MS "Genuine Advantage" now mandatory

[PrntRhd]

Microsoft is expanding their "Genuine Advantage" program for Windows XP/2000 and has now made it mandatory: you have to allow a Active-X or alternative verification of the authenticity of the OS or you get no updates except Critical Updates.
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1840634,00.asp

[pop pop]

From a business standpoint, I understand what they're doing. From a user standpoint, I've validated all my XP and XP Pro machines--easy enough. One thing I've found annoying is if I have to reload something like the Antispyware app (and I have), it always wants me to do the validation again. Likely it hasn't scanned the registry so they don't know. I hope that ends now--just scan the machine already and see that it has been validated and leave me alone.

[PrntRhd]

On another site I just saw a way some are beating this just by cutting and pasting a line into the browser before hitting the button to download the update, it turns off the scan requirement. (No I will not post the command here).