How to determine the authenticity of windows in the system property. Check Windows license from XP to Windows10. Let's start solving the problem

Hello friends. How to find out if Windows is licensed on your computer? The answer to this question is obvious to you if you bought a new PC, laptop or tablet with the Home edition activated at any reputable hardware store. Or if you purchased . But how can you check whether a license is real if it was purchased in an OEM, boxed version, or in the form of the same electronic key in some online store? Or if we purchased a computer device on the secondary market, and the buyer swore to us that he was selling it along with the most genuine Windows?Let's try to understand this issue and of course I will give you several examples from my practice when I was able to prove to my clients that the activated system installed on their computer was not licensed.

How to find out if Windows is licensed on your computer

Friends, I strongly recommend that you first read it. This is a complex and tortuous topic, Microsoft has created a lot of jungle in it, but we still tried to present it as simply and clearly as possible. Thus, deception may lie not only in the authenticity of the OS keys, but also in the type of licenses (in particular, free trial ones) to which these keys provide access. So it is necessary to have at least a basic understanding of the types of Windows licenses.

Non-activated, pirated and licensed Windows

OS from Microsoft in the context of its activation can be divided into three types:

Not activated;
Activated pirate;
Activated license.

Unactivated Windows- This is an OS limited by certain capabilities. In Win7, this is a black desktop and psychologically pressing notifications that we have become a victim of software counterfeiting. In Win8.1, this is the inability to choose a color for the start screen and the activation window that appears every 4 hours. In Win10, this is to block all personalization settings. A universal way for all versions to find out whether the system is activated or not is the control panel. Press Win+Pause on the keyboard and look at the “Windows Activation” column. If there is activation, we will see it.

If there is no activation, then this.

Or this, if Win7 is used within a monthly trial period.

An activated system will be listed as such regardless of the activation method - pirated or legal.

Activated pirated Windows externally and functionally no different from a legally activated system. Unless, of course, we are talking about a system installed from a clean distribution and a separate activation stage using, for example, a KMS activator.

If a third-party build of Windows is initially supplied activated, its functionality may be interfered with - something is cut out, something is disabled, something (including malicious) is additionally installed. About all the pros and cons of pirated assemblies. Disadvantages of pirated activation:

It may fly off periodically;

Activator files and processes are blocked by antiviruses;

Its detection by the competent authorities will result in prosecution - civil, administrative or even criminal. As well as, we read the practice of courts on the website of judicial decisions of the Russian Federation. We go to the website http://judicial decisions.rf. And in the “Document text” field we enter a key query, for example, “Windows KMS”.

Note: I especially recommend reading the judicial practice in cases of copyright infringement of developers in your spare time to all those “smart guys” who, in the comments of the site, insult those who have chosen the path of using paid licensed software.

Activated licensed Windows is a legitimate way to use it that will allow us to sleep peacefully at night. And not to be afraid of any inspections by the competent authorities if we use the system for our individual entrepreneurs or head any structural unit of the company.

So, genuine and pirated Windows are indistinguishable in appearance and functionality. How to understand which one we are dealing with?

Windows Authenticity Stickers

You can find out whether Windows is licensed or not by looking at the authenticity stickers on the computer device. What are these stickers? This:

Certificate of Authenticity (COA) - a sticker on the PC case, on the bottom of the laptop or inside its battery compartment, and also inside the latter on Surface tablets;

The GML sticker is a hologram sticker with changing colors depending on the viewing angle, introduced in September 2017, the sticking locations are the same as for COA.

If the license key was purchased separately from the device, by purchasing a boxed version of Windows - an installation DVD or flash drive, authenticity stickers must be on their packaging, respectively. For boxed versions, the same types of stickers are used,

as for device cases - certificate of authenticity (COA) and holograms.

How to find out if Windows is licensed using the command line

If the seller of a used computer swears that he is selling it with licensed Windows, if a new device is bought from a store with a reputation hitherto unknown to us, the authenticity of the OS can be verified by asking to enter something into the command line. We run it as administrator. And enter:

slmgr –ato

If the activation is pirated, we will see something like this message in the script window that appears.

Or something like this message.

But if the system is genuine, we will see in the script the inscription “Activation completed successfully.”

