Have you ever received the below images or messages saying “You may be a victim of software counterfeiting” or This copy of Windows is not genuine? If yes, then you need to buy the genuine copy of Microsoft Windows OS.
Now if you are in doubt why you are getting these messages, you can verify if your copy of Windows is genuine through the Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications service. The WGA Notifications service alerts users who use a non-genuine software copy. This can be installed through Automatic Updates.
Users can also validate their copy of Windows by downloading from the Microsoft Download Center. Every download request will prompt the users to validate their copy of Windows.
Guide to the validation process
- Users are required to validate Windows when they visit the Microsoft Download Center, Windows Update, or Microsoft Update sites.
- An ActiveX control must be downloaded to check if the Windows software is authentic. If the user is successful in validating Windows, a special license file will be stored in the PC for future verification.
- Common counterfeiting methods are then checked electronically in the system. Users are required to manually enter information in most cases.
- Users can resume their download after successful validation.
The Windows Genuine Advantage validation process is quick and simple. Validation is confidential and will not extract personal information from the user’s system. Check here if you want to know you have a genuine copy.
