Loads. I’ve just been setting up a couple of new laptops and there was an initial round of updates, including WGA, then a whole bunch more that were not offered the first time. Same thing for Office updates on Microsoft Update.
Supposedly they’re non-critical updates - so they’ll be addressing functionality and stability, rather than security, I expect.
I just installed KB955839 “December 2008 cumulative time zone update for Microsoft Windows operating systems” and it required me to install the Genuine Advantage Validation Tool first.
But is it really a condition, or do they simply come in groups and some are cumulative and can only happen after some of the previous updates have been done (possibly with a restart in between)? Internet explorer updates probably work like that. Just because they didn’t appear before doesn’t mean they are WGA dependent (IE probably still is, right?).
Just realised - we’ve been talking somewhat at cross-purposes. I never use automatic updates - I turn it off and schedule a visit to the Microsoft Update site at least once a month. On the Microsoft/Windows Update websites, WGA is absolutely required - it’s a first step before you can even get to the bit where you scan for updates.
As far as updates being conditional -everything I have read on the subject (including the WGA FAQ on Microsoft’s site says that critical updates are still available to non-validated machines, but many non-security-critical updates are not.