In addition to the direct activation message in the script window, it is also important to pay attention to the edition of Windows. If the title of the edition contains the addition “Eval”, for example, “EnterpriseSEval”, alas, such authenticity of activation is of little use.

How to find out if Windows is licensed using the task scheduler or how pirated activators work

It should be noted that the latest operating systems from Microsoft (Windows 8.1, 10) have a fairly strong mechanism for protecting against activation by pirated means, and at the moment there are only a few activators capable of activating the above-mentioned OS, the most famous is KMSAuto Net. But it works very simply and can be easily detected in the system. KMSAuto Net creates a folder at the address: C:\ProgramData\KMSAutoS and places its files in it.

To constantly reactivate the OS, he is also forced to create his own task in the scheduler.

One time, a friend brought me a laptop with Windows 10 installed and activated.

and asked if the system was licensed. I stupidly opened the command line and entered the command already familiar to you: slmgr –ato, the result was very eloquent.

Then I opened the planner and showed my friend the task I had createdKMSAuto Net. The questions disappeared by themselves.

How to check Windows 7 for authenticity

If you are faced with the task of determining the authenticity of Windows 7, then first of all look at the sticker with the license key on the PC case or on the bottom of the laptop; if there is none, then the task becomes many times more complicated, since this OS has a weak mechanism for protecting against activation by pirated tools . If you ask this question on the official Microsoft website, you will be advised to install update KB971033, created specifically for OS authentication, but for example, this update is installed on this PC,

and the system was activated by a pirate activator and I will prove this to you a little later.

You may also be advised to enter on the command line: slmgr.vbs /dli, but the message “License status: has a license” does not prove anything.

Also at the office. The Microsoft website will advise you to download the tool MGADiag.exe

providing detailed information about the authenticity of Windows, but often it will also not be able to distinguish a pirated OS from a licensed one, as in our case. The utility produces the result "V alidation status - Genuine" or "Verification status - Genuine".

In the "Licensing" window you can see the partial product key - 7TP9F and "License Status: Licensed".

But the key YKHFT-KW986-GK4PY-FDWYH-7TP9F can be on Win 7 installed on Acer laptops, but not on Win 7 installed on a regular desktop computer,

I always come across him on pirate sevens. This key is installed by the pirated activation program Windows 7 Loader by DaZ Activator or Windows7 ULoader 8.0.0.0.

A real license key will not be “Googled” at all, since information about it should not be on the Internet.

Trial Windows

Trial Windows - editions of Win10 Enterprise and offered on the Microsoft Evaluation Center website, which can be tested for free for 90 days - are completely legal systems. You can also add trial Win8.1 Enterprise to them; it is no longer available for download on the Evaluation Center website, but it can be found on the network, in particular. And, of course, the activation verification team will show that everything is fine with them. But this order will be temporary.

Evaluation builds are activated for 90 days with a temporary Evalution license activation key. If such an assembly is installed on the computers of the company’s system administrators, there is no need to be afraid of any inspections by the competent authorities. Everything is legal here. It is also completely legal, because there is no direct prohibition, after 90 days you can cancel the Evalution license and use the system for another 90 days. And then another 90 days (activation is reset only three times). Well, then you can reinstall the system. Trial Evalution editions are the optimal solution for those who still reinstall the OS at least once a year. It is illegal if we are not an IT employee of the company and will use such an Evaluation assembly for commerce or leisure. But this solution is definitely better than pirated activation – both in terms of technical aspects and in terms of legal liability.

So, there is nothing wrong with trial Evalution editions if they are not trying to sell them to us as a full-fledged system with a perpetual license. In addition to the method shown in the previous paragraph of the article, you can also identify the Evalution edition by the watermark in the lower right corner of the screen with an inscription in the form of a countdown to the end of the 90-day period. But such inscriptions are very easily removed by software like . We can make sure that we are dealing with an Evalution license and see the number of days remaining until the end of the 90-day period using the same command line. We run it as administrator. Enter:

slmgr.vbs/dli

And look at the information.

