Windows Activation Technologies Update for Windows 7.

[dmex]

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.

 

[Dark Nova Gamer]

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.

Really? I have Grub 2 installed and my system is genuine.

 

[cloud8521]

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.

i know im a broken record on this but have you tried running the "make genuine" fix that the activator is suppose to show you?

 

[dmex]

Really? I have Grub 2 installed and my system is genuine.

Im not using Grub 2 because Im lazy and cbf updating it and until today it wasn't a problem.

Still, I dont need WAT being a twat and flagging Windows non-genuine 'just because' Microsoft says so

 

[Dark Nova Gamer]

Really? I have Grub 2 installed and my system is genuine.

Im not using Grub 2 because Im lazy and cbf updating it and until today it wasn't a problem.

Still, I dont need WAT being a twat and flagging Windows non-genuine 'just because' Microsoft says so

Ah. I don't think thats very practical deciding a installation is non-geniune based on 'what' boot loader is installed.

 

[Zidane24]

Really? I have Grub 2 installed and my system is genuine.

Im not using Grub 2 because Im lazy and cbf updating it and until today it wasn't a problem.

Still, I dont need WAT being a twat and flagging Windows non-genuine 'just because' Microsoft says so

I would agree...this is a very poor detection system

   Warning

MSE past the public download (Connect Downloads) will have this update builtin and flag your system (if not genuine). It flagged mine....and I never installed the optional update

 

[electriclott]

Just a quick question about the new WAT.....I went ahead and Installed the update just to make sure that my copy was genuine because I had bought it from a third party and was real worried that it was a fake....Happy to say...it passed and I have a genuine copy...however...I did not realize that the update would then contact Microsoft every so often to re validate my system...that makes no sense to me. Does anyone know if I can now just uninstall the update without any Ill effects?? It may look rather suspicious...but I really dont see the need to revalidate all the time...and I like to have controle of what connects. I don't like the idea of a program doing it all by itself as so many other people have expressed on here....thanks.

 

[israr]

Just a quick question about the new WAT.....I went ahead and Installed the update just to make sure that my copy was genuine because I had bought it from a third party and was real worried that it was a fake....Happy to say...it passed and I have a genuine copy...however...I did not realize that the update would then contact Microsoft every so often to re validate my system...that makes no sense to me. Does anyone know if I can now just uninstall the update without any Ill effects?? It may look rather suspicious...but I really dont see the need to revalidate all the time...and I like to have controle of what connects. I don't like the idea of a program doing it all by itself as so many other people have expressed on here....thanks.

control panel>programs and features>view installed updates

find the update...select it..uninstall it

 

[Udidwht]

Just a quick question about the new WAT.....I went ahead and Installed the update just to make sure that my copy was genuine because I had bought it from a third party and was real worried that it was a fake....Happy to say...it passed and I have a genuine copy...however...I did not realize that the update would then contact Microsoft every so often to re validate my system...that makes no sense to me. Does anyone know if I can now just uninstall the update without any Ill effects?? It may look rather suspicious...but I really dont see the need to revalidate all the time...and I like to have controle of what connects. I don't like the idea of a program doing it all by itself as so many other people have expressed on here....thanks.

control panel>programs and features>view installed updates

find the update...select it..uninstall it

...only to find out that it does NOT uninstall the update. LOL I told you so. (referencing my earlier post which was removed) regarding those who are having issues with the new WAT update and legit systems.

 

[CarlTR6]

No, the WAT update does not show up in Uninstall.

 

[Colonel Travis]

So how do you get rid of this thing? MS made a big deal about how you could uninstall it.

 

[glon]

MS made a big deal about how you could uninstall it.

Do you have a link?

 

[Colonel Travis]

Joe Williams, MS - update can also be uninstalled at any time

 

[CarlTR6]

I installed the update yesterday. Immediately the sound on my computer quit working and the speaker icon in the system tray had a red X. I am NOT saying the update was the cause; I do not know what caused the problem. I restored my computer to two days previous. Upon reboot, all was working properly.

I cannot find KB971033 in Uninstall an update. SIW (sysinternals) reports it as installed. Windows Update reports it as a pending download. So if it is installed, I cannot uninstall it which is why I posted as I did. Somewhere on this forum I saw a post that told how to recycle Windows Update to clear errors in installed updates. If I can find that, I will try it and then see what Windows Update and SIW show.

I reluctant to download and install it again. I will say that it did not give a false positive.

 

[Frostmourne]

I installed the update yesterday. Immediately the sound on my computer quit working and the speaker icon in the system tray had a red X. I am NOT saying the update was the cause; I do not know what caused the problem. I restored my computer to two days previous. Upon reboot, all was working properly.

I cannot find KB971033 in Uninstall an update. SIW (sysinternals) reports it as installed. Windows Update reports it as a pending download. So if it is installed, I cannot uninstall it which is why I posted as I did. Somewhere on this forum I saw a post that told how to recycle Windows Update to clear errors in installed updates. If I can find that, I will try it and then see what Windows Update and SIW show.

I reluctant to download and install it again. I will say that it did not give a false positive.

Easy way to test - ensure you have the latest sound driver.

 

[Colonel Travis]

Carl, I installed all updates that day - except the WAT - and also had sound issues. Did not have a red X but my DAW software was behaving improperly, and something else sound-wise happened. Can't recall at the moment. Anyway it apparently was because the update dealing with Media Center - uninstalled that one and sound problems were fixed.

 

[CarlTR6]

Carl, I installed all updates that day - except the WAT - and also had sound issues. Did not have a red X but my DAW software was behaving improperly, and something else sound-wise happened. Can't recall at the moment. Anyway it apparently was because the update dealing with Media Center - uninstalled that one and sound problems were fixed.

Ah, maybe that was the key. After I rolled back, I have been installing the updates one by one; I will sip that one. Thanks much.

+1

 

[CarlTR6]

I installed the update yesterday. Immediately the sound on my computer quit working and the speaker icon in the system tray had a red X. I am NOT saying the update was the cause; I do not know what caused the problem. I restored my computer to two days previous. Upon reboot, all was working properly.

I cannot find KB971033 in Uninstall an update. SIW (sysinternals) reports it as installed. Windows Update reports it as a pending download. So if it is installed, I cannot uninstall it which is why I posted as I did. Somewhere on this forum I saw a post that told how to recycle Windows Update to clear errors in installed updates. If I can find that, I will try it and then see what Windows Update and SIW show.

I reluctant to download and install it again. I will say that it did not give a false positive.

Easy way to test - ensure you have the latest sound driver.

Thanks, Frostmourne. I checked it and I have the latest driver except for a beta. All Is working since my rollback. I think maybe Colonel Travis identified the problem with the sound.

I will again install the WAT this weekend and see what happens. I ran Fix It and I show no installed updates now in Update History. I am still showing KB971033 as ready to install. I guess the restore point eliminated it.

 

[glon]

Joe Williams, MS - update can also be uninstalled at any time

Big deal != single sentence at the end of a blog paragraph

 

[Colonel Travis]

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.

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?

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.