How to remove Windows XP Genuine Advantage Notification

By Viktor Ustijanoski | 29 March 2009



Windows 7 solution for removing Genuine Advantage Notification is here.

If your Windows XP is not licensed and your computer is connected to internet, it is very possible to get the newest Microsoft update in form of WGA Notification – Windows Genuine Advantage Notification or GENUINE warning.

This update will remind you all time that your Windows XP Operating System is not licensed and it will give options for licensing. Also when your system is already started, the WGA process is always active in your taskbar and there is no way to turn off because it will be started again automatically and continue with annoying warnings.

But here is simple tutorial how to remove genuine warnings:

Second Update and very functional tutorial:

  1. First – click Start then Run and type “regedit” without quotes and press Enter
  2. Go to My Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Notify. In this location delete the folder “WgaLogon” and all content with name WgaLogon. If there is no WgaLogon folder continue with next steps.
  3. Restart your computer. After restart WGA will not be active and you can remove it completely following the next steps:
  4. Set your folders options to show hidden and protected Windows files – go to My Computer/Tools/Folder Options and then choose View. From the View tab choose “Show hidden files and folders” and uncheck “Hide protected operating system files” and click OK
  5. Now, Go to folder Windows\System32\dllcache, find and deleteWgaTray.exe”. Also, check for “WgaTray.exe” in Windows\System32\, and if you find it delete it, and search for “Wga*.*” with Start-Search-All files and folders and delete everything that starts with “Wga” (Wgatray.exe; Wgalogon.dll, Wgasetup; etc..)
  6. Restart your computer again and live happy and free.

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120 Responses to “How to remove Windows XP Genuine Advantage Notification”

  1. Huntski says:

    Thanks, guys, that did the trick. Effing Microsoft and their dirty tricks.

  2. Christa says:

    Thanks! Those instructions really helped. No more annoying Microsoft notifications.

  3. AlienR says:

    Sorry guys, didn't work for me. Didn't find the folder “WgaLogon” under My Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Notify and (what else should I expect) no “WgaTray.exe” file found. Any ideas?

  4. Anonymous says:

    thank you for being my first google result… plain and simple, i like it. thanks for tutorial. genuine advantage is MICROSOFT SPYWARE… harmless but annoying. i got Windows XP from somebody who worked for ADT Security so i dont understand how there could be any way my copy was invalid… stupid microsoft…

  5. tinykonnie says:

    OMG!!THANK YOU SOOO MUCH!!!I THINK IT WORKED. FOREVER IN YOUR DEBT.
    TINYKONNIE

  6. Anonymous says:

    Worked great, just print it and follow the instructions word for word and it will get rid of the rat fink, I had the OEM and product and still received the message. Thanks

  7. Anonymous says:

    Worked perfectly.

    Like the above post, I had an OEM license from DELL with the product key still on the side of the case. Micro$oft said it was invalid.

  8. Anonymous says:

    Thank you very much. I purchased my Windows in 2005 along with the Word program on it. I kept receiving the invalid error every time I used Word. This is very frustrating! I think they are trying to get us buy their new piece of crap Word, so they are using spyware to destroy programs. I will be purchasing Google's office program when it comes out.
    This worked marvelous, thank you very much!

  9. Emil F. says:

    faboulous! Worked perfektly and easy to do, evan for a complete computer-novince like me. Tank you sooo much!

  10. Anonymous says:

    THANKSSS!

  11. Anonymous says:

    Thanks to all of you that were involved in this WGA fix. YOU ROCK!!!!!!Many blessings to all of you…
    Chad

  12. Gorilla Joe says:

    thanks, appreciate the help. worked great.

  13. Patrick says:

    Some people have been conditioned to think this is cheating but here is what they do not know… Microsoft authorizes other companies to lease its product keys in absence of also providing pre-sales verification so that potential purchases of a product key lease can check to see if the product key is valid before purchase. Microsoft thereby can use counterfeit software as a sales lead gimmick. Pretty clever, huh?

  14. Anonymous says:

    It Worked! Thanks and Great Instructions!

