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Microsoft WGA server down! Results in un-genuine vista copies.

forums.microsoft.com — Beginning August 24th some copies of Microsoft's Windows Vista were flagged as counterfeit and re-validation was required only to be directed to contact Microsoft support during a business day! The problem starts when you try to run an update from Microsoft. Diggers we need your help to give MS a wake up call.

Who dugg this? Made popular Aug 25, 2007

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  • inactive, on 10/10/2007, -34/+234hahahaahhahahahahhaah


    -Linux user
  • maks327, on 10/10/2007, -12/+202This is RIDICULOUS! Today on my PC Aero stopped working and Microsoft accused me of having pirated software. I too was told to file an email support request. I've been mad at microsoft before, but this is just plain infuriating!!! This better get resolved in hours, NOT days.
  • RickyF, on 10/10/2007, -16/+149Phil:
    I appreciate your dilemma but as both a customer and partner of Microsoft I find the fact that Microsoft is wasting my time with their mistake and penalizing me for their mistake to be unacceptable. I will not be treated this way much longer. I refuse to be treated as a pirate when I am both a paying customer and partner who sells and supports your products. This is the final straw in a 26 year relationship. This event is moving me to migrate existing machines to Linux and make new machines Macs. Ta Ta.
  • PhilLiuMSFT, on 10/10/2007, -39/+159Folks, I guarantee that we're working on this issue right now. For folks wondering, MACHINES ARE NOT SHUTTING DOWN with reduced functionality.

    I guarantee that I will personally resolve this issue before I go to sleep - whether or not it is Tuesday I sleep.

    The message from the Supportability team will be addressed appropriately as well. I encourage folks to keep an eye out on my WGA Forums - http://forums.microsoft.com/Genuine/ShowForum.aspx?ForumID=1004&SiteID=25

    -Phil Liu @ Microsoft
    Program Manager, WGA
  • Turge, on 10/10/2007, -6/+115Phil, when you're done fixing the problem, any chance you could look into renaming Windows Genuine ADVANTAGE to something else?
  • easy4lif, on 10/10/2007, -12/+110I'm glad Mac OS X Tiger doesn't call up Cupertino to see if my OS is legit.
  • n0c0ntr0l, on 10/10/2007, -4/+95Those who have pirated vista will not get touched by this at all. As usual DRM is just hurting the legitemate copies. Much like the bioshock securom going ons.
  • drpeppper, on 10/10/2007, -6/+95hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaarg

    -Pirate
  • Jugalator, on 10/10/2007, -4/+88This must be the first time in history that Windows has been likened to a Ferrari. Congratulations!
  • rebopper, on 10/10/2007, -6/+86This is unacceptable under any circumstances. Period.
  • FTLJohnson, on 10/10/2007, -7/+82Developers! Developers! Developers!
  • dinostabOMG, on 10/10/2007, -13/+81Get Ubuntu instead. It's free, instead of crazy dollars, and you can keep your hardware.
  • insomniac8400, on 10/10/2007, -7/+69I wonder how many business licenses they just lost. I could see companies using this as a huge justification not to touch vista.
  • maverick808, on 10/10/2007, -11/+71If you really are from MS then wtf are you doing wasting time on Digg!? Get the f'ing problem fixed!
  • einer, on 10/10/2007, -8/+66I switched. Being treated like a criminal by big brother and the drm company is enough to drive me away for good. Sorry Phil. I'm sure you're a hard working cog in that wheel over there, but I'm never sending another dime that way again. Ever.
  • m3ga, on 10/10/2007, -7/+64Searched for 3 hours until I found out those retards at Microsoft caused it.
  • Turge, on 10/10/2007, -4/+61Don't worry, it'll be resolved by Tuesday. Until then, you're a pirate and you won't be able to install any updates or Microsoft software, you will keep getting nagged by "non genuine" dialog boxes, messages on the desktop and will experience reduced visual functionality by having the Aero theme disabled.

    But only until Tuesday. (or so they say)
  • chrisinsocalif, on 10/10/2007, -0/+57Thank goodness i never install the WGA and I manually update my pirated version of MS.
  • zoom1928, on 10/10/2007, -0/+51And, it's even worse when Microsoft blames you for their problems. I work for a Microsoft partner in Bellevue, WA, and Microsoft has already started blaming us for this problem when two of our customers called them. They're doing a big upgrade from XP to Vista for about 200 machines. The CEO of one threatened to hire three IT guys to replace us because we gave them "stolen" (to use Microsoft's word) software. Their accounting manager has already called the FBI to "turn us in." I'm sick of losing customers because of Microsoft.
  • stizz, on 10/10/2007, -4/+52Many legit users are going to be completely ***** by this and wont have a clue what to do until MS fixes it. Meanwhile anyone actually pirating that runs into this problem will just employ another workaround and go right back to being productive.
  • RickyF, on 10/10/2007, -70/+114I got infected by this Microsoft mistake today. I'm ordering a Mac later today. This is the final straw for me with Ballmer's Microsoft.
  • Andy.D, on 10/10/2007, -3/+47Apparently it is out until Monday!
    http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070825-windows-genuine-advantage-suffers-worldwide-outage-problems-galore.html
    http://digg.com/tech_news/Windows_Genuine_Advantage_suffers_worldwide_outage_problems_galore
  • tims987, on 10/10/2007, -6/+50Hmm seems like my mac is working just fine.
  • inactive, on 10/10/2007, -5/+48And yet in the "digg survey", over 50% of people put down Windows as their choice of OS.
  • MasterDwarf, on 10/10/2007, -6/+45on behalf of the linux community...thank you.
  • stizz, on 10/10/2007, -4/+40Windows Genuine HINDRANCE perhaps...
  • drakia, on 10/10/2007, -1/+36"Don't worry, it'll be resolved by Tuesday. Until then, you're a pirate"

