressing what was causing his problem not how to bypass proprietary software restrictions. I was trying to have them read the article not the idiots who posted comments on that webpage.

Steve

Nope, you did not, and I wasn't accusing... I wanted to at least infer that if the original poster clicked that link, he might be enticed to circumvent licensing as prescribed in the blog.

I had this happen to a friend of mine on a computer he bought his son for Christmas, and he truely was a victim of circumstance.

Sorry Steve if you perceived my accusation. Context is sometimes difficult via written word.

No problem. I just wanted to point out that I wasn't intending that link to be a work around for pirated software. Thank you for clarifying that.

This link has a bit more info on the subject of WGA and some diagnostic tools you can use if you believe that your license is legit.

http://www.pchell.com/support/windowsgenuineadvantage.shtml

Steve