Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Microsoft
Vista SP1 alters WGA behavior
by Brad Linder Feb 10th 2008
But that doesn't mean WGA is gone. ZDNet reports that the new WGA may be less forceful, but it could be almost as annoying. Instead of logging you off or disabling services, Windows Vista SP1 will present you with a nag screen every time you logon. It will also show a pop up window periodically asking you to validate Windows. And once an hour it will change your desktop background to black. You can change it to something else, but since it'll just reset in an hour, you're probably best off learning to love a black background.
Or, you know, you could just validate your copy of Windows.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
merku said 7:20PM on 2-10-2008
Well, black screen is a energy saver. Good job MS. Thanks to you, a lot of electricity will be saved.
I personally prefer a single color desktop, very simple and clean. :)
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keeves said 7:22PM on 2-10-2008
Only if your using a CRT monitor. If your using a flat screen one then chances are your using more electricity with the black screen.
RP said 7:43AM on 2-11-2008
Oh? But don't the fancy new LCD TVs have a feature that selectively dims the backlight to achieve darker blacks? If so, black might use less power on an LCD as well.
Jeebus said 10:07AM on 2-11-2008
Maybe same, but *more* on black? That's ridiculous.
Lollermo said 7:43AM on 2-11-2008
Heh, and what if you can't validate your copy even when it's a real one?
If Microsoft wants to put some tool to get them more money, they have the right to do so, but for the love of god, make a working one! Or buy a working one somewhere.
But please, the crap they started using couple years ago made me and my company to change all servers to BSD and Linux and most of the workstations to Red Hat, just because of that.
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Fred Thompson said 9:50PM on 2-12-2008
Last week I flew overseas and Explorer would not run properly. ERUNT let me roll back but there problems still happen so there's something fundamentally wrong. Suppose this new WGA crud happens to someone who travels. You're not able to spend hours of your own time (M$ consuming YOUR resource without compensation) and your computer does this kind of crud which makes you look incompetent and costs you income. This is exactly why I'm moving to Ubuntu with an XP virtual machine. Computers are tools for the people who own them, not population control devices for M$ employees who don't use them in real world environments.
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James said 10:46AM on 2-11-2008
That's probably why people are rolling out "Vista to XP 'upgrade'" services left and right -- Vista does practically nothing (for most people) that XP doesn't, and XP is burdened with a lot less crap.
P.S.: I'm still going to vote for you in our primary, even though you dropped out.
Fred Thompson said 8:50AM on 2-13-2008
The only thing I've seen in Vista which seems like a real GUI improvement is the glow for the window buttons.
Hang onto any of my yard signs from this year. You might be able to pick up a few bucks on ebay. :P
Brad Linder said 5:02PM on 2-23-2008
Any computer that can run Windows Vista can also run Windows XP. But it's not a question of "getting back" to XP. It was never installed on your computer. So you'll need to go out and buy a licensed copy of the software and install it using the instructions that come with the box.
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Henryt said 7:14PM on 2-23-2008
I bought a new computer that came with vista built in
Is there any way I can get back to windows xp ?.
Need help.
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Henryt said 12:07AM on 2-24-2008
What is a MIN and BIN [ as mr. T Made 4MIN in 2007 }
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