Microsoft's WGA Gift Keeps Coming Back

If you are running Windows XP, did you notice the Automatic Updates offered you the Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) Notifications application again a few weeks ago, despite your choosing not to download it and not be reminded every time it's available? (The WGA is the pesky application that Microsoft uses to check whether or not your Windows XP installation is pirated, and phones home via your Internet connection without your permission to keep checking if your Windows XP license is still not a pirated copy. But at least with Windows XP, one has a choice of whether or not the WGA application gets downloaded and installed. Vista users have WGA built into the operating system.)

According to David Lazar, director of Microsoft's Genuine Windows program, each time the WGA application is updated, it will be reoffered again for download, and there's no way to refuse it altogether by permanently removing it from the Windows Update list. This application gets updated every 90 to 120 days, so expect to be asked to download and install the WGA application again around June. And September. And December. And . . . forever.

And if you decide to allow it to install just to be rid of the annoyance of being reminded every three or four months to download and install the WGA, be aware that Microsoft has removed the ability to uninstall it from your PC by hacking the Windows Registry.

Beginner Developer Learning Center

Microsoft has centralized its free tools and free tutorials for new software developers as the "Beginner Developer Learning Center." If you're ready to start learning how to program for the Windows desktop or the Web, then Microsoft has the beginner tools for you.

If you're interested in designing Windows applications, download and install Microsoft's Visual Studio Express Editions, then get started with the lessons.

If you're interested in designing Web applications, download and install Microsoft's Visual Web Developer Express Edition or Microsoft's Visual Studio Express Editions, then get started with the lessons and the Starter Kits.

The lessons run about 20 to 40 minutes each and consist of video/audio, hands-on labs, and written documentation.

Optimize Your Windows Registry

Over time, Windows operating systems can become sluggish and slow to boot and load programs, even though the hard disk has plenty of disk space and has been defragged -- and there's plenty of memory. The culprit? A bloated Windows Registry, due to installs and uninstalls of software, hardware, and drivers, and repeated changes in Registry settings. A slow computer isn't the only symptom of a sick Windows Registry. Occasionally, something goes wrong and errors are saved in the Registry, which may result in applications to not responding, or the computer freezing, or even system crashes.

The old-fashioned remedy was to format the hard drive and reinstall the operating system and software applications, a time-consuming chore. A better method to is to clean up the Windows Registry by removing the unwanted junk and correcting any Registry errors. Many products that clean up and optimize the Windows Registry are on the market, and some are free, like RegCure, which is available for a free download for a limited time only.

Update (19 Feb. '07): The free download will scan your computer for all problems, but it only offers to fix two limited areas, fonts and file associations. For a price of US$29.95, the rest of the problems will be fixed. Therefore, for being so bogus in its meaning of the term "free download and scan," RegCure's link has been removed from this blog. There are other products out there that don't try to pull a "bait and switch" scam, so one would be better off spending money on those products, not RegCure's. Sorry for my misguidance.

Update (2 Mar. '07): It seems RegCure is a scam by many accounts and user reviews. People have reported RegCure finds as many as 1,100 errors, RegCure cleans them, yet subsequent RegCure scans still find errors! RegCure has picked up on its unpopularity and the power of search engines to draw its customers. If you Google for "RegCure scam," many of the links (and especially the sponsored links!) redirect you straight to RegCure's "free" download page!

If you've been scammed by RegCure, try contacting ClickBank customer service if you purchased the product online through them. If that doesn't work, ask your credit card company for a charge-back.

Put Windows Vista Under Your Thumb

Don't have Windows Vista installed on your computer yet? You probably will -- sooner than you think. According to Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft, Windows Vista is expected to "be adopted five times faster than Windows 95 and twice as fast as Windows XP in the next three months." If you're a power user, you'll need to tweak the defaults and features to get it under your control. Read Preston Gralla's article, "Five Ways to Bend Windows Vista to Your Will," to learn the first things you need to do after installing Windows Vista or buying a new computer with Windows Vista already installed.

The Most Popular Open Source Applications

Wondering what the most popular free Open Source applications are? With some help from OpenSourceWindows.org, a blogger named Carol compiled a list of the 20 most popular Windows Open Source applications for 2006, and listed the equivalent portable applications. She even has links to Open Source software for the Mac and for Linux. All of these applications are available as free downloads.

Top 16 Vista Time-Saving Tips

Microsoft Windows Vista has some radical new features, but it will still be paramount to be as efficient as possible when working with the operating system. Robert Cowart and Brian Knittel wrote an article, "Top 16 Vista Time-Saving Tips," to help maintain productivity. They also work on most earlier versions of Windows, so it's worth a read, even if Vista isn't on the horizon in the near future.