Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) affects users of both Vista and XP and helps determine whether or not your copy of Windows is genuine.

WGA is unavoidable in Vista, since the technology is built into Windows itself. In Windows XP, failure to be validated by WGA means users cannot download some content (such as optional updates) from Microsoft. In addition, XP users may be treated to alerts complaining that their version of Windows is not genuine, and advising them how to correct the situation. However, unlike Vista users, XP customers may be able to avoid WGA by watching what they install on their systems and not visiting the Windows Update site.

WGA sends Microsoft information about your computer hardware every time it does a validation check (for example, when you attempt to download certain updates

Windows Genuine Advantage has two components, validation (which checks for an authentic licensed version) and notifications (the software that alerts you if you fail validation). In XP, the two are separate downloads.

To learn if your XP system has either of these components, open Windows Explorer and select Tools > Folder Options

In the folder options window open the View tab and select “Show hidden files and folders”. Then uncheck “Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)” as shown in the screen shot below. Save changes

To learn if your system has the WGA Validation Tool, open the search facility and search for the file LegitCheckControl.dll in Windows’ System32 folder. If you find it, the Validation Tool is already on your system.

To learn if your system has the WGA Notifications software, search for WGATray.exe or WgaLogon.dll. These files indicate the presence of the Notifications utility.

.