Disable and Remove Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications Nag Screen
The “Windows Genuine Advantage Notification” (KB905474) cannot be uninstalled by Add/Remove Program in Control Panel by default, contrary to the claim in the knowledge base article. To enable the removal of KB905474 WGA Notification tool, follow the below steps:
Note: It seems like it’s not possible to uninstall WGA Notifications from Add/Remove Program. Cobolhacker has details on why KB905474 cannot be uninstalled. Suggested steps to “uninstall” are search and delete all WgaTray.exe and WgaLogon.dll files in your boot drive (if you using search, check the “Search system folders”, “Search hidden files and folders” and “Search subfolders” checkboxes), delete all the register keys in the following tree: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\ Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Notify\WgaLogon, and to remove the entry from Add/Remove Programs list, delete the registry key in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\ CurrentVersion\Uninstall\WgaNotify. With uninstallation, WGA Notifications will try to install again next time.
- Click on Start.
- Click on Run.
- Type in regedit in the Run text box.
- Click OK or press Enter.
- In Registry Editor, browse the the following registry key branch:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\
Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\WgaNotify - On the right panel, modify the value of NoRemove (by right clicking on the key and choose Modify) to 0.
- Exit the Registry Editor.
- Re-launch the Add/Remove Program, and Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications (KB905474) is now removable.
Prevention is always better than cure. So the best to avoid the the KB905474 Windows Genuine Advantage Notification application to be automatically downloaded and applied by Automatic Updates is to disable Automatic Updates. Go to Automatic Updates in Control Panel and disable it by selecting Turn off Automatic Updates, or if you still want to receive the critical patches from Microsoft, select Download updates for me, but let me choose when to install them or Notify me but don’t automatically download or install them. Remember to uncheck (deselect) Windows Genuine Advantage Notification (KB905474) when prompted to install any updates.
If you have already install the WGA update, you can use the hacked/cracked version of LegitCheckControl.dll (newer version suggestion by tyler) to remove the annoying nagging message. (For old version) But Windows Update will still ask you to install it since it’s a newer version which is 1.5.526, unless there is newer version of cracked LegitCheckControl.dll available. You may however try to “up” the version of hacked LegitCheckControl.dll yourself by using the following method:
- Get the patched/hacked “LegitCheckControl.dll” from the internet (e.g from link above or any file sharing service)
- Install Resource Hacker if you still don’t.
- Open both (original in Windows/System32 and hacked version) “LegitCheckControl.dll” files with Resource Hacker.
Go to “Version Info”, replace the version info of the patched File with the version information from new original LegitCheckControl.dll.1 VERSIONINFO
FILEVERSION 1,5,526,0
PRODUCTVERSION 1,5,526,0
FILEOS 0×4
FILETYPE 0×1
{
BLOCK “StringFileInfo”
{
BLOCK “040904B0″
{
VALUE “CompanyName”, “Microsoft Corp.”
VALUE “FileDescription”, “Windows Genuine Advantage Validation”
VALUE “InternalName”, “LegitCheckControl”
VALUE “LegalCopyright”, “Copyright © 1995-2004 Microsoft Corp.”
VALUE “LegalTrademarks”, “Microsoft® is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.”
VALUE “OriginalFilename”, “LegitCheckControl.dll”
VALUE “ProductName”, “Microsoft® CoReXT”
VALUE “FileVersion”, “1.5.0526.0?
VALUE “ProductVersion”, “1.5.0526.0″
VALUE “PrivateBuild”, “Built by gacald on WGA-FILE-SVR.”
}
}BLOCK “VarFileInfo”
{
VALUE “Translation”, 0×0409 0×04B0
}
} - Save File.
- Put the modified version of hacked LegitCheckControl.dll in Windows/System32 folder, replacing the original from Microsoft.
Beside, WGA Notifications tool is also reported to be able to be bypassed by emptying (deleting the contents of) the data.dat in C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Windows Genuine Advantage\data as detailed here.
If you disable Automatic Updates, you can always download any updates from Windows Update or Microsoft Update using the hacks and tips from here and here. If you are prompted to mandatory must install KB905474, the above tricks should disable the checking of existence of KB905474 notification application. Again, remember to deselect the Windows Genuine Advantage Notification (KB905474) which will listed in High Priority section and selected for you by default.
Note: Visit the a more tidy article on how to bypass and disable the WGA with various tricks and hacks or a host redirect method to make Windows genuine permanently.
Related Articles
- Official Ways to Disable or Manually Uninstall the Microsoft Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications from Microsoft
- Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) Validation Notifications KB905474 1.8.31.9 Crack
- Crack for Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications (KB905474) 1.7.17.0
- Remove, Bypass, Patch and Disable Microsoft Windows Genuine Advantage WGA Validation version 1.5.708.0 with LegitCheckControl.dll Crack
- Crack and Patch to Bypass and Disable WGA Genuine Windows Validation and Notifications version 1.5.554.0
- Windows Genuine Advantage Validation and Notifications 1.9.40.0 (WGA Patch Crack)
- Workaround to Disable and Remove OGA Office Not Genuine Notifications (Uninstall KB949810)
- Information on WGA Validation Tool (KB892130), WGA Notifications (KB905474) and Office Genuine Advantage (OGA)
- Windows Genuine Advantage Validation 1.5.723.1 Crack
- Download Windows Genuine Advantage Validation v1.8.32.0 WGA Crack
Entries (RSS)
April 28th, 2006 07:00
After installing XP one of the first things I do is turn off system restore. Usually never need it and a huge resource hog. Here’s a good example why to use it. lol So for those like me who have it off…
April 28th, 2006 05:09
Hey friends!
