How to Delete Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications
Microsoft includes a feature called the "Windows Genuine Advantage" with the Windows operating system. This feature requires you to authenticate the installation of your operating system to cut down on software piracy. The authentication notifications can become quite annoying if you haven't yet authenticated or you went through the process but the notifications didn't stop for some reason. To stop the notifications you only need to manually delete a registry folder and a few files.
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Instructions
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1
Open the "Start" menu and type "Regedit" in the search box. Click the registry editor icon when it pops up in the search results window. Click "Continue" if your computer is running Windows Vista.
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Expand the registry folder labeled "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE" and then open the sub-folder named "Software." Open the "Microsoft," "Windows NT," "CurrentVersion," "Winlogon" and "Notify" sub-folders.
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Locate the sub-folder named "WgaLogon." Right-click the folder and select the "Delete" option. Close the registry editor and restart your computer.
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Click "Start" and type "WGA" in the search field. Delete the "Wgatray.exe," "Wgalogon.dll" and "Wgasetup" files that appear.
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Restart your computer again to finish removing the Windows Genuine Advantage notifications.
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Tips & Warnings
The registry editor is accessed slightly differently if your computer is running Windows XP. Click the "Run" option in the Start menu, type "Regedit" and then tap "Enter."
In Windows XP you need to click the "Search" option in the Start bar instead of directly typing search results in the Start menu.
Avoid deleting or changing any other folders or entries inside the Windows registry editor. The registry values are critical to the operation of your computer, so deleting an incorrect value may cause your operating system to become unstable.
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