Why Windows Genuine Advantage Is Bad

If you update your PC regularly, you're probably already familiar with "Windows Genuine Advantage," the cryptically-named utility that is supposed to give you "the confidence of knowing that your software is legitimate and fully supported."

Of course, WGA is really just a mechanism for Microsoft to ferret out pirate copies of Windows and shame/force the users into purchasing a legitimate copy. The problem, however, is that WGA has a nasty habit of identifying some legitimate copies of Windows as pirated, and other users are reporting that their rightly-paid-for software is restricting their access to Windows Update and flooding the screen with annoying messages.

Lauren Weinstein has been covering this topic religiously, but his latest post really drives the point home. Here's how a large number of Windows users are feeling the pinch from WGA:

User buys computer. Computer crashes. User takes computer to service center for reinstallation of Windows. User no longer has recovery discs, so service center uses a cloned copy of the OS to reinstall, so the user doesn't have to buy a second copy of Windows. Suddenly, user gets piracy messages from Microsoft. What to do?

Well, not much. Unless you can prove you're a victim and can send Microsoft your counterfeit Windows discs, you either have to live with the pop-up messages and the inability to update your PC, or you have to shell out for a new copy of the OS. Memo to Microsoft: Yes, piracy is bad, but in this age of rising alternatives to Windows, does it make sense to run off legitimate customers who were happy Windows users to begin with? Let's see some easy alternatives to getting through the WGA roadblock or, better yet, can the thing completely.