How to Delete Genuine Warnings from Windows XP

Microsoft Windows XP is a version of the popular PC operating system released by Microsoft in 2001. In Windows XP, the software developer built-in an automated program called Microsoft Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA). The WGA is an anti-piracy system used to guarantee that individuals using the PC have a licensed, registered version of the Windows XP operating system. The Genuine Warnings are activated when the computer accesses the official Microsoft Windws Update website. These annoying genuine warnings can slow down the PC and make updating computer programs a hastle. Thankfully, it's possible to disable the Windows Genuine Advantage Notification program. In this computer and technology guide, I will show you how to delete Genuine Warnings from Windows XP and easily disable your PC's built-in Windows Genuine Advantage warnings. Please note that it is still required to have a registered, licensed version of the Windows software.

First, make sure you make a secure backup of your PC's hard drive. It is very important to make copies of any personal files you have before making system-intensive modifications to the computer. To backup your Windows XP computer, you can use blank CDs/DVDs. If you're more technically literate, you can backup the drive using an external hard drive (e.g. an Apple iPod in Disk Mode), a flash drive or an Internet-based backup service like Mozy.com.

Now, hold down the CTRL-ALT-DELETE keys on the computer keyboard. This will launch the the Microsoft Windows XP Task Manager. Left-click on the program entitled wgatray.exe. Click the End Task button in the lower right-hand corner of the Task Manager window.

Restart the Windows XP computer in Safe Mode. Double-click C:\\Windows\System32 and drag the wgatray.exe file to the Recycle Bin. Open the dllcache folder and drag that copy of the wgatray.exe file to the Recyle Bin, too. Right-click the Recyle Bin and empty its contents to permanently delete the Windows system files.

In the Run program (found in the Windows Start menu), type "regedit.exe" (without quotation marks). This launches the built-in Windows XP registry edit software. Open HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\ Windows NT\CurrentVersion\WinlogonNotify (the folders are listed in a hierarchal format) and delete WGLALOGON and wgatray.exe. Close the window.

Restart the PC and wait for the reboot process to activate all changes you made. The Genuine Warnings in Windows XP are now deleted and all instances of the Genuine Warnings disabled for your Windows XP system.