4 Ways To Fix "You may be a victim of software counterfeiting" Error in Windows

One day, you were using your windows machine normally and then suddenly you see "You may be a victim of software counterfeiting" or "This version of windows is not genuine" message on your desktop and wallpaper turns black. This must be traumatizing, right? The messages appear when you are not using a licensed copy of Windows operating system. In background Microsoft occasionally checks the authenticity of your license using WAG (Windows Genuine Advantage) on your machine. So it is always recommended to install the genuine copy of Windows to get rid of most of the common errors.

The best solution to fix You may be a victim of software counterfeiting error is installing the genuine copy of Windows operating system. It not only prevent these unexpected issues but it also increases your overall security. Since support and updates are no longer available for Windows XP and Windows 7, immediately update to Windows 10 for security reasons if you haven't already.

We have 4 simple ways to fix you may be a victim of software counterfeiting error message on your Windows operated laptop or desktop.

How To Fix You May Be A Victim of Software Counterfeiting Error in Windows

With Windows updates, Microsoft installs Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) on your system. This WGA validates your Windows license. You are facing "You may be a victim of software counterfeiting" error because Windows is unable to validate the license. You either have a pirated version of Windows or your registry of Windows is corrupted. We have got this covered for you in both the cases. Just follow the methods below and the error will be solved.

Also Read: Fix Keyboard typing wrong characters problem in Windows 10 PC or Laptop

Method 1: Re-Activating Windows

Reactivating the Windows will fix "You may be a victim of software counterfeiting" error message if you have a genuine copy of Windows installed.

Some of the third party software might have corrupted your Windows license and you need to just re-verify the license key to get rid of this error.

You'll be needing a 25 character Windows Activation License Key which may be available on the Installation DVD.

Reactivating Windows to fix You may be a victim of software counterfeiting error. 

1. Right-click on My Computer icon
2. Select Properties.
3. Click Change Product Key under Window Activation settings.
4. Enter your 25 character activation key.
5. Click Continue to activate Windows and it will fix the software counterfeiting error automatically.

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Method 2: Removing WgaLogon Files and Folder

If you don't have a genuine copy of Windows and using a pirated version then this method is for you (get the genuine copy to support developers and to protect your data).

The registry files of pirated Windows must have been noticed by the WGA updates and certainly, it is the cause of the error.

Steps by step guide to solve "You may be a victim of software counterfeiting error" in Windows.

1. Press CTRL + SHIFT + ESC to open task manager.
2. Click on the Processes tab.
3. Right-click on Wgtray.exe process and select End task.
4. Restart your PC in Safe Mode. To launch PC in safe mode, press F8 key as soon as PC boots up.
5. Now you need to unhide all the hidden files and folder on your desktop. To do this Go to Start, open Control Panel, and select Folder Options.
6. Select View and then click on Show Hidden Files and Folders.
7. Navigate to C: -> Windows -> System32 folder and search for files containing "WGA" in their name. You may see files like "Wgatray.exe", "Wgalogon.dd",  "Wgasetup.exe" etc. Delete all such files (also from Recycle Bin). 
8. Now Press Windows + R to open Run Window. Type "regedit" and hit Enter.
9. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, then to Software.
10. Click on Microsoft and then Windows NT.
11. Select CurrentVersion and then Winlogon.
12. Delete the folder Wgalogon and all its contents.
13. Restart your computer in normal mode.

That's it, you will no longer face the "You may be a victim of software counterfeiting" error.

Method 3: Remove WGA Software

Now if you found the above method to remove the error somehow difficult, then this method is a lot easy for you. RemoveWGA tool will not touch the registry files, it will just stop the error notification messages. This means that WGA certificate will continue to say that Windows copy is not legit but you will get rid of error notifications. Follow these steps to fix the software counterfeiting error.

• Download the RemoveWGA and install in on your Windows machine.
• Turn off your Anti-virus for a while and run the application.
• Open the RemoveWGA tool and click Disable WGA button.
• Restart your Windows machine once the process is finished.

This is extremely easy and effective method. However, it just turns off the notification of "You may be a victim of software counterfeiting" error. It doesn't make your Windows a genuine copy. This is a small tool which helps you to permanently get rid of the software counterfeiting error.

Also Read: How To Find MAC Address on iPhone, iPad or iPod

Method 4: Restoring Last Windows Information

If everything fails and you are still not able to resolve "You may be a victim of software counterfeiting" issue. Then you can restore a copy of last saved data files of Windows. This step will load all the files of previously saved Windows restore point.

Follow the steps below to load saved Restore Points on your computer and fix the software counterfeiting issue.

1. Right-click on My Computer and select Properties.
2. Click System Protection and select System Restore.
3. Select the oldest Restore Point for the Windows before which you started starting receiving the software counterfeiting error.
4. Windows machine will reboot to restore the files.
5. Once the reboot is completed, "You may be a victim of software counterfeiting" error is fixed automatically.

Final Words

Although it is always advised to use a genuine copy of software and products to support the developers and have an optimum user experience. Yet, if you are using a pirated copy of Windows then the methods explained above will certainly remove the "You may be a victim of software counterfeiting" or "Your windows copy is not registered"errors. Prepare yourself to purchase genuine Windows license to reduce the risk of ransomware attacks.