Documents on Windows

What documents confirm the authenticity of a Windows product key? Evidence of legal use of the OS is:

An email from the seller of the electronic key - Microsoft itself or an online store. This letter specifically states the key. The system should be activated by him;

Sales receipts, invoices, acceptance certificates and similar documents from OEM suppliers for OEM devices. Without these documents, there will be a violation of the Microsoft licensing procedure in terms of failure to comply with the terms of use of the OEM license.

So, friends, buying OEM computers written off and stolen by company employees, as well as purchasing cheap OEM keys on eBay, is not the best solution. It is undoubtedly better than KMS activators and Evalution builds of Windows, but it is not a panacea for problems with inspection bodies.

You might be interested in reading about this topic.

Large corporations are fighting piracy every hour. And we are not talking about robbery on sea routes. Copyright infringement on the Internet remains a serious issue. Despite the fact that many users prefer licensed programs, some still receive a notification on their PC that Windows 7 has not been authenticated.

Microsoft against piracy

The corporation has conducted research on this topic more than once and continues to fight the problem. In 2011, it was announced that piracy caused $63.4 billion in losses to the company. More than $3 billion did not reach the corporation due to Russian users who implemented the software bypassing the copyright holder.

Microsoft representatives are convinced that the law is not the main driver in the fight against copyright infringement. It is much more important to carry out educational activities, which is what the corporation is doing. Representatives of the company try to inform users of various types of technological, financial) when installing pirated software.

But the corporation cannot keep track of everyone. Therefore, it tries to run automatic authentication of a copy of Windows 7 in order to warn the user about the installed unlicensed version of the system.

operating system

Windows 7 is an operating system developed by Microsoft. It was first sold in 2009. Until 2017, this OS was the leader in the number of users. By the end of last year, the Seven's share was 26%. Now she ranks second after the “Ten”.

Examination

What happens when the system is authenticated? Windows 7 and any other version are paid operating systems. But many of us know where and how we can get free packs that can be easily installed on our PC ourselves. In this case, of course, the user is unlikely to check whether the version installed via Torrent from an unknown source is licensed.

But there are also cases when suddenly a notification appears that the copy of Windows 7 has not passed authentication, but the user is sure that he bought and installed a licensed version.

So, if you are not sure that your OS or software from Microsoft is real, you can check it. The system independently searches and confirms the activation result. It also conducts special diagnostics that can reveal whether a hack was carried out or one of the components was tampered with.

Process

How to authenticate Windows 7? There are special services for this that can scan the system online. For example, Microsoft Genuine Advantage. You can also do this in other ways.

If you are just purchasing a computer, and the store convinces you that the package includes a licensed version of the OS, you should not blindly believe it. Take a closer look at the system unit or laptop case. Since not all devices have an operating system installed right away, manufacturers try to highlight this point with a sticker as an advantage.

The sticker says which version is installed inside. It also shows the key and assembly. But what if you buy a device without an OS, but ask the store to install it? How does Windows 7 authenticate in this case?

Identification by key

After the store downloads the new OS for you, a key will appear in one of the system sections. To view it, you need to go to “My Computer”. Afterwards, you need to left-click on the free area and select “Properties”. A new dialog box will open containing all the information about the computer.

This shows the system processor, video card, amount of RAM, etc. At the very bottom there is information about the OS. Most sellers, when installing an operating system on a PC, then hand over the key to the buyer. In case of any unforeseen circumstances or problems, the user will be able to restore Windows functionality.

The information in the dialog box will need to be checked against what they give you in the store. The keys must match sign to sign. It will immediately say that the system is activated.

Piracy in action

It just so happens that during its existence, Windows 7 has received a huge number of copies that are considered illegal. They are still distributed on various sites. When the user finds a build that is successful for himself, he creates a bootable USB flash drive and can transfer it to his friends. All this, of course, is illegal, but can almost never be verified.

So-called hackers have long learned to “break” the license and create their own versions, which are supplemented with advertising, affiliate programs, and sometimes viruses. And if the pack is really high quality, then it will pass the authentication test. In this case, you can still try to check Windows 7 for originality.

To do this, just go back to “My Computer” and click LMB, selecting “Properties” from the list. Very often in pirated versions you cannot find the “Activation” line. The key to the OS may not be indicated here, and in the corner it will be written that the version has not passed the test.

