Office Genuine Advantage (OGA) was a program by
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washing ...
, similar to
Windows Genuine Advantage
Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) is an anti-Copyright infringement, infringement system created by Microsoft that enforces online validation of the licensing of several Microsoft Windows operating systems when accessing several services, such as ...
(WGA), which required users of the
Microsoft Office
Microsoft Office, or simply Office, is the former name of a family of client software, server software, and services developed by Microsoft. It was first announced by Bill Gates on August 1, 1988, at COMDEX in Las Vegas. Initially a marketin ...
software to validate their copy of Microsoft Office to download non-critical updates and other downloads such as addons and samples.
This is different from
Microsoft Product Activation
Microsoft Product Activation is a DRM technology used by Microsoft Corporation in several of its computer software programs, most notably its Windows operating system and its Office productivity suite. The procedure enforces compliance with the ...
in that activation is required to use the software and is enforced at the software level, whereas validation permits users to download files and updates from the Microsoft web site and is Internet-based. Validation rejects those product keys that have either been leaked widely or those key-generated to pass through activation but not validation.
Starting October 27, 2006, users of Office Update were required to validate the legitimacy of their Office software in order to download files and updates.
On April 15, 2008, Microsoft released Office Genuine Advantage Notifications to
Windows Server Update Services
Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), previously known as Software Update Services (SUS), is a computer program and network service developed by Microsoft Corporation that enables administrators to manage the distribution of updates and hot ...
as KB949810.
On December 17, 2010, Microsoft retired Office Genuine Advantage.
The Office Genuine Advantage article on Microsoft support website was updated to reflect this.
References
External links
Genuine Microsoft Software FAQMicrosoft Bringing 'Genuine Advantage' Authentication to OfficeDescription of Microsoft Office 2007 "reduced functionality mode"
Microsoft Office
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