Have you installed a cracked copy of Windows XP on your computer ? If yes, don't use that computer for making presentations to clients else you might have to face huge embarrassment.

Last year, Microsoft released a new update called Windows Genuine Advantage Notification (KB905474) to confirm if you are using a genuine copy of Windows. The update connects with Microsoft validation servers in the background and displays irritating desktop alerts and balloon messages on computers that fail the Windows Genuine Advantage validation process.

Initially, Microsoft released this update to a random set of users in a few countries but now they are pushing it across all desktop as a critical update via the Windows Updates program or from the Microsoft Updates website.

Unlike other Windows Updates, you cannot uninstall KB905474 update using the Add/Remove Programs module and the piracy notification messages continue to appear until the non-genuine copy of Windows has been validated as genuine.


And even if you manage to validate Windows using WGA notifications, Microsoft says that "your system may be revalidated periodically in order to take advantage of new information available from Microsoft that can help protect you against new forms of counterfeiting."