i also don’t allow automatic updates and downloads, and i had chosen the wga for the reasons i said before.

i don’t like messing around in system folders so if anyone has used the tool successfully, please let us know here or by email.

It can be uninstalled, but it’s a process. M$ doesn’t provide an uninstaller or a “How to”, but if you type “WGA removal” into a search engine you will find a guide to manually remove it. It basically involves starting up in safe mode, deleting about 3 files in the system folder and some registry entries. Also, if you type “WGA” in the search box at Isohunt a removal tool will come up, though I’ve never tried it and can’t say for sure if it works or not. I don’t allow automatic downloads or installations and I refuse to install WGA, so I’ve had no need to try this tool, but it’s there.

now after reading all of this, i went to the control panel and saw that it cannot be uninstalled – unless i do a system restore before the date i installed it – which would be a pain in the ass and i’m not even sure it would work on the wga.

i went to the update page looking for any info on it, as well as a possibility to uninstall it. all i found was a new update for the wga.

i won’t be installing it unless it, and all previous versions, can be uninstalled.

In fact they are in breach data protections laws within Europe if they software doesn’t allow you to turn it off. I doesn’t matter about 3 parts tools. In fact in Europe it HAS to turn off be default.

This is bigger then SONY BMG Rootkit spyware issue!

And to top it of they are selling there “OneCare” I wonder if shows it up Spyware, I bet not. Well there you have Spyware is not Spyware if from Microsoft!

I’ve always had updates set to downlaod them fo me, but I’ll choose what to install (so I don’t have to install some of the crap they try to force upon you). It’s always been like this, and always will be.

Yet when I come back to my computer, I see it trying to automatically restart (with one of those 5 minute countdown boxes and a simple “restart later” button there, one of those boxes that appears every 5 minutes as well!)

I forgot all about this, went down stairs, come back up to see my computer at the logon screen. And what do I see? A Nice big stain on the bottom right.

Somehow it had defied my wishes of letting me choose, installed itself, then automatically restarted my PC without my permission to completethe installation… and I know I’m not the only one to have ti installed this way…

Was not best please….
huds601

These business practices is what drives me so far away from Microsoft. Macintosh and Linux machines don’t spy on me.

For those of you who want to keep using Windows but want a modicom of privacy restored, go to this site and learn to use this free tool

http://www.xpantispy.org/

Rock on….

As far as I’m concerned, if it phones home without my knowledge and approval… it’s spyware. Peerguardian blocks all my computer’s attempted contacts with M$ anyway.