It's baaaaack: WGA reappears on XP by design, Microsoft says

Although users can tell Windows XP to ignore updates to Microsoft's antipiracy technology, Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) Notifications will be offered again the next time the component is upgraded, the company said today.

WGA Notifications, which was updated last month, cannot be permanently removed from the Windows Update list as a potential download, said David Lazar, director of Microsoft's Genuine Windows program, in an e-mail interview. That's true, even if Automatic Updates (AU) is set to the most restrictive posture of checking for updates but letting the user choose whether to download and install them -- and the Hide update option is selected. "When there is a new release, such as there was Feb. 21, the update will be offered," said Lazar. "If you refuse the installation, and tell AU not to notify again, it will not be offered again until the next new release, generally 90-120 days. This is a standard approach with AU, not a new policy."

Some users must have missed the memo; several have posted messages on official Microsoft newsgroups commenting on the reappearance of WGA Notifications.