Windows Activation Technologies Update for Windows 7.

CarlTR6 · 04 Mar 2010

Colonel Travis said:

Checked my laptop, Carl, because I thought I had kept the Media Center update there (uninstalled it on my desktop.) Yes, it's still there - no sound problems. Of course it's a totally different machine. But I'm intrigued to see if that update was your culprit, too.

It appears to be the culprit. I am down to that and and the WAT update. I won't do either of those until tomorrow.

Back to KB971033, I'm confused about a couple things:
Thing 1.) The only way to uninstall is via system restore?
Thing 2. ) I've read elsewhere that once WAT is installed you can't fully erase it from your system, even though it says it was uninstalled. Is that true?

1. I used system restore with the objective of getting my sound back since Windows Seven could not pinpoint the problem. I wasn't necessarily trying to eliminate WAT.

2. I have read the same. I do not know what services, dll, etc. to look for to see if the WAT update is fully gone from the system. I will say that if it is there, Windows update doesn't "see" it. I do have an image back up that should certainly eliminate it if I restore from the image. It it is there, I really don't care as long as it is not adversely affecting the operation of my computer. I will try the install again. But I would like to know if the roll back completely eliminated it.

I'm not Col. Conspiracy Theory or Col. Pirate - just Col. Discombobulated because MS, Bott, Thurrott and other stuff I'd read initially made the whole process sound so easy peasy.

@glon - you're correct. MS emphasized a lot more the idea that the update was totally voluntary. But the uninstall part has been brought up by most everyone's who been reporting on this, like it's no big deal. This thread indicates otherwise.

BWK · 04 Mar 2010

From all my reading on the net ...the only and best way to completely remove the microsoft validation update is via an WAT removal tool. Just to keep from being banned or anything I will not post any type of links to said referenced materials. Yeah it may be a tool created by hackers and such but from all my research to date Microsoft offers no such relief to ANYONE for their voluntary and uninstallable update. I myself refused this update and I am still sitting back and reading the issues brought on by Microsoft to valid legitimate microsoft customers. I refuse to allow anything of the sort to call out on my machine....I normally block such items from even being installed on my machine because in the past they were referenced to as TROJANS...VIRUSES....all the types of bad things that would call out to remote computers. Good job microsoft, you made a legit trogan/virus/backdoor....

glon · 04 Mar 2010

Funniest thing is this update was never downloaded, proposed to be downloaded, or installed on my Win7 system by Windows Update.

Colonel Travis · 04 Mar 2010

In Bott's column today he said he uninstalled KB971033 through CP, piece of cake.
He's got the most lengthy description I've read so far about what the update actually does.

Kari · 04 Mar 2010

Interesting article, Colonel. Thanks for sharing.

Staple Head · 04 Mar 2010

dmex said:

napilopez said:

Anybody here gotten false alarms yet?

Yep, It flagged my system as non genuine.

Microsoft tech support said it checks your boot loader and because I use Grub it apparently flagged it, they also said the majority of activation hacks use Grub and their suggested fix was restoring the Windows boot loader even though doing that would prevent me from booting Gentoo and Backtrack.

I haven't updated the boot-loader on this machine in about a year and it probably does need an update but this patch can still go get #@&%$* for flagging my system as non-genuine just for using 3rd party technology.

gee how convenient that you won't be able to load linux. are we going to find the same holds true for osx with bootcamp?

CarlTR6 · 04 Mar 2010

Thank you, Sir!! That is the best read I have had on WAT. I appreciate the link. Unfortunately I cannot rep you again or I would do so.

Based on this and my exploring, my restore to an earlier restore point completely eliminated any and all traces of WAT from my system. And based on this report, It can be deleted through Uninstall. This is good news.

Staple Head · 04 Mar 2010

i think when the final version is released as a stand alone update or in sp1 microsoft is going to be getting the last laugh even on the users that have legitimate copies. do you believe for a second that they are not trolling the net and sites like this to find out what they missed. we are going to see a flood of legit users coming here because microsour will not believe that their copy is legit. so for all of you who chose to install this good luck. i for one am not going to be jumping through hoops like i did with xp just to prove my copy is legit.

CarlTR6 · 04 Mar 2010

Well, I just installed it again. This time I have no trouble with anything on my system. As the article describes in the link above, the WAT folder has been created in Windows>System32>WAT. The files he listed in the article are there. I have not yet checked the registry; but will do so shortly. Windows Activation Technologies shows up in Services and is set to manual. However, I did not find this update listed in Uninstall; but it listed in my update history. A reboot was not required and I have not yet rebooted.

Edited to add that the update does appear in uninstall

electriclott · 05 Mar 2010

Thanks for the link Colonel, that's the best explanation yet of the new WAT. I now have a firm understanding of it. I did Install the update because I wanted to make sure that my copy and key was legit because I purchased my copy through a "non-official" retailer. But thankfully it checked out fine. I see many opinions on here as to whether to install the tool or try to uninstall it after installing it...so I am still unsure as to what I'm going to do yet..I'm with most on here that I don't like the Idea of me having no control over it....but regardless..its a very interesting subject.