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This is crazy
Those stats, whilst I'm sure many will argue they are not wide enough in scope to draw any absolute conclusions, confirm what everyone has been thinking since the inception of the WGA program.

The system is obviousely fatally flawed!

As a developer I empathise with the difficulties facing MS in protecting their software, but surely it is better to err on the side of caution than penalise legitimate customers.

I only hope the WGA built into Vista is more reliable, although I'm not holding my breath.
Posted by: nmh   Posted on: 09/26/06 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use
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This is crazy  nmh | 09/26/06
Coming soon! 100% failure rate!!!  bart001fr | 09/27/06
Question  ebrke | 09/26/06
Yes and no  zmud | 09/26/06
I've updated the post  Ed Bott ZDNet Moderator | 09/26/06
Bad business practices  bbbaldie_z | 09/26/06
Huh?  Cardhu | 09/26/06
This sounds like a call for Tux!  Airwolph | 09/26/06
Not The Only Option  Cardhu | 09/26/06
Are you kidding?  DarthRidiculous | 09/26/06
The Flea  Cardhu | 09/26/06
Message has been deleted.  DarthRidiculous | 09/26/06
Message has been deleted.  Cardhu | 09/26/06
Then we have to convert them one by one.  Hrothgar - PCLinuxOS User | 09/26/06
Exactly  Cardhu | 09/27/06
The obvious question then:  tic swayback | 09/26/06
Unrelated Topics  Cardhu | 09/27/06
RE: Bad business practices  Protagonistic | 09/26/06
I'm witcha  bbbaldie_z | 09/26/06
What's your flavor?  Hrothgar - PCLinuxOS User | 09/26/06
42% percent is from user "submitted WGA problem"  FADS_z | 09/26/06
Sorry, But That Is Not The Point  WildcatRay | 09/26/06
I believe WGA is going after the pirates  FADS_z | 09/26/06
The only serious bug?  Ed Bott ZDNet Moderator | 09/26/06
Utility may screw-up OS too  FADS_z | 09/26/06
So it's always someone else's fault  Ed Bott ZDNet Moderator | 09/26/06
Good job then....  nmh | 09/26/06
RE: Sorry, But That Is Not The Point  Protagonistic | 09/26/06
Apple  A.Sinic | 09/27/06
Reliability Comparison  Cardhu | 09/27/06
Huh?  frgough | 09/27/06
WildCat Ray Is Correct  Cardhu | 09/26/06
Which part of "copyright law"  FADS_z | 09/26/06
US Code Title 17  Cardhu | 09/26/06
"For archival purposes only"  Ed Bott ZDNet Moderator | 09/26/06
You missed the "or"  tic swayback | 09/26/06
Explain please  Ed Bott ZDNet Moderator | 09/26/06
It's Not Intended To Be A Red Herring  Cardhu | 09/30/06
We are not talking about fair use  Ed Bott ZDNet Moderator | 09/30/06
Then I apologize  Cardhu | 09/30/06
It isn't?  mds_z | 10/04/06
Read This  WildcatRay | 09/27/06
Is that why..  ditkazbearz | 09/26/06
If you prefer eat chinese/russian version of McDonalds  FADS_z | 09/26/06
I don't eat at that grease pit  Linux User 147560 | 09/26/06
WGA - Dell owner  gmeanwell@... | 09/26/06
RE: WGA - Dell owner  Protagonistic | 09/26/06
Fight with what?  Media-Ted@... | 10/05/06
Sorry to hear it  bmgoodman | 09/26/06
MS and Dell  imagines@... | 09/26/06
Absolute Rubbish  Cardhu | 09/27/06
There may be a good reason for the failure  bob_rayner@... | 09/26/06
Sorry, but data don't support your conclusion  Ed Bott ZDNet Moderator | 09/26/06
Fed Anti-Trust violation??  hanamc@... | 09/26/06
Class actions  bart001fr | 09/27/06
There is -- the reason is that MS code is GARBAGE  critic-at-arms | 09/26/06
Of course it's garbage!  bart001fr | 09/27/06
WGA  GTO_Patrick | 09/26/06
I Just Wonder How Many Threads They Delete  itanalyst | 09/26/06