  15. Anonymous says:

    good article. i also found an good tools named Genius QuickFix on http://www.pcgeniuszone.com
    the full article link of the article is http://www.pcgeniuszone.com/2010/03/say-bye-to-windows-genuine-notification.html

  16. Goran says:

    Thanks, it is very helpful

  17. wiwi says:

    hey guys its work… thanks

  18. Skowe says:

    Thank you so much….The thing is gone forever

  19. ariane says:

    Thanks so much for this. It worked. Bloody Microshaft……..

  20. ariane says:

    Also delete \WINDOWS\system32\LegitCheckControl.dll
    if you have it.

  21. tuanluong says:

    It still worked with me, thanks!

  22. jofritz says:

    awesome! a great thanks to you!

  23. dhiren says:

    hi…..
    thanks for google support my problem is resolved
    i have remove registry file then restart the computer
    & now working ok

  24. Lakshman says:

    hi..,

    Thank you very much,
    very helpful..

  25. Anthony says:

    The Notification screen comes up every time I start to boot the computer and asks whether to install it. It seems the GAN is not yet installed, so the above method does not work for me. Any way to remove the notification without first have to install it?

  26. gilbert says:

    i found the “Start-Search-All files and folders + delete” so much helpful to me. super thanks man!!!

    ((and search for “Wga*.*” with Start-Search-All files and folders and delete everything that starts with “Wga” (Wgatray.exe; Wgalogon.dll, Wgasetup; etc..))

  27. tanziiiillllllllllllll says:

    @ Gilbert, your trick work on mine..Wga software was not installed on my computer but installation skin comes everytime i start. now its all gone……thanksssssss

  28. Ramawatar says:

    this is very good and helpfull for remove windows geneious problem

  29. balas says:

    tnx this is very good and helpfull for remove windows geneious problem

  30. Ash says:

    What a relief to live like a free bird.
    Thank U Google
    Above all Thank U /www.detector-pro.com

    :)

  31. Shankar says:

    Super it is working great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  32. Meiteisana says:

    Thanks a lot it really works. Please use search tool to search the wga file
    it is a little simpler way to find out and delete those files. It is simplest way than searching through system32. any again thanks

  33. staycool1001 says:

    how can i remove genuine notification

    • Read the main article that is step by step tutorial how to remove genuine notifications.

    • manikandan says:

      hi,
      to resolve this problem simple method is that
      open task manager — processess — wgrprs — remove that, then
      open program files there will be a file wgrprs.exe, end the wgrprs process then immediately delete the wgrprs.exe file.
      I’m sure that the program will be shut off.
      thank u
      manik

  34. shreyash says:

    thaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! it really works !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i hate microsoft !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  35. Kaseel says:

    Dear Victor…

    Your posting already almost 2 years…but help me alot. Almost hopeless when step 1 -3 I found no wga files. Then your next steps really worked.

    Tx master

  36. BINAS says:

    thaks my dear frnd it works.publish more triks on net

  37. Sabah says:

    thank you man you are great

  38. kailas says:

    i hope this is the ultimate solution for the removal for genuine microsoft conterfeiting problems

  39. Brett E says:

    This was bad
    I now have to use ubuntu to get to my files

  40. gautham says:

    hi all as per the instructions i had been wor for 10 and deleted windows genuin software from my pc thanks to your help thak you very much

  41. Anand says:

    Thank u so much, it is very helpful & easy process.

  42. SaczZ says:

    cool dude,that was really helpful :-) )

  43. Jhez says:

    thnk u so much man!!!! u rock!!

  44. pks says:

    thanx that notification had troubled me a lot…………………………

  45. Viper says:

    This worked good…..thanks a lot!!!

  46. karan says:

    thnx dude it really heaps……………..:)

  47. SUYOG says:

    i had removed wga but why i am not getting windows updates .please reply me

  48. Noura says:

    I did everything till step 4 and when I come to step 5 and I try to delete WgaTray.exe it gives me this message:

    Impossible to delete WgaTray: Access is denied.
    Make sure the disk is not full or write protected and that the file is not currently used.

    What can I do? =/

  49. Noura says:

    Yeah it worked on another similar way, thankz! ^^

  50. sula pula says:

    Thk super cool


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