    No you're not, if you were a pirate you wouldn't be getting those errors, and everything would be working perfectly ;)
  • WiseWeasel, on 10/10/2007, -0/+35This really highlights the wrongheaded methods Microsoft uses to ensure their profits by preventing piracy. When their OS is unable to verify its authenticity, instead of giving the user the benefit of the doubt, they choose to lock the user out, without requiring any actual evidence of malfeasance. This means that if MS were to cease to exist, their OS product would stop functioning as well, all due to an unnecessary point of failure built into the OS. If future archeologists were to unearth a Windows PC, and try to use it, they would be confronted with this Genuine Advantage crap. Any company that doesn't have enough respect for its users, and for the integrity of its own products, to design beautiful and timeless software in the ultimate sense, is not a company I wish to support.
  • scabbers, on 10/10/2007, -1/+35DRM FTL.
  • geneshifter, on 10/10/2007, -3/+35This is exactly the kinds of problems this validation crap leads to. Thanks MS for nothing. We told you.
  • nixr, on 10/10/2007, -1/+32Let's hope a lesson is learned from this so going forward legitimate customers aren't made to feel like criminals. Microsoft is really missing the mark on how to deal with piracy. Shameful.
  • DigDugDigger, on 10/10/2007, -2/+33Next time, pirate it. The only people who have to deal with these issues are the legit users.
  • rebotfc, on 10/10/2007, -3/+34Phil can I say LOLZ those who pirated XP and use a WGA crack don't need to deal with this crap.

    Once again your DRM ***** only hurts paying customers.
  • thegreyfox, on 10/10/2007, -1/+31They are lucky as ***** it's the weekend.
  • DarkDragon, on 10/10/2007, -3/+32Ferrari, try pinto
  • paddler, on 10/10/2007, -1/+30THE validation server? Why am I imagining that being an old Micron Millennia running NT 4.0 sitting in a closet?
  • inactive, on 10/10/2007, -2/+30I've got a legit Windows Vista Ultimate disk, and when I tried installing it onto my PC it told me my CD-Key is invalid and then told me it was in use.

    How could it be in use if it was invalid? What the *****, Microsoft.

    Oh well, I'll just go play Halo 2 on XP then, since it is possible.
  • Krumm, on 10/10/2007, -0/+25Knowing Microsoft, it's a Vista box that is trying to validate itself, and stuck in an infinite loop...
  • DigDugDigger, on 10/10/2007, -2/+27For now it would be nice if you could direct your paying customers to a suitable crack so they can enjoy the same functionality the pirates are enjoying. kthxbai
  • WaterDragon, on 10/10/2007, -2/+26Many of the comments in the article use the word REDICULOUS.

    Since there has been no such word, up to now, in the English language, I have to assume it is some reference to Redmond, WA., where Microsoft headquarters is located
  • rstarr, on 10/10/2007, -26/+49I'm calling shenanigans.
  • TritonX, on 10/10/2007, -0/+23We all knew it would happens one of these days, and it's bound to happen again and again.
  • chedabob, on 10/10/2007, -0/+22Me too. The irony is, I don't own a legal copy...
  • ekravchenko, on 10/10/2007, -10/+32install linux and you wouldn't have to deal with this ***** anymore. It's free, and supports most hardware. If you need to play games, get wine.
  • saftaplan, on 10/10/2007, -1/+21Except that Xp doesn't contain a full blown Office suite and more useful software.
  • LordSkywalker, on 10/10/2007, -1/+21All the more reason to pirate.
  • puck, on 10/10/2007, -1/+21I agree. This whole concept of authentication and WGA is flawed. For me it started with XP. Since I can no longer interchange parts in and out of my computer without worrying about setting off the authentication I've worked hard to get my myself and my family off Windows. I'm the computer dork in the family and if I can't trouble shoot stuff without worrying about this kind of stuff it sort of kills the fun in building your own machines.

    I'm not surprised this is happening and I won't be surprised when this stuff continues to happen in the future. Please get rid of this awful 'feature' microsoft
  • CarzorStelatis, on 10/10/2007, -1/+19Yes, the biggest software company in the world is going to be killed by you refreshing a forum page a few times. Come with me to a padded room.
  • luchid, on 10/10/2007, -4/+22Wow... Microsoft Security... That's an oxymoron
  • Jugalator, on 10/10/2007, -0/+18I agree in a sense. That they have server problems isn't unacceptable, ***** happens even to the best of us, but that Windows treats you like a criminal by default if nothing says otherwise -- that's unacceptable. Who cares if it doesn't start deactivating features yet? It still doesn't let you get genuine advantage-protected tools, and otherwise assume you're using counterfeit software. Pfft.
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