# How to get rid of the newest WGA crapware

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-rid-of-the-newest-wga-crapware/364242>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [July 12, 2006, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-rid-of-the-newest-wga-crapware/364242 "2006-07-12T21:30:35Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\
**Post date:** [July 12, 2006, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-rid-of-the-newest-wga-crapware/364242/1 "2006-07-12T21:30:35Z")

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There was a thread here in MPSIMS a few weeks ago about the newest version of Windows Genuine Advantage Notification and how it royally fucks over your computer. Unfortunately, I had downloaded it about 20 minutes before I saw that thread. I figured it couldn’t be that bad.

I was wrong.

It took about a week, but then my computer started crashing. Sometimes I’d get the Blue Screen of Death[sup]TM[/sup], sometimes it would just freeze up, sometimes the screen would go completely black. Sometimes it wouldn’t happen for a few days, sometimes it’d be several times a day. I did some Google searching and found this:

[http://www.firewallleaktester.com/tools/RemoveWGA.exe](http://www.firewallleaktester.com/tools/RemoveWGA.exe)

It got rid of it completely after one reboot. I checked **Add/Remove Programs** and it’s not there anymore. It’s also popped back up for downloading on Microsoft’s update site (yeah, not making that mistake again).

Anyway, I just wanted to spread the word.