Update to WGA Notifications for Windows XP Professional

Microsoft has announced a significant update to its Windows Genuine Advantage system. In future users of pirated copies Windows XP Professional - which, it says, is the version most commonly stolen - will find that their Windows desktop has been replaced by a plain black screen. In addition, a translucent message will display in the bottom-right hand corner, warning that the copy of Windows "did not pass genuine Windows validation":

Users will be able to replace the desktop wallpaper if they choose, but after one hour it will change back to the black screen. The notifications produced by previous versions of WGA, which pop up from the system tray, will continue to appear.

The new notification system mirrors the one used in Windows Vista, but with one crucial difference. A Microsoft spokesperson has confirmed to Zdnet that the new WGA system for XP Professional does not include the "kill switch" that severely limited the abilities of non-validated copies of pre-SP1 Windows Vista.

Source WGA blog.