Microsoft has released an update for Internet Explorer 7, dropping the Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) validation for XP users. Users running pirated or counterfeit copies of Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 can now download IE7.
Previously only genuine copies of XP could download and install IE 7. Before Microsoft allows the browser to download, it runs the user's PC through a WGA validation test, a prime part of XP's anti-piracy software.
In a posting to a Microsoft company blog, Steve Reynolds, an IE program manager, explained the reason for the move: "Because Microsoft takes its commitment to help protect the entire Windows ecosystem seriously, we're updating the IE7 installation experience to make it available as broadly as possible to all Windows users." He added, "With today's 'Installation and Availability Update,' Internet Explorer 7 installation will no longer require Windows Genuine Advantage validation and will be available to all Windows XP users."
Microsoft has also made a few small changes to IE 7 including the default visibility of the menu bar and a new, more in-depth tour for first-time users.
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