Dear Windows Update

[firni]

How often do I have to install the LATEST and GREATEST VERSION of your stupid GENUINE ADVANTAGE VALIDATION TOOL before you'll let me put on all the SECURITY UPDATES? Once a month? Once a week? Once an hour?

Also, blow me.

Comments

[randomdreams]

Their intent is pretty clearly 'constantly' both from how often vulnerabilities crop up and the increased possibility of extracting money from users who have been conditioned to expect constant updates and can then be induced to pay for them. Right now Windows users are only paying for updates every couple years, after all: imagine how huge the profit stream could be that right now is just barely trickling.

[waysofseeing]

Not quite correct. Microsoft did a marketing study a while back that demonstrated in no uncertain terms that no one was willing to pay for incremental updates, especially security updates.

The reason you're getting constant updates to the validation tool is because, surprise surprise, the tool is getting hacked. A lot. Constantly. And every time somebody finds a new exploit to get around the validation tool, Microsoft releases a patch to "fix" the exploit.

This is a game that they're doomed to lose, but it makes the senior executives and the stockholders feel better.

[firni]

I thought the senior executives partners were too busy counting their money to care one way or the other.

[randomdreams]

I think if Microsoft did a marketing study on whether people wanted Windows Media Player to only play approved media, rather than anything they found off the Internet or off a CD a friend gave them, no one would think that was a good idea either.

Which is to say: Microsoft doesn't seem to be strongly driven by end-user feedback anymore.

[shikyrie]

which incarnation of evil are you running? I could ask my instructor what your problem could be. but it sounds like there's a problem with your setup (your copy of Winblows is legit, correct?)

[firni]

It's XP Pro SP2, but as the comment above mentions, hackers keep finding ways around the validation so that's why they have to update the tool. Apaprently the hackers are getting faster.

And yeah, it's a legit copy.

[shikyrie]

funny. I haven't had that problem with any of the computers at home that run XP. might be a problem with one of the security update patches as well. Hope you find a solution