DigitMemo.com

Microsoft has issued an updated Internet Explorer (IE) 7 release that no longer requires Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) validation in order to download.

Program Manager Steve Reynolds announced the news on October 4 on Microsoft’s IE Team blog:

Because Microsoft takes its commitment to help protect the entire Windows ecosystem seriously, we’re updating the IE7 installation experience to make it available as broadly as possible to all Windows users. With today’s ‘Installation and Availability Update,’ Internet Explorer 7 installation will no longer require Windows Genuine Advantage validation and will be available to all Windows XP users.

The new download can be found here.

Some minor UI changes:

• The menu bar is now visible by default.
• The Internet Explorer 7 online tour has updated how-to’s. Also, the “first-run” experience includes a new overview.
• We’ve included a new MSI installer that simplifies deployment for IT administrators in enterprises.

Users of illegitimate versions of Windows XP Pro must pledge to use only genuine Microsoft software going forward and agree to have their software infrastructure audited

Under the plan, called Get Genuine Windows Agreement, software resellers can offer to their business customers a volume licensing contract that will allow them to replace fake or “mislicensed” copies of Windows XP Professional with legitimate versions.

Click for more on Microsoft Offers Licenses For Fake Windows XP Copies »

Microsoft explained the [misleading] “back-door” of Windows Update service.

It was widely reported last week that Microsoft had automatically updated systems that had Automatic Updates set to “Check for updates but let me choose whether to download and install them”. Nate Clinton, a Windows Update Program Manager at Microsoft posted a response on his blog shortly after the widespread [misconceived] reporting had gone out.

Click for more on The Windows Update Stealth Affair Cleared »

If you use Windows, do your best to avoid anything that requires a ping to WGA. And for those of you doing installations and upgrades this weekend, we recommend that you avoid activation at this time. If you attempt a validation and it fails, your install may be marked as non-genuine, which could lead to several annoyances. First things first, do not reboot a Windows machine that has been marked as non-genuine.

If you have encountered this problem, Please go to www.microsoft.com/genuine and click VALIDATE WINDOWS to resolve this issue immediately.

Late last night we started receiving reports from readers experiencing problems with Windows Genuine Advantage authentication. Users of both Windows XP and Windows Vista were writing to say that they could not validate their installations using WGA, and one user even said that his installation was invalidated by the service.

Click for more on Windows WGA server down, everyone’s pirate today »