The easiest way to get rid of the damn notification is to perform a System Restore to an earlier date.
After completing the Restore, delete any files in the C:\WINDOWS\SoftwareDistribution\Download folder because the WBA files still exist there which may cause further problems in the future. Bye
April 28th, 2006 04:23
You got it Jules. I looked at the install log and found those two files as well.I deleted them both and nag is gone. Good to go for the time being.
April 28th, 2006 02:17
I’ve found that disabling and renaming the files “WgaLogon.dll” and “WgaTray.exe” in C:\WINDOWS\system32 by using the program Unlocker seems to get rid of all the nags/popups.
April 27th, 2006 14:44
re install it?? sounds risky, wat if this newer one is of a very updated version, and then no one can release a higher version of hacked dll? or would you simply copy the version info from the original and paste it into the hacked dll to increase its update??
but at the moment im really struggling to copy and paste and then actually saving it. refer to my previous posts about the saving problem.
April 27th, 2006 12:59
Maybe the thing to do is reinstall WGA to get the original dll lol. I’m in the same exact boat. Nagged but can access M$ d/l’s.
April 27th, 2006 10:58
admin, as in my previous post (post #3), i have once again tried copy and pasting the info version you provide in step 4. i did this by opening the LegitCheckControl.dll with Reshack and saved the file after pasting the info version but when i close and reopen to check it, it has not saved the new info version. when i navigate in that dll with reshack i find something about an error on line 5 again.
this was done AFTER downloading TYLER’s dll, which didnt work either. (yes i found the hacked dll in the rar folder, extracted and put it in sys32).
the data.dat procedure also didnt work for me. the new data.dat which i created and then applied READ-ONLY and HIDDEN attributes, does not work. (this is done under the docs and settings/allusers/applicationdata/windowsgenuineadvantage folder.
i managed to stop the pop up whihc appears on the system tray a while ago but i still get the prompt when i start windows.
a final word, TYLER and ADMIN, …could it be your procedures didnt work for me because i deleted the original windows dll from sys32 even before replacing it with a hacked dll??
i think im going insane here.
April 27th, 2006 10:49
Admin,
Will that data.dat hack remove the nag screens, notifications and other things MS had put?
April 27th, 2006 09:29
Just copied the .dll into system32 but still get message when I reboot. Is there anythin else I need to do?
April 27th, 2006 08:01
kon and donkjaer, it’s unable to the uninstall.
Kon, use winrar to open RAR file.
April 27th, 2006 07:18
This requires some patience and reboot often I found helped me get it going.
It does however work nicely. Appreciated
April 27th, 2006 06:57
also what do i need to open that hacked/cracked version of LegitCheckControl.dll? comes as a RAR file?
April 27th, 2006 06:54
Hi,
Got to the uninstall bit in add/remove programmes & it said it required a location as someone posted above…
http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/7620/14hv.png
I clicked cancel then another box appearted which i clicked yes to & now I cant see or retrieve windows validation in add/remove programmes.
Any help appreciated.
April 27th, 2006 03:45
Hi,
I tried all solutions here (which are great) and got rid of most but when I start up windows, it still tells me that I’m not genuine.
When I want to uninstall KB905474, it cannot find the uninstall program (I can’t find it either it should be in c:\windows no?) and in regedit the uninstall string is empty – any ideas?
April 27th, 2006 03:03
Koby, I believe you need to check the “Show updates” option on the “Add/Remove Programs” screen.
April 27th, 2006 02:58
Hi,
I changed the values in the registry, but i even can’t see the KB905474 program in the Add/Remove screen, is there something i missed?
April 27th, 2006 02:36
I can confirm the release I mentioned in my first comment does indeed prevent the nag screen from popping up.
Windows Update and everything still works. And Windows Update doesn’t re-install a “proper” LegitCheckControl.dll if it finds a hacked one.
That release can be gotten here:
http://www.9down.com/downloads.php?fileid=319
April 27th, 2006 01:44
PSNet, I wrote about it before here. Notice that some users successfully get rid of the notification nag screen with the modified data.dat.
April 27th, 2006 01:35
There’s a new LegitCheckControl.dll in Windows.Genuine.Advantage.Validation.v1.5.526.0.CRACKED-ETH0
April 26th, 2006 23:57
What’s the data.dat hack?
April 26th, 2006 23:02
Kori, try the version information above. Let us know your result.
PSnet. I use data.dat hack, so far still working.
April 26th, 2006 20:02
Admin,
Ok. I hope the fix will be there soon!
I’m still not using the .dll way, because I don’t know if that’s really safe? Is it safe?
April 26th, 2006 19:22
i downloaded the patched version of LegitCheckControl.dll and also Reshack. The instructions above say to copy the version info of the microsoft original LegitCheckControl.dll (because it has newer version info) and to paste that into the version info of the hacked one. You then replace the original dll with the hacked one (now with newer version info), correct?
unfortunately i think i had already DELETED the original LegitCheckControl.dll because i tried another method for removing the Genuine Windows Notifications, which predictably failed miserably.
therefore with only the one hacked dll, there is not much use of it, correct?
i also tried copy and pasting the version info text u have in step 4 but when i save the dll, it says theres some error in line 5 of the version info or something like that. is the version info text in step 4 even supposed to be used?
help asap please, thanks.
April 26th, 2006 15:18
Hi PSnet, you’re right. Seems like it’s not possible to uninstall the WGAnotify yet. But the dll hack should works.
April 26th, 2006 13:46
Hi,
The reg fix worked and showed the Remove button, but when you click the button, it will ask for the uninstall file or such like. I got this window -
http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/7620/14hv.png