"Windows Genuine Advantage Notification" removal tool. [antispyware]

[Pestcontrol]

This has been in the news recently, basically Microsoft has been kind enough to install spyware on every windows machine, legal or illegal, and it has no use beyond it's initial run, too. Now Frech security expert Guillaume Kaddouch has written a little tool to check for and remove WGA-Notification. Here's the deal:

RemoveWGA enables you to remove the Microsoft "Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications" tool, which is calling home and connect to Microsoft servers every time you boot. Futures updates of this notification tool will (officialy) setup the connection rate to once every two weeks.

Once the WGA Notification tool has checked your OS and has confirmed you had a legit copy, there is no decent point or reason to check it again and again every boot. Moreover, connecting to Microsoft brings security issue for corporate networks, and privacy issues for everyone. It is also unclear which information are transmitted (Microsoft published an official answer, but an individual study brought some questions). All of that, along the fact that Microsoft used deceptive ways to make you install this tool (it was told you it was an urgent security update, whereas it is a new installation giving you no extra security) makes me calling this tool a spyware.

Also, Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications is different than Windows Genuine Advantage Validation. RemoveWGA only remove the notification part, phoning home, and does not touch the Validation part. As the time I'm writting this, the Validation part is mandatory for some not critical downloads from Microsoft, but the Notification part is not mandatory at all, and you are able to install all of the security updates without installing this one. This may change in the future thought, I don't know what are the Microsoft plans.

So get RemoveWGA here.

I was clean, but i already did this manually earlier, i recommend everyone who runs windowsupdate to run this tool, it's very small, only 10kB.
Direct download link for all you lazy people. (.exe)

[edit]It seems that RemoveWGA.exe has been removed on MS' orders. PM me if you still need the app.[/edit]

 

[elDiablo]

Hmmm... Never knew that. Away it goes! Cheers for the linkagenesses!

 

[MadGinga]

Er, there is a much easier way of removing it, if that so takes your fancy, and it is provided by the very company thats trying to screw you over, thats right you guessed it Microshaft!

Just go to "System Restore" and select a restore point before the update was installed and then when it trys to download it again just deselect it and you're as good as new

Although that does mean you may lose the odd file/installs of other programs, depending on how soon you catch it or how often a restore point is set....

 

[thatbloke]

...And that will only work if you actually use System Restore...

 

[MadGinga]

Well, yes, but windows creates a restore point just before it installs the updates (or it at least it does on mine) so you're all fine and dandy

 

[Pestcontrol]

I'm pretty sure downloading and running a 10k app is quicker than using system restore, and you don't lose any updates.

But, to each his own.