System update

Some users also believe that Windows 7 authentication can be achieved through a system update. This is not always an effective method, but very often it indicates a pirated OS.

To update, you need to launch the Update Center and activate all the required processes. The system will begin downloading all the necessary upgrades, and then restart the computer. Along with this process, the computer also starts OS authentication. If a pirated version is installed on your PC, then you will receive a corresponding notification.

Disabling verification

Again, it is important to recall that using licensed software is not only a “plus to karma”, but also payment for the developers. In addition, copyright infringement is punishable by law. As mentioned above, piracy has legal, technological and financial aspects.

But if you have already decided to “sin” and installed a non-original product, then sooner or later you will be faced with the fact that notifications will interfere with your work. How to remove Windows 7 authentication to get rid of annoying messages, black screens and system crashes? There are several ways:

Local security policy.
Manual blocking.
Activation.

Security policy

To disable automatic OS authentication, you need to go to the Local Security Policy menu. To do this, go to “Control Panel” through “Start”. A list will open in which you need to find the “Security System” menu. In it we find “Administration” and the section we need.

Now you will need to specify the path to the system document: “C:\Windows\System32\Wat\WatAdminSvc.exe” (without quotes). Next you need to disable the security level and create another hash rule. For it you need to specify the path to another document: “C:\Windows\System32\Wat\WatUX.exe”. We disable the security level again and you can reboot the system.

Manual lock

To ensure that Windows 7 authentication no longer interferes with your work, you can manually block it. To do this, disable the antivirus program and the Firewall, and then you can begin the process itself.

Through “Start” go to “Control Panel”. In the list of sections we look for “Update Center”. There will be several options on the left. You need to select “View Log”. A long list will appear in which you need to find the update for Microsoft with the code KB971033. It needs to be removed.

Activation

If you installed the operating system from the Internet, then most likely the package contained a special software activator. If for some reason the so-called pirated “license” fails, you can run this utility and it will generate a key itself.

If there is no such program, you can install it. Among popular activators, users note Chew7 or Daz. These are custom programs that are named by the nicknames of their developers. To use them, you will still have to block authentication using one of the methods described above.

Today we will talk to you about what Windows 7 authentication is, as well as possible options for bypassing this system. In addition, let's take a look at some of the pitfalls that may appear while working in Windows.

What is this?

But first, let's look at what Windows 7 authentication is. Probably, almost every modern user has heard of this concept. If not, then now we will find out what this process is.

Authentication is nothing more than confirming that your Windows is licensed. In other words, activation or a method for detecting pirated copies. If you are using a non-licensed version, then it is better to think about how to disable Windows 7 authentication. Otherwise, minor problems with your computer may occur. More precisely, with the operating system. Let's try to figure out why we should be so “afraid” of this process.

Why is it scary?

If you are using a purchased version of the Windows operating system, then, of course, you do not need to be afraid of our today's process. The situation is different with the so-called pirates. For them, this phenomenon can be not only unpleasant, but also somewhat dangerous.

Windows 7 authentication now requires you to authenticate multiple times. Everyone can bypass the first collision - this is the so-called activation of the operating system. It usually pops up during the installation process. Activation failed - 30 days, and the computer is locked! And no problems.

But the second Windows 7 authentication is a more unpleasant “thing”. Sometimes the user may not even suspect that his computer is going through this process. Instead, a person turns on his computer one fine day, and instead of a desktop he sees a black screen. In the lower right corner there is a message about a failed verification. It won't work like that. And there is a high probability of losing some data. Therefore, many people think about how to disable Windows 7 authentication. Let's try to figure out what to do.

Honest way

Let's start with perhaps the most simple and common points. This is about activating your operating system. There are a huge number of options here. Let's see what needs to be done so that Windows 7 authentication is not scary for you.

So, the first method, which is not particularly pleasing to the modern user, is purchasing a license. This pleasure is not so little. And if you take into account the fact that now there are dangerous viruses everywhere that can “break” the operating system, then the desire to buy Windows disappears completely. It won’t be particularly convenient every time problems arise to take your computer (okay, if it’s a laptop) to a service center so that they can reinstall the system in a few days. Thus, users are not very often inclined towards this scenario. Advanced people were looking for ways to avoid purchasing, and also not run into problems with activation. And now they have been found.

