Windows 7 update to phone home quarterly for your protection
by Steve Ragan - Feb 12 2010, 19:05Windows Activation Technologies (WAT), formerly known as Windows Genuine Advantage, will get an update next week that will check license validation on Windows 7, aiming to remove known activation cracks and certify that copies are legit. Microsoft says that it’s for your own protection, do you agree?
Microsoft will release an update to WAT, on February 16, when it is available online, and push this to everyone later this month, that will validate Windows 7 licenses and “…detect more than 70 known and potentially dangerous activation exploits.”
“Activation exploits are sometimes called ‘hacks’, and attempt to bypass or compromise Windows’ activation technologies. This new update is further evidence of Microsoft’s commitment to keeping customers and partners secure. The update will determine whether Windows 7 installed on a PC is genuine and will better protect customers’ PCs by making sure that the integrity of key licensing components remains intact,” says Joe Williams, general manager of Worldwide Genuine Windows at Microsoft.
Williams said that the update will run on all versions of Windows 7, and later this month it will appear as an “Important” update in Windows Update. While the installation is optional, those that do install it will get a recheck every 90-days, as it calls back to Microsoft’s servers to download new activation crack signatures. Williams likened this to a process similar to anti-Virus signature updates.
Granted, the phone home feature does not include personal information about you, but the idea that it phones home at all us upsetting to both business and home users, especially when you consider the majority of the comments left on the Genuine Windows Blog, where Williams posted the news.
So what happens if your copy is deemed non-genuine?
“If Windows 7 is non-genuine, the notifications built into Windows 7 will inform the customer that Windows is not genuine by displaying informational dialog boxes with options for the customer to either get more information, or acquire genuine Windows. The desktop wallpaper will be switched to a plain desktop (all of the customer’s desktop icons, gadgets, or pinned applications stay in place). Periodic reminders and a persistent desktop watermark act as further alerts to the customer…When tampering, disabling, or missing licensing files are discovered, the WAT Update runs a check and repair weekly to ensure that the licensing files are properly repaired,” Williams explained.
There are risks to using pirated software that was downloaded, such as installations that are prepackaged with Malware. However, the common cause for WAT to trigger will be for people who unknowingly purchased a copy of Windows 7 with a computer at auction or from a local PC store. Then there are those who have their valid license key compromised and spread around online. In those cases, a legitimately purchased copy of Windows 7 is tagged as illegal.
Moreover for those who install this optional WAT update, if the installation is deemed invalid, then you can only get selective updates from Windows Update, those that are critical. This could cause some issues as Important and Moderate updates are sometimes restricted.
While those in the know will see the optional update and likely avoid it, many more will see it and install it without question. So the question for you, good readers, do you agree with the WAT updates? Microsoft has a valid reason to protect their products from piracy. At the same time, is there a need to have it call home every quarter? Chime in and let us know your opinions.
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