Complaints about WGA have prompted Microsoft to make several changes since last June. Then, the company reduced the frequency with which the program "phones home" to Microsoft servers as it checks for phony copies.

Previously, Microsoft said it plans to upgrade WGA Notifications every three to four months. The reappearance of the tool on the Windows Update list is part of that.

Once installed, WGA Notifications cannot be removed through Windows XP's Add or Remove Programs Control panel, although the utility shows up there. That, added Lazar, has been the case since last summer; before June, users were able to eliminate Notifications. "The uninstall instructions were provided for the prerelease (pre-June 2006) versions only," Lazar clarified. "The GA versions were not meant to be uninstallable."

Current information on WGA Notifications is available on .