If you decide to use the operating system only for home use, without using any licensed or important programs, then you can use the “pirated” version. Not the best option, but many users stick to it. Let's get to know him a little better.

Activation

Windows 7 authentication on first encounter can be easily passed. Especially if you already have an installation disk and a connection to the World Wide Web. Make sure you have the so-called activator for Windows in advance.

As a rule, this program will come bundled with a pirated installation disk of the operating system. True, you can download the By Daz crack in advance. Be sure to look at what bit depth (number of bits) this or that version of this activator is suitable for. Now let's see how to use it.

When installing the operating system, select the trial version, without activation. Don't worry, access to the system will not be closed after 30 days. Wait for the process to complete and then launch the By Daz application. Now you will need to select the brand of your processor, as well as the bitness of the operating system. After that, click on the "Install" button. When a message about successful installation pops up, simply close the window and restart your computer. That's all. Now you can't say that your Windows 7 is authenticated. As a rule, when using a crack, this function is simply disabled. Quite convenient. But there is one little surprise for the pirates, which appeared not so long ago. Let's get to know him too.

Underwater rocks

Okay, we took the dishonest route and activated the operating system. For the time being, you can use it without any problems. True, if you don’t know about Microsoft’s little trick, most likely you will end up working with the activated copy in about a few days.

It's all about the so-called update center. This application turned out to be painfully tricky. The fact is that when you use it, Windows 7 authentication is updated. That is, an unsuspecting user downloads the next update package, restarts the computer, and in response receives a message that his computer has not passed the authentication check.

Frankly, Microsoft's idea is pretty good. True, not for modern “pirates”. They found several ways to bypass this system. Let's see what can be done in this situation.

How to get around

Since the update center downloads some files for us, we can simply not install them. This will prevent the Windows 7 authentication update from penetrating the system. What should I do for this? There are several options here. The first method is not to download any “updates” (except for drivers, and signed ones) to the computer. This way you will definitely not run into a problem. You can disable automatic file scanning, as well as installation without user knowledge. Want to update something? You went to the update center yourself, started checking, ticked only what you needed, and then installed it. No problem.

True, there is another option for the development of events. The thing is that you can disable Windows 7 authentication by deleting a specific file responsible for this process. In the Update Center, find KB971033, and then simply delete it. Remember this name and do not download it for yourself. That's all. Now you know that Windows 7 authentication isn't that scary.

On the screens of those computers that use an unactivated version of Windows 7 or the activation failed after the update, the following message is displayed: "Your copy of Windows is not genuine" or a message of similar meaning. Let's figure out how to remove the annoying notification from the screen, that is, disable authentication.

There are two options for disabling authentication in Windows 7. Which one to use depends on the user's personal preferences.

Method 1: Editing the Security Policy

One of the options for solving this problem is to edit the security policy.

Click "Start" and go to "Control Panel".

Open section "System and safety".

Follow the inscription "Administration".

A list of tools will open in which you should find and select "Local politics...".

The Security Policy Editor will open. Right click ( RMB) by folder name "Restricted Use Policy..." and from the context menu select "Create a policy...".

After this, a number of new objects will appear on the right side of the window. Go to the directory "Additional Rules".

Click RMB on an empty space in the directory that opens and select the option from the context menu “Create a hash rule...”.

The rule creation window opens. Click the button "Review…".

A standard file opening window opens. In it you need to go to the following address:
C:\Windows\System32\Wat

In the directory that opens, select the file called "WatAdminSvc.exe" and press "Open".

After completing these steps, you will be returned to the rule creation window. In his field "File Information" The name of the selected object will be displayed. From the dropdown list "Security level" select value "Forbidden", and then press "Apply" And "OK".

The created object will appear in the directory "Additional Rules" V "Security Policy Editor". To create the next rule, click again RMB on an empty space in the window and select “Create a hash rule...”.

Again, in the rule creation window that opens, click "Review…".

Go to the same folder called "Wat" at the address given above. This time select the file with the name "WatUX.exe" and press "Open".

Again, when you return to the rule creation window, the name of the selected file will be displayed in the corresponding area. Again, select the element from the security level selection drop-down list "Forbidden", and then press "Apply" And "OK".

