ARCHIVED: When I'm outside the state of Indiana, why am I getting a message that my copy of Windows appears to be non-genuine?

This content has been archived, and is no longer maintained by Indiana University. Information here may no longer be accurate, and links may no longer be available or reliable.

Note: Information in this document applies to you only if you meet all the following criteria:

You were a student or employee of Indiana University, or otherwise associated with the university in a way that made you eligible for Microsoft software under the then-current campus agreement, which included access to Windows XP Professional.
You obtained the Windows XP Professional operating system, and entered the license key in use for the IU-Microsoft agreement around the year 2001 or 2002.
You are outside the state of Indiana when you get the message.

If you do not meet all the above criteria, you are getting the error message for a different reason; do not use the information in this document.

Important: As of April 8, 2014, Microsoft no longer supports Windows XP with security updates. To ensure the highest security standards, the UITS Support Center no longer registers Windows XP devices to the IU network. UITS strongly recommends that you look into the options for replacing or upgrading your Windows XP computers for full compatibility with IU systems. See About end of life for Windows 8.0, 7, Vista, and XP.

Problem description

You will get a pop-up message in the notification area on your Taskbar saying that your copy of Windows "appears to be non-genuine". You will also notice that, when you visit Microsoft's download sites (e.g., the Windows Update page), you can get only critical security updates.

You will not be denied entry into non-Microsoft sites, nor will you experience any connectivity problems. If you do, you have a completely different problem that is not addressed in this document.

Why this happens

On July 15, 2007, Microsoft blocked access to non-critical Microsoft downloads for Windows XP Professional users who installed their operating system using a pirated CD key that was published in various locations on the Internet. In order to contain the spread of the pirated CD key beyond IU users, the Microsoft block causes all users connecting from outside Indiana and accessing Microsoft's download sites to fail the Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) validation test. As a result, Microsoft's web site allows access only to critical security updates.

If you connect to Microsoft's site from within the state of Indiana, you won't have this problem.

Note: This activation key block affects only your ability to pass the WGA test and get voluntary, non-critical, non-security updates from Microsoft. It will also cause a pop-up message to display regularly from the notification area in your Taskbar. It will not affect your ability to access the Internet or any other network, nor will it interfere with any of the functions of your computer.

Solving the problem

The key block is not intended to disrupt the operations of XP users who have not pirated the software. Unfortunately, because it's not possible to tell who is using a particular key, the block will inevitably affect some legitimate users. If you acquired the software legitimately under the terms of the IU-Microsoft agreement, you have the following options:

If possible, wait until you are back in Indiana. The reminder message and the block from non-critical Microsoft downloads will disappear once you connect from within the state.
If you are not coming back to Indiana soon or at all, contact the Support Center in Bloomington or Indianapolis for help. You'll be given information on how to determine if your version of Windows is affected by this, and, if it is, instructions for resolving the issue.