One of the biggest issues that people are facing today is right under their noses. You may not think that you are dealing with it, but that’s the whole point. This of course speaks to the issue of software counterfeiting and piracy. Millions upon millions of people have Microsoft Windows, which is a good thing for those that have a PC. If you have a PC, then you already know how important Windows is for your computer. But here’s the thing, Microsoft is starting to shut down computers that do not have a genuine license to run the operating system. That’s right, if you are running a pirated version of this, you’re going to end up dealing with a huge issue.
Are You a victim of software counterfeiting?
Don’t panic, you may be a victim of software counterfeiting. If you are a victim of this issue, do not panic, as you may be reading this and assume that your computer is going to shut down or something worse. That’s not how this works. You’re going to need to be realistic about what is going on. If you may be a victim of software counterfeiting, and you think that things are going to stop, you need to learn about what to look for, and how to fix it.
The First Notice
The first thing that you need to know is simple, you will get a notice. Your computer is not going to get shut down. You will not have to deal with a complete blackout. Instead, you’re going to get a pop-up window. You will get a pop up. You will get a Windows official pop up. The pop up will tell you that you may have an issue. It may say, you may be a victim of software counterfeiting, and it will have all the graphics of your operating system. It will also have the title, “This copy of Windows is not genuine”.
Which Windows?
Windows XP, Windows 7, and Windows 8 are getting this a lot. Microsoft is pushing this out as more and more computers are getting connections to the internet and are double-checking to see whether or not they are confirmed copies. When you see the pop-up, you will have a few seconds to decide what to do. There is a resolution, so again, do not panic. This is not going to shut your computer down, but it is a serious issue that you need to address.
What If It Is Not Counterfeit?
Now, let’s say that you have a legitimate copy and this is an error message. You can restore your system and enter your information to fix this properly. The information you need will be on the computer or on the discs you used to install your operating system. It’s that simple. You can reformat your computer, you can reinstall software, or you can restore it outright.
If this doesn’t help you, or if you just keep getting the pop-up message about counterfeiting, it’s time to look for a new solution. The following will help you remove the warning and figure out what is going on overall.
Steps To Remove The Counterfeit Windows Issue
Assuming that you did, in fact, try the system restore solution, and that didn’t work, you’ll need a helping hand moving forward. The following steps may help you get that solution fast.
First and foremost, go to your task manager.
You want to look for the process tab and will want to process an EXE file. Look for wgatray.exe and click on it. Once you click on it, you’ll be able to “End Process”. That option is going to help you gain the upper hand on this issue.
After you click this, you can restart your computer.
Once you restart your computer, press F8. That will send your operating system into a safe mode, and you’ll be able to change things up from the backend.
When your computer restarts in safe mode, you will want to go to the path C:windows system 32. Once you go there, look for Wgatray.exe. you will want to delete this EXE from the file C: Windows system 32dilcache. This is found by going to the control panel, then selecting folder option, which will be hidden. You will see a “view tab”, which you need to select it in order to see hidden files.
Editing The Registry
You will need to look for the Registry Editor. This is going to help you keep going forward. Open RUN and then make sure that you type regedit, then click enter on your keyboard. Once you do that, you’ll want to look for HKEY_Local_Machine >>Software >> Microsoft/ WindowsNT >> CurrentVersion >> Winlogon >> Notify.
Here is where you will need to delete the folder that shows up, Wgalogon. Everything must be deleted.
If you get this far, close things up, and that’s it. Restart, nd you’ll be free of the pop up, technically.
What If It Doesn’t Work?
Here’s the thing, it may not work. If this doesn’t work for you, and you still get the pop up message, consider the fact that your software may have been pirated to begin with. That’s not a good thing. There is a way to change things up, and it is found with a few options.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, you are going to have a couple of options. The above steps will help you get the pop up gone, in theory. However, if you don’t have a legitimate software, you will need to focus on something new. You will definitely want to work on getting a new copy of Windows, which can be purchased through a variety of outlets. If all else fails, you can also call Microsoft support and describe the issue. They may be able to give you a code to type in to help you stop this. Other than that, you don’t need to worry about the pop up over time, because you can definitely fix it and help things go forward with relative ease. If you are a victim of software counterfeiting, try the above steps first.
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