Removing notifications by Windows Genuine Advantage

A failed validation test by your computer usually makes Windows Genuine Advantage notifications appear in your computer. The failure to pass the validation test may be due to a pirated version of Windows XP, or you have changed your XP product key to a software-generated key. There are also times that it would just like to appear without any reason at all.

This failed validation gives three notifications on the computer. It also halts the updates from Microsoft and removes your access to install Internet Explorer 7 and Windows Media Player 11.

The following steps can help you become free of all three notifications. Unfortunately, you cannot use it to get current updates nor downloads from Microsoft since this version has not yet been validated.

1. Open System32 by clicking on Start, and then Run, and then entering “system32” on the space provided, and then click Ok. Or you can also access it by clicking on Start, and then My Computer, and then the drive letter where Windows is located, which is usually drive C: and then Windows, and then System32.

2. Using System32, go to Tools, and then to Folder options. On the tab for View, uncheck the option which says Hide extensions for known file types. These will make the hidden files become visible.

3. Locate the file named “WgaLogon.dll” and change its name into “WgaLogon.dll.bak” by right clicking on the file name, and then selecting Rename. Enter the new name on the space provided. This should change its file name.

4. Make a blank document of WgaLogon.dll. by making a right click on the space in the folder System32, and then select New, and then Text document. Leave the document empty and name it WgaLogon.dll. Then press enter. You will be getting a warning that says that if you change a file name extensions, the file may become unusable and confirming your choice to change it. Choose Yes on this warning.

5. These next two steps should be completed very quickly so make sure you are ready to do it before you start doing this step. First, you have to find WgaTray.exe in System32 and then delete it. After deleting it, you only have five seconds to find WgaTray.exe in the Task Manager.

6. Open the Task Manager at once by pressing Ctrl, Shift and Delete keys at the same time. When the window for the Task Manager appears, click on the process tab and click end process when WgaTray.exe is highlighted. If ever you take longer than five seconds, the only thing that will happen is that WgaTray.exe will keep on reappearing in the processes list. To be able to remove the notifications after this, you have to go to System32. Now you will find two files: WgaLogon.dll.bak which is the one your renamed and an application extensions called WgaLogon.dll. You have to discard this application extension and rename the WgaLogon.dll.bak to WgaLogon.dll, then repeat the steps from the fifth one onwards.

7. Restart the computer once you have done cleaning it. All those notification messages should disappear once you restart you computer.