I am not sure what is Genuine  bob_rayner@... | 09/26/06
I checked  Ed Bott ZDNet Moderator | 09/26/06
PS  Ed Bott ZDNet Moderator | 09/26/06
Slight Truth Gap Here  Cardhu | 10/02/06
So the answer is simple  bart001fr | 09/27/06
LiveWreck and Axeless, cap wringing at a site near you soon  whisperycat | 09/26/06
They Avoid Stories Like This...Haven't You Learned Yet  itanalyst | 09/26/06
Its 1220EST  DarthRidiculous | 09/26/06
And the peep from you 3...  John Zern | 09/26/06
At least they cared enough to showup.  Hrothgar - PCLinuxOS User | 09/26/06
They're on vacation!  bart001fr | 09/27/06
Axeless is over at Mary Jo's beating up on her....  Xwindowsjunkie | 09/26/06
Posts removed from MS forums  skiplarson | 09/26/06
Agreed on deleted posts  quux | 09/26/06
Some slippage? ......  JCitizen | 09/26/06
So when?  bart001fr | 09/27/06
Return on Investment  Yagotta B. Kidding | 09/26/06
Pay up and shut up  Cardhu | 09/27/06
Cute  quux | 10/10/06
I'm a Microsoft investor...  ~rpb~ | 09/28/06
Removal of relavent info is not so strange  msdead | 09/29/06
I have NEVER had a WGA problem......and NEVER will.  joe6pack_z | 09/26/06
yeah, the world is rose  galileon | 09/26/06
RE: yeah, the world is rose  joe6pack_z | 09/26/06
Whats your flavor?  Hrothgar - PCLinuxOS User | 09/26/06
Next upgrade...  bart001fr | 09/27/06
And this is relavent to 99% of us WHY?  Neutrodyne | 09/29/06
And your reply is FAR more useless  mdsmedia | 09/30/06
Careful there, Bro...  Media-Ted@... | 10/05/06
Waiting for the spin by the M$ shills  DarthRidiculous | 09/26/06
The more you tighten your grip on a bar of soap...  JonathonDoe | 09/26/06
updates equals bye-bye  LWEM | 09/26/06
On the contrary, Ed.  Yagotta B. Kidding | 09/26/06
He never answers this point of yours does he  barstewards | 09/26/06
IIRC he did, once  Yagotta B. Kidding | 09/26/06
Make WGA Go Away...  IT_Guy_z | 09/26/06
You don't get it  Ed Bott ZDNet Moderator | 09/26/06
I suspect a pirate  voska | 09/26/06
Sigh  Ed Bott ZDNet Moderator | 09/26/06
I haven't had a WGA failure yet...  ju1ce | 09/26/06
Lucky you  Ed Bott ZDNet Moderator | 09/26/06
Well, there is a point in there...  jcg_z | 09/26/06
So far....  ju1ce | 09/26/06
Guess my point is  voska | 09/26/06
What I see as the maximum cure ...  Media-Ted@... | 10/05/06
The only real difficulty  ju1ce | 09/26/06
Probably will not do them any good.  osreinstall | 09/26/06
Eventually sure  voska | 09/26/06
There are better ways than the WAN verify.  osreinstall | 09/26/06
Go here for your windows updates!  Hrothgar - PCLinuxOS User | 09/26/06
Re: You don't get it...No...I DO get it...  IT_Guy_z | 09/26/06
RE: Re: You don't get it...No...I DO get it...  Protagonistic | 09/26/06
That's MY point...  IT_Guy_z | 09/26/06
Let me try again  Ed Bott ZDNet Moderator | 09/26/06
You were not called a thief  quux | 09/26/06
It's not just one one question  Cardhu | 09/26/06
Yes, he (she?) was  mds_z | 10/04/06
qustion != accusation  quux | 10/10/06
Question Can = Accusation  Cardhu | 10/10/06
So here's the standby solution....  bart001fr | 09/27/06
It doesn't allow you to download Microsoft products  msdead | 09/29/06
SDSU requires McAfee and  mastman | 09/26/06
WGA  kevinh@... | 09/26/06
Oh - KAY  Cardhu | 09/26/06
Funny WGA beta quote  dtfinch | 09/26/06
WGA: It stops piracy, yet promotes another form of piracy.  praetor_100 | 09/26/06
It Is All About $$$$ again!!!!!  millenia01 | 09/26/06
OOOOHHH Yeaaahhh!!!!!  JCitizen | 09/26/06
