Microsoft has a long history of including cumbersome anti-piracy measures in its software. So we were pretty happy to hear that the company is scaling back the Windows Genuine Advantage protection Windows Vista SP1. No longer will you find features like ReadyBoost of Aero disabled if you haven't activated Windows or if you fail a WGA test when trying to download Microsoft software.

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.