I wouldn't expect something like this to appear on a site like Boing Boing, but it did anyways:

Cory Doctorow: AV sez, "This week, Microsoft started requiring users to verifiy their serial number before using Windows Update. This effort to force users to either buy XP or tell them where you got the illegal copy is called 'Genuine Advantage.' It was cracked within 24 hours."

Before pressing 'Custom' or 'Express' buttons paste this text to the address bar and press enter:
javascript:void(window.g_sDisableWGACheck='all')

It turns off the trigger for the key check.

So you think this here is a better place to post "workarounds" like this one?

Oh well, since it already had been posted on Boing, I guess it's common knowledge now...

That's what I thought ;)

Another workaround solution is offered by Rafael (http://www.extended64.com/blogs/rafael/archive/2005/07/27/1026.aspx), which is basically a Javascript-solution (http://www.extended64.com/users/Rafael/wgaworkaround.ie.user.js) that automatically bybasses the WGA.

And let us not forget what Slashdot has to say to it:

http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/07/28/1655234&from=rss

It's weird, all Microsoft is trying to do is bully the nice people who actually TRY to purchase their (MS's) gear.

It's unfortunate that Linux isn't more up to speed for the games I like to play, or I'd already have made the load permanent on my hard drive.

I made my change to Linux 4 years ago and haven't regretted it.

I am really happy that MS has decided to make people angry about using Windows. Well... Maybe I should say "angrier" instead. With all the spyware, viruses, trojans, security issues, crashes, etc. that Windows has. On top of that, MS is in collusion with the pro-DRM groups so that you won't be able to make a good Windows-based DVR in a few years. People who use Windows should be pretty angry already.

All this "Genuine Advantage" thing means is that more people will reach a level of frustration that will make them leave their comfort zone and try out this "linux thing" that their geek friends keep ranting about. One taste is all it takes.

As the auto companies know (but Microsoft doesn't, it seems), once you lose a customer, it's EXTREMELY difficult to get them back.

Another method, and I don't know if it still works with the updated WGA in place:

Run GenuineCheck.exe in Win 2000 compatibility mode (http://archives.neohapsis.com/archives/fulldisclosure/2005-08/0113.html)

The easiest way to avoid this is to simply disable the ActiveX plugin "Windows Geniune Advantage" in Internet Explorer. No Javascript hacks, no registry hacks required.

Just turn off the check. Tools -> Manage Add-Ins -> Windows Genuine Advantage -> Disable. Done.

Now the problem is... how do we know that Microsoft isn't sending different information when you disable the check? Something like:

if (check_enabled) {
user_decides();
elseif (check_disabled) {
send_reginfo_to_microsoft(username,key,address);
}