Microsoft windows genuine advantage notifications tool

If it's not, your PC is running non-genuine Windows. Usually, a copy of Windows can only be installed on one PC. You'll still be able to get critical security updates. However, many updates are exclusively for customers with genuine versions of Windows. We strongly recommend that you get genuine Microsoft software immediately to keep you safer while using your PC.

Validation is an online process. It verifies that your copy of Windows is genuine and that critical Windows licensing files haven't been damaged, deleted, or removed. It takes only a few moments and lets Microsoft create a match between your PC's hardware profile and your character product key or digital entitlement.

Your copy of Windows may need to be validated before you can get downloads and the updates which are reserved for PCs that are running genuine Windows. Windows might also prompt you to run genuine validation if activation isn't properly completed. If your copy of Windows fails validation, you'll see a results page that tells you why it isn't genuine. You'll also see info about how to resolve the issue. There are a few common scenarios in which Windows running on a PC might be discovered to be non-genuine during validation.

If your PC has been repaired, you might start to see messages on your desktop that Windows isn't genuine. If the repairs required Windows to be reinstalled, the technician may have activated Windows with a different key than you used when it was originally installed. You might not see the messages until you try to download something from the Microsoft Download Center that requires validation, and validation fails.

To fix the issue, you can properly activate Windows by reentering your original product key. For other issues, you may need to buy a genuine version of Windows.

Another common cause of Windows validation failure happens when you try to install Windows on more PCs than your license allows. For instance, if you purchased a copy of Windows and installed it on more than one PC, online validation might fail because the product key has already been used on another PC. Download offers the opportunity to buy software and apps. When you buy through our links, we may get a commission. This free utility determines whether your installed version of Windows is an authentic copy from Microsoft or a pirated version.

Because its primary purpose is to provide information to Microsoft, some users may not see any real benefit to running this standalone executable. On installation, Windows Genuine Advantage displays a small box while it runs a check on your system to authenticate your OS. While running this check, it connects to the Internet but opens no browser window to share information with Microsoft's corporate systems, verifying that your PC's license data matches stored information. After validation is complete, you're prompted to visit the Microsoft site for counsel on the benefits of running authentic Microsoft software--essentially a marketing ploy.

If the utility determines you have a pirated version of Windows, you'll be prompted to take steps to purchase an authentic version. We didn't encounter this scenario in our tests, so we can't report exactly what occurs. Following the initial check, Windows Genuine Advantage will automatically launch and connect to the Internet whenever you boot your PC. Some users, already confident about the status of their operating system or simply not desiring to share info with Microsoft, may not want to install Windows Genuine Advantage at all.

Other users may want Microsoft's stamp of approval and will be pleased with this utility's results. Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications is a tool to help reduce software piracy. This tool will confirm that the copy of Windows installed on the PC is genuine and properly licensed. If it is not genuine, the tool will provide periodic reminders to help you take the appropriate action.

Version 1. Free YouTube Downloader. IObit Uninstaller. Internet Download Manager. Advanced SystemCare Free. VLC Media Player. MacX YouTube Downloader. Microsoft Office All searches take me back to the same location that is not valid any longer. It has beeen validated several times by Microsoft over the past 2. It cannot be any more valid than that. Your validation tool is not valid any longer and there is not a link any place that can be found to acquire a new validation tool.

All users of genuine Windows and non-genuine Windows software can access security updates through Automatic Updates.