The second rule has been created, which means that OS authentication will be disabled.

Method 2: Deleting files

The problem posed in this article can also be solved by deleting some system files responsible for the verification procedure. But before that, you should temporarily disable the standard antivirus, "Windows Firewall", remove one of the updates and deactivate a specific service, since otherwise problems may occur when deleting the specified OS objects.

After you have deactivated your antivirus and "Windows Firewall", go to the section already familiar from the previous method "System and safety" V "Control Panels". This time open the section "Update centre".

A window opens "Update Center". Click on the inscription on the left side of it "Viewing the log...".

In the window that opens, click on the inscription to go to the update removal tool "Installed updates".

A list of all updates installed on your computer will open. You need to find an element in it KB971033. To make your search easier, click on the column title "Name". This will list all updates in alphabetical order. Search in a group "Microsoft Windows".

Having found the desired update, select it and click on the inscription "Delete".

A dialog box will open where you need to confirm the removal of the update by clicking on the button "Yes".

After the update is removed, you need to disable the service "Software Protection". To do this, go to the section "Administration" V "Control Panels", which has already been discussed when considering Method 1. Open element "Services".

Starts "Service Manager". Here, just as when deleting updates, you can arrange the list items in alphabetical order for ease of finding the desired object by clicking on the column name "Name". Having found the name , select it and click "Stop" on the left side of the window.

The service responsible for software protection will be stopped.

Now you can proceed directly to deleting files. Open "Conductor" and go to the following address:
C:\Windows\System32

If the display of hidden and system files is disabled, then you must first enable it, otherwise you simply will not find the necessary objects.
In the directory that opens, find two files with a very long name. Their names begin with "7B296FB0". There won't be any more objects like this, so you can't go wrong. Click on one of them RMB and select "Delete".

After the file is deleted, do the same procedure with the second object.

Then return to "Service Manager", select the object "Software Protection" and press "Run" on the left side of the window.

The service will be activated.

Next, do not forget to enable the previously deactivated antivirus and "Windows Firewall".

As you can see, if your system activation has failed, then it is possible to disable the annoying Windows message by deactivating authentication. This can be done by setting a security policy or by deleting some system files. If necessary, everyone can choose the most convenient option for themselves.

The Windows 7 operating system has a certain feature with which Microsoft is trying to combat the spread of unlicensed copies of the OS. This function is called authentication; the authentication procedure involves matching the PC hardware profile with the installed product key contained in the certificate of authenticity. In the event that Windows fails authentication, the system will continually display a reminder that this version of Windows is not genuine. Such reminders will appear when you log in and on the desktop, in addition, the desktop background image will change to a black background every hour. Also, you will not be able to download and install any Windows updates on your computer, except for OS security updates.

So what should you do if the following message begins to appear on your desktop: Your copy of Windows is not genuine?

Many people try to solve this problem using third-party programs, but it will be much more convenient and safer to disable Windows authentication using the standard tools of the Windows 7 operating system. Below are instructions on how to do this.

Open Control Panel and select Administration.

In the window Administration find the item Local Security Policy.

In the next window, find the item and right-click on it. In the context menu you need to select the item Create a Software Restriction Policy.

After this, in the section Software Restriction Policies Two new sub-items should appear: Security levels And Additional rules. Open the item Additional rules, right-click on the free space on the right side of the local security policy window and select the item from the context menu Create a hash rule.

Next, a window will open in which you need to click on the button Review and specify the path to the following file: C:\Windows\System32\Wat\WatAdminSvc.exe. In line Security level install Forbidden and press Apply.

Click the button Apply and make sure that the rules are created and are in the section Additional rules.

That's all, now all that remains is to restart the computer for the changes made to take effect. After a reboot, authentication will no longer occur, and problems caused by Windows digital certificate mismatch will also disappear. However, keep in mind that if authentication is disabled, the operating system will not be able to automatically download security updates. However, this is not so important, because almost all users have an antivirus program on their computer.

And one more important point. You may encounter that the WatUX.exe or WatAdminSvc.exe file is not found on your computer. As a rule, this happens due to activation of the operating system using activator programs. In this case, you will have to roll back the system to the earliest restore point in order to recover the deleted files.

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