July 20, 2007

Microsoft Genuine Advantage a Joke ?

Now blogosphere was buzzing with Microsoft Genuine test passing a Ubuntu Os as Genuine Windows.

Makes us wonder the Microsoft Genuine Advantage Test is a Micro Joke or a poker bluff ?

A week ago a friend wanted to install Safari when he got the nice surprise, Safari Require Windows Installer 3 and to download Installer 3 requires the MGA(Microsoft Genuine Advantage) Verification and there was now way he could do that !

All hopes of surfing on a Apple technology was lost.

Always looking forward to a good hack I wanted to test all the "Bypass microsoft genuine test" available on the internet, most of which outdated which works on disabling activex.

When everything failed, I proceeded to see what are the steps of the test. Here is what happened.

Step 1

You get a button which starts the validation process.


Once clicked it takes you Windows Genuine Advantage plug-in installation Page

Step 2

At this page skip download of "Download Plug-in". Do not Install this




Scroll Down the page untill you get Try the alternate validation method

Click this link.


Step 3

This will take you to the Genuine Windows Validation Continued page. In this page first under the run validation tool Click Continue



This will cause you default download manager (DAP in my case) to prompt you to download Genuine check.exe




Step 4

I downloaded the exe and ran Genuine check.exe, which will give a code as shown below
Enter this code in the input box below in that page





Step 4

Click Validate !

Step 5

Success !

We were able to download Windowsn Installer 3 !




It didn't had genuine windows, and yet it worked !

Extremely surprised I download the MGADIAG.exe to check the MGA settting.



It showed the that the validation control was not installed.


Disclaimer: This article is for informational and educational purpose only, you should contacts Microsoft if their software cannot be validated.