Description of the Office Genuine Advantage Notifications application

Article ID: 949810 - View products that this article applies to.
Notice
The Office Genuine Advantage (“OGA”) program has been retired. For more information about the benefits of genuine Office, please visit the following website:

Benefits of genuine Office
(http://office.microsoft.com/ll-cc/redir/en-us/HA010205597.aspx )

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INTRODUCTION

This article describes the Microsoft Office Genuine Advantage Notifications application. This application notifies you if a copy of Office is not genuine.
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MORE INFORMATION

The Office Genuine Advantage Notifications application is part of a Microsoft effort to reduce piracy. Installing this software will help you confirm that the copy of Office that is installed on a computer is genuine and correctly licensed. Obtaining and using pirated software can pose a security threat to organizations and to individuals. Counterfeit software is frequently bundled together with malicious and unwanted software. Malicious software can cause system corruption, a loss of data, and even identity theft.

If your copy of Office is not genuine, the software will provide periodic reminders to help you take the appropriate action and to help protect your system from the security threat that may be posed by counterfeit software.

For more information about how you may have obtained counterfeit software, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
http://www.microsoft.com/genuine
(http://www.microsoft.com/genuine)
To post a question or search message board topics on Office Genuine Advantage Notifications, visit the Microsoft Genuine Advantage Forums (English Only) on the following Microsoft Web site:
http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/selfhelp/support.aspx
(http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/selfhelp/support.aspx)

Notification messages

Notification messages that resemble the following will appear on computers that are running a copy of Office that has failed the Office Genuine Advantage validation process:
  • Program startup
    When you start a non-genuine copy of an Office XP program, of an Office 2003 program, or of a 2007 Office program, you receive a notification message that resembles the following:
    This copy of Microsoft Office is not genuine.

    Please excuse this interruption. This copy of Microsoft Office did not pass validation. Click Learn More for details and for help identifying the best way to get genuine Microsoft Office.
    When you receive a non-genuine notification message, you always have two options:
    • You can click Learn More to view more information about the specific validation failure and about the options that are available to make your copy of Office genuine.
    • You can click Remind Me Later. If you select this option, an icon will be available in the notification area that you can double-click to view more information about the specific validation failure and about the options that you can take to make your copy of Office genuine.
  • Toolbar
    For Office XP and Office 2003 programs, a toolbar is added to the non-genuine program. This toolbar displays a message that resembles the following:
    This copy of Office is not genuine. Click here to learn more.
  • Ribbon
    For 2007 Office programs, a ribbon element is added to the non-genuine program. This ribbon displays a message that resembles the following:
    This copy of Office is not genuine. Click here to learn more.
Note Click the toolbar or the ribbon to read more about the details of the validation failure and about the options that you can take to make your copy of Office genuine.

How to stop notification messages

There is no option to temporarily stop notification messages. To permanently stop notification messages, follow the steps that are given on the Office Genuine Advantage Notifications Web site to make your copy of Office genuine when you are prompted.

Installation of the Office Genuine Advantage Notifications update

The Office Genuine Advantage Notifications update is distributed through Microsoft Update as an optional update or download. The download of this update is not required. You must accept the Microsoft Software License Terms before you install the application. After the Microsoft Software License Terms have been accepted, the Office Genuine Advantage Notifications application will verify that the installed copy of Office is genuine.

If the installed copy of Office is genuine, no additional notification messages are displayed. If the installed copy of Office does not pass the validation check, periodic notification messages are displayed to make you aware of the issue, to give you more detailed information, and to provide the options that you can take to resolve the issue.

You cannot uninstall the Office Genuine Advantage Notifications update

The only way to remove this update is to resolve your non-genuine status. You can use the Add or Remove Programs item in Control Panel to view the Office Genuine Advantage Notifications update. However, you cannot use the Add or Remove Programs item to uninstall the update. This is because pirated software can use the Add or Remove Programs item to remove the Office Genuine Advantage Notifications update. Because this behavior poses a security threat to your computer, the ability to use the Add or Remove Programs item to remove the Office Genuine Advantage Notifications update has been blocked.

Note If you believe that you are a victim of piracy and have unintentionally purchased a non-genuine version of Microsoft Office, you may be eligible to receive a complimentary copy of Microsoft Office by filling out a counterfeit report and submitting the qualifying counterfeit media. For more information, follow these steps:
  1. Visit the following Microsoft Web site:
    http://www.microsoft.com/genuine
    (http://www.microsoft.com/genuine)
  2. Click the Validate Office button.
  3. On the Office Genuine Advantage results page, click Submit a qualifying counterfeit report on the right side of the screen, and then follow the instructions.
For more information about the Office Genuine Advantage program, please visit the following Microsoft Web site:
http://www.microsoft.com/genuine
(http://www.microsoft.com/genuine)
Notes
  • Steps have been taken to make sure that running the Office Genuine Advantage Notifications application does not noticeably affect the performance of your computer. The application runs only when Office is open.
  • After Office Genuine Advantage Notifications is installed, it cannot be removed from the computer. The Microsoft Genuine Advantage privacy statement explains what information is collected, how it is used, and how Microsoft helps protect your privacy. For more information about, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
    http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/downloads/privacyinfo.aspx
    (http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/downloads/privacyinfo.aspx)

Office Genuine Advantage support options

To learn more about the support options that are available for Office Genuine Advantage notifications, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/selfhelp/support.aspx
(http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/selfhelp/support.aspx)
These options include both customer service and technical support.
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Properties

Article ID: 949810 - Last Review: December 17, 2010 - Revision: 4.0
APPLIES TO
  • Microsoft Office Genuine Advantage
  • Microsoft Office Enterprise 2007
  • Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2007
  • Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007
  • Microsoft Office Standard 2007
  • Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007
  • Microsoft Office Small Business 2007
  • Microsoft Office Basic 2007
  • Microsoft Office Professional Edition 2003
  • Microsoft Office Professional Enterprise Edition 2003
  • Microsoft Office Small Business Edition 2003
  • Microsoft Office XP Professional Edition
  • Microsoft Office XP Standard Edition
  • Microsoft Office XP Small Business Edition
Keywords: 
kbvalidation kbregistration kbinstallation kbexpertisebeginner kbinfo KB949810
Retired KB Content Disclaimer
This article was written about products for which Microsoft no longer offers support. Therefore, this article is offered "as is" and will no longer be updated.
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