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Is it possible to disable Windows 7 Validation on a standalone PC? RRS feed

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    Hello,

    I'd like to configure Windows 7 on a standalone PC that will be used in an industrial environment and won't be connected to the Internet (or any network). The Windows 7 installation will be activated in the usual way, but once the application software has been installed, the PC will be "locked down" and the configuration will be frozen.

    Is it possible to disable Windows 7 Validation so that the PC doesn't attempt to contact Microsoft every 90 days? What happens if the PC is unable to contact Microsoft? According to the Genuine Microsoft software privacy statement, "these tools are designed to be a permanent part of the Microsoft software", so it's not clear if they can be disabled without causing problems - hence, my question.

    Thank you.

    Robert Stroud

    Monday, May 20, 2013 9:59 PM

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    Is it possible to disable Windows 7 Validation so that the PC doesn't attempt to contact Microsoft every 90 days

    the WAT update kb971033 is what contacts Microsoft every 90 days. it is an optional update so you can uninstall it. but as Cary says if there is no internet connection there is no check.

     if there is no check for a certain period of time, Windows will go into some kind of degraded mode of operation (e.g. black desktop) or start popping up notification messages.

    to the best of my knowledge that won't happen. 

    Thursday, May 23, 2013 11:18 AM
    Answerer

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    Windows 7 will only perform a validation check if it senses an activate internet or network connection.  If none exists, there will be no check.

    Carey Frisch

    Tuesday, May 21, 2013 2:54 PM
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    Windows 7 will only perform a validation check if it senses an activate internet or network connection.  If none exists, there will be no check.

    Carey Frisch

    Thank you - that's reassuring. Can you tell me anything about the service or task that is responsible for making this validation check? Is it something we can disable as part of our initial "lock down" to avoid unnecessary background activity?

    Best wishes,

    Robert Stroud

    Thursday, May 23, 2013 7:50 AM
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    Windows 7 will only perform a validation check if it senses an activate internet or network connection.  If none exists, there will be no check.

    Carey Frisch

    Thank you - that's reassuring. [...]

    On second thoughts, one of my concerns is that if there is no check for a certain period of time, Windows will go into some kind of degraded mode of operation (e.g. black desktop) or start popping up notification messages. Can you guarantee that this won't happen?

    Thank you,

    Robert Stroud

    Thursday, May 23, 2013 8:12 AM
  • Question
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    Is it possible to disable Windows 7 Validation so that the PC doesn't attempt to contact Microsoft every 90 days

    the WAT update kb971033 is what contacts Microsoft every 90 days. it is an optional update so you can uninstall it. but as Cary says if there is no internet connection there is no check.

     if there is no check for a certain period of time, Windows will go into some kind of degraded mode of operation (e.g. black desktop) or start popping up notification messages.

    to the best of my knowledge that won't happen. 

    Thursday, May 23, 2013 11:18 AM
    Answerer
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    As I said previously, if there is no active internet connection, there will be no validation check.  If you attempt to disable anything related to Windows licensing, you will likely encounter a non-genuine notification.  So, leave well enough alone.

    Carey Frisch

    Friday, May 24, 2013 3:03 AM
    Moderator