History repeats itself...  osreinstall | 09/26/06
Buying back ones soul can be expensive.  Hrothgar - PCLinuxOS User | 09/26/06
Wholeheartedly agree, only a few Pintos  Media-Ted@... | 10/05/06
if you can't live without Windows, then get a properly cracked copy :-p  Castanet | 09/26/06
Use cracked copy  parrotnut | 09/26/06
Have to disagree  John Zern | 09/26/06
Just what organ of your anatomy...  Media-Ted@... | 10/05/06
Try PCLinux OS, It's good and a liveCD/installer  Hrothgar - PCLinuxOS User | 09/26/06
Microsoft admits WGA failures  Protagonistic | 09/26/06
Echoes of 1990  critic-at-arms | 09/26/06
The problem with WGA  ju1ce | 09/27/06
Where is No_Ax?  bart001fr | 09/27/06
These high-profile failures to implementr high-quality features is hurting  Dr-T | 09/26/06
That Is An Important Insight  Cardhu | 09/26/06
B-EULA-LAND  BALTHOR | 09/26/06
Excellent research ... but maybe over-reaches  jcg_z | 09/26/06
I tried to deal with that  Ed Bott ZDNet Moderator | 09/26/06
The Pirated Proportion Can't Be As High As MS Claims  Cardhu | 09/26/06
Not sure this applies...  jcg_z | 09/27/06
WGA Is Not Fielded in China  Cardhu | 09/27/06
And dealt with it rather well, too...  bart001fr | 09/27/06
Forensic analysis shows risks of counterfeit Microsoft software  cnfrisch | 09/26/06
Priacy is bad, but WGA code it not the way to go  TripleII | 09/26/06
What percentage of legitimate users eventually give up....  cnfrisch | 09/26/06
so we should use our time to fix a MS problem?  willyu | 09/26/06
Your choice  Yagotta B. Kidding | 09/26/06
Key Phrase.  gwrigg | 09/26/06
Quit slinging that nonsense  Ed Bott ZDNet Moderator | 09/26/06
Well, any percentage that come to me for help 8-)  JonathonDoe | 09/26/06
Door #3  Yagotta B. Kidding | 09/26/06
Sadly, you're probably right! (NT)  JonathonDoe | 09/27/06
Bravo Zulu!  Linux User 147560 | 10/06/06
No LLLL  cnfrisch | 10/06/06
Absolutely Pathetic, Frisch  Cardhu | 10/07/06
Fundamentals in logic  TripleII | 09/26/06
Bullseyes around the bullet holes  Yagotta B. Kidding | 09/26/06
Not Factual. Censored.  Cardhu | 09/30/06
Um, Carey?  Ed Bott ZDNet Moderator | 09/26/06
Reply to Ed Botts -  cnfrisch | 09/26/06
That's what you said last month, Carey  Ed Bott ZDNet Moderator | 09/26/06
If it ain't broke, don't fix it  Yagotta B. Kidding | 09/26/06
Much less admit there is a problem.  Cardhu | 09/27/06
Re: That's what you said last month, Carey  cnfrisch | 09/30/06
File Corruption? Yes, Sometimes  gwrigg | 09/26/06
Re: File Corruption? Yes, Sometimes  cnfrisch | 10/08/06
Easily Resolved  Cardhu | 10/08/06
Warn us next time, please  Yagotta B. Kidding | 09/26/06
Do you actually believe this?????  Media-Ted@... | 10/05/06
Irrelevant  Cardhu | 09/26/06
Should be non sequitur  Cardhu | 09/27/06
WOW looked who crawled out from under the redwoods!  Xwindowsjunkie | 09/26/06
Forensic analysis of what exactly?  bart001fr | 09/27/06
If WGA actually (temporarily) prevents piracy...  TripleII | 09/26/06
Here's the link to the cracker story  TripleII | 09/26/06
I know what we need  MacKeyser | 09/26/06
WGA, M$ & Piracy  Tialin | 09/29/06
It has cost them this customer and her family.  legalista | 09/26/06
You don't have to wait.  Hrothgar - PCLinuxOS User | 09/26/06
Thanks for the advice  Cardhu | 09/27/06
Pick up Linux Format  bart001fr | 09/27/06
So this is the "new" Microsoft ... (nt)  LoCal | 09/26/06
WGA  Kenoscope | 09/26/06
whoa  Hrothgar - PCLinuxOS User | 09/26/06
buy one used  MacKeyser | 09/26/06
WordPerfect sounds just fine to me.  Xwindowsjunkie | 09/26/06
