Windows Phones Home… A Lot

Lately every time I boot up, Zone Alarm pops up a window saying Windows Genuine Advantage is trying to access the Internet and asks “would I like to let it do that?” Oh, no, I would not, so I deny. When I realized it was phoning home every day, I clicked ‘remember this setting’ and denied. Well, now, that’s very interesting. *sigh* So I got out my shovel… here is Microsoft’s explanation of WGA.

Apparently, my computer has to phone home every time I boot up, reassuring Microsoft that I am indeed running a valid copy of Windows XP. In essence, MS has charged and convicted me of a crime and has placed me under house arrest. They require that I phone my parole officer every morning to report my whereabouts and status. So far I’m not aware of the long-term ramifications of denying MS access to my computer every time I boot. According to the page listed above “you cannot use Add or Remove Programs to remove the notifications.” You can temporarily remove the notifications, but they will reinstall on your next Update. And notice here, they only refer to the notifications, not the program.

There’s a lot more to it than MS just scanning your computer for validation of a legitimate copy, according to its own Web site. Just for fun, click on “What information is collected from my computer?” We have no choice but to tolerate occasional scans to receive critical security updates to a swiss-cheese OS, but by having a firewall that’s not an MS product we can cut down on the frequency of the invasions. There is a history of false positives on the scan that MS uses to validate a “genuine copy.” Innocent average users could find themselves in a morass they don’t understand, especially after having their computers repaired.

I’m learning Linux in order to be able to switch over completely to a Linux distribution when support for XP goes away. For those who do not have an old or spare PC on which to install a Linux distro, the Live CDs are a practical and fun way to familiarize oneself with the look and feel of Linux without affecting your current OS in any way. If once, just once, I am informed that my current, bought-and-paid-for copy of XP has been deemed to be “not authentic,” that puppy is outta there, and I’ll never look back.

[Lisa Miller]

[tags]phone home, Zone Alarm, Windows Genuine Advantage, XP, Linux, Live CD[/tags]