An alternative: OpenOffice  bart001fr | 09/27/06
No the advantage of WordPerfect is that there are THOUSANDS of legal boiler  Xwindowsjunkie | 09/27/06
Yep!  bart001fr | 10/02/06
Just wait  bmgoodman | 09/26/06
Even if they ditch WGA  legalista | 09/26/06
Yet Again Reason Enough NOT To Go To Vista  itanalyst | 09/26/06
Wga - Paranoia as microsoft innovation  AnOldItGuy | 09/26/06
MS is training potential Linux users.  viggan@... | 09/26/06
I found the key changer on MS's web site  John Zern | 09/26/06
not so fine  MacKeyser | 09/26/06
FFR wink  raymarc001 | 09/26/06
42% false positives reported, more unreported?  ChristianMiller | 09/26/06
42% of 137 users = 57  cnfrisch | 09/26/06
Oh, jeez, Carey  Ed Bott ZDNet Moderator | 09/26/06
What "contrary facts"?  cnfrisch | 09/26/06
You didn't answer  Ed Bott ZDNet Moderator | 09/26/06
WGA no longer an issue, Ed pack it up, no more need.  TripleII | 09/26/06
The Basis for A Sting  Cardhu | 09/27/06
hey, pinhead  MacKeyser | 09/26/06
Very Fl;awed Assumption  Cardhu | 09/27/06
I typed in WGA in the search box on Microsoft.com  undrhil | 10/04/06
Make that double!!!!!!  Xwindowsjunkie | 09/26/06
Make That Triple!  Ole Man | 10/05/06
I have to ask  Shelendrea | 09/26/06
You obviously don't grasp the reality  Yagotta B. Kidding | 09/26/06
Kick him before he gets up again!  Xwindowsjunkie | 09/26/06
Oh My Gosh!  TripleII | 09/26/06
Hit him with a folding chair! This is more fun than WWE Wrestling!!!!  Xwindowsjunkie | 09/26/06
Unclear on basic math  Cardhu | 09/27/06
Ask yourself a simple question  Yagotta B. Kidding | 09/26/06
Throw in the towel on Yagotta B!  Xwindowsjunkie | 09/26/06
Hey there Yagotta, Thanks!  ChristianMiller | 09/27/06
"Coming up more commonly now..."  cnfrisch | 09/26/06
Dogbert quote  Yagotta B. Kidding | 09/26/06
My turn to kick him!  Xwindowsjunkie | 09/26/06
And You Sir are full of it  skiplarson | 09/27/06
No facts, no substance, no contribution  Cardhu | 09/27/06
Job Possibility for You, Carey  gwrigg | 09/27/06
We Want An Effective Iraqi Government  Cardhu | 09/28/06
Relevance  SMP0328 | 09/28/06
Background  gwrigg | 09/29/06
So Don't Put Frisch  Cardhu | 09/29/06
Windows Genuine Aggravation  Xwindowsjunkie | 09/26/06
I was right, MS is avoiding a real war on Piracy  TripleII | 09/26/06
Wow!  Linux User 147560 | 09/27/06
Pfft.....  Shelendrea | 09/27/06
WGA Program  pwhea@... | 09/27/06
Not really gonna hurt them sad  skiplarson | 09/27/06
You've actually got it exactly backwards  Ed Bott ZDNet Moderator | 09/27/06
So Don't Buy Retail OEM  Cardhu | 09/27/06
Not that i disagree with your post  zmud | 09/27/06
That wasn't true a few months back  osreinstall | 09/27/06
Guess I am out of date on this  skiplarson | 09/27/06
RE: Guess I am out of date on this  cnfrisch | 09/27/06
You know he calls himself a volunteer  Xwindowsjunkie | 09/27/06
C N Frisch is a Volunteer -- A MVP  Cardhu | 09/28/06
doh  skiplarson | 09/28/06
So that would make him/her a  Linux User 147560 | 09/28/06
Isn't there something in the EULA about returning Windows  undrhil | 10/04/06
Re: Isn't there something in the EULA about returning Windows  cnfrisch | 10/05/06
WGA Problems 137 out of millions proves zilch  Zuel | 09/27/06
You must have been one of the 58%  skiplarson | 09/27/06
Fundamental Misconception of Basic Math  Cardhu | 09/27/06
Not an accurate summary of my findings  Ed Bott ZDNet Moderator | 09/27/06
If your sample is valid  Cardhu | 09/27/06
Wrong population, Cardhu  CarlS | 09/28/06
Go back and study some statisitics  Cardhu | 09/28/06
Consider Dipping Your Hand into a Bag of Marbles  Cardhu | 09/28/06
It's not a random sample  Ed Bott ZDNet Moderator | 09/28/06
Ah, A Subtle Point I Missed  Cardhu | 09/28/06
I'm Still Puzzled  Cardhu | 09/29/06
There actually is a fairly large pirate market  Ed Bott ZDNet Moderator | 09/29/06
I'm Not Debating Application Piracy  Cardhu | 09/29/06
I don't understand...  Ed Bott ZDNet Moderator | 09/30/06
Please Remember My Previous Posts  Cardhu | 09/30/06
Yes, I remember  Ed Bott ZDNet Moderator | 09/30/06
Thanks for the solid data  Cardhu | 09/30/06
Revised -- Thanks for Documented Estimate  Cardhu | 10/01/06
Low profit margins don't help  Marc Erickson | 10/08/06
Mathematically Gifted  TripleII | 09/27/06
Thank YOU!  kcredden | 09/27/06
Concrete Evidence  Ole Man | 09/27/06
RE: Concrete Evidence  cnfrisch | 09/27/06
Not the issue, Carey  Ed Bott ZDNet Moderator | 09/27/06
Re: Not the issue, Carey  cnfrisch | 09/29/06
Constantly Irrelevant  Cardhu | 09/29/06
Skip over and ignore "Cardu's" posts  cnfrisch | 09/29/06
Another attempt to divert attention  mdsmedia | 09/30/06
Classic Case of ...  gwrigg | 10/02/06
Gee, I hope Not  Cardhu | 10/02/06
Not a valid comparison  skiplarson | 09/28/06
Microsoft admits WGA failures "coming up more commonly now"  bob3160_z | 09/27/06
Sorry, Bob, you're off-base  Ed Bott ZDNet Moderator | 09/27/06
You know he calls himself a volunteer  Xwindowsjunkie | 09/27/06
From Reply #214  Cardhu | 09/28/06
So that would make him/her a  Linux User 147560 | 09/28/06
A mcro virus  Cardhu | 09/28/06
3rd The Motion  Ole Man | 09/29/06
Ahh, Yes, Another Honest Man  Cardhu | 09/30/06
counterfeit software ???  kingjoebob | 09/28/06
Good point  Ed Bott ZDNet Moderator | 09/28/06
Re: counterfeit software ???  cnfrisch | 09/28/06
Correction  Ed Bott ZDNet Moderator | 09/28/06
Improved can be a blessing  troubled241 | 09/28/06
Good Dictionary  Ole Man | 09/29/06
WGA problems are a minor glitch in conversion to DRM-subscription Software  eweekling | 09/28/06
Full Time Job?  Ole Man | 10/02/06
No problems here  danmar_z | 09/28/06
Double take  troubled241 | 09/28/06
Solve your WGA Problem - Move to Linux (Ubuntu)  BanjoPaterson | 09/29/06
Thanks  Cardhu | 09/29/06
My Blog about WGA Issues  ecvogel76 | 09/29/06
beating a dead horse  mypl8s4u2 | 09/29/06
When the horse your riding dies, get off.  shadowtaker | 09/29/06
The Real Litmus Test  Cardhu | 09/29/06
Mircosoft isn't beating their dead horse  Cardhu | 09/29/06
There are alternatives!  shadowtaker | 09/29/06
If my Mac called me a pirate..  Tialin | 09/29/06
I Agree  Cardhu | 09/29/06
If my Mac called me a pirate..  Tialin | 09/29/06
The difference is...  Ed Bott ZDNet Moderator | 09/30/06
TPM chip on the mobo is just the beginning.  osreinstall | 09/30/06
You mean Apple, right?  Ed Bott ZDNet Moderator | 09/30/06
Yes.  osreinstall | 09/30/06
So you copy the key...  bart001fr | 10/02/06
Will not work.  osreinstall | 10/02/06
M$, WGA & Piracy  Tialin | 09/29/06
Agreed About Antagonistic Business Practices  Cardhu | 09/29/06
What do you expect when you delete registry entries  michaelkhalsa | 10/05/06
Time for a Class Action Lawsuit  theteamtec | 10/05/06
Ed Bott needs to learn the basics  SteveMak | 10/05/06
This Is A Deliberately Contrived Misrepresentation  Cardhu | 10/05/06
Microsucks  radbastard | 10/23/06
Your Thumbs up count  jnlubken@